As projections indicate that 72% of all jobs in Georgia will require education beyond a high school diploma by 2031, state leaders are urgently addressing the escalating costs of higher education, which many fear are locking out the next generation of skilled workers.
This challenge is the focus of the recently formed Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Affordability, chaired by State Senator Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta), who detailed the committee’s findings and goals in a discussion with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Lawmakers Huddle.
Currently, only about 51% of young adults in Georgia have completed some form of post-secondary education, creating a significant gap between the state’s workforce requirements and the available talent pool.
The “Sticker Shock” Barrier
Senator Orrock, the chief sponsor of the resolution creating the committee, explained that she was initially prompted by college counselors reporting a specific demographic crisis: students who are academically admissible but financially unable to attend college.
“There’s a huge demographic of students who want to go on and seek higher education, but it’s not affordable for them,” Sen. Orrock said. “They may not qualify for the HOPE scholarship—which is for the kids with the highest grades—but they’re absolutely eligible and admissible to go to college.”
These students, often referred to as the “missing middle,” cannot rely on their families to pay the high costs associated with tuition, room, board, and books.
“The sticker price there is a shock,” Orrock noted, emphasizing that even some students who qualify for HOPE still require further assistance to bridge the affordability gap.
A Shifting Financial Burden
A major factor contributing to the affordability crisis is the dramatic shift in how higher education is funded in Georgia. Historically, the state carried the majority of the financial burden, a model that has since eroded.
“The numbers that we used to make was that the state put in 75% and the student’s tuition paid 25% of the cost of education,” Orrock explained. “The state’s share now has gone down to 54%, so do the math. The student share is up way above 40%.”
This increase in student responsibility places Georgia among only two states—along with New Hampshire—that do not offer universal need-based tuition grant programs to meet students’ financial requirements.
The Debt Nightmare
Beyond the initial sticker price, the committee is also investigating the crushing burden of student loan debt. Georgia currently ranks as having the third-highest graduate and undergraduate loan debt in the nation.
While some of this debt is carried by individuals who moved to Georgia for jobs after attending college elsewhere, the sheer volume of loan debt remains a critical concern, particularly because of the role of private lenders.
Sen. Orrock highlighted the “misery that flows” from having these private lenders acting as a “middleman,” stretching out payments indefinitely.
She shared a “heartbreaking story” heard by the committee from a woman in Milledgeville who had been diligently paying her loan for 10 years and was now in her final payment year. Despite paying the equivalent of her original debt, the woman still owes the initial amount due to interest and complicated payment structures.
“She is just flabbergasted that this loan has not been paid off,” Orrock stated. “And they’re saying now, ‘No, you need to reconsolidate and renegotiate this loan.'”
The study committee aims to use these findings to formulate legislative solutions that address both the upfront costs of college and the predatory practices contributing to long-term student debt, ensuring that Georgia can educate the workforce necessary to meet its 2031 job requirements.
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