Dropouts increase as aid falls - Jane Stancill, News

A cycle of financial woe is beginning to show at UNC campuses, where the system's overall state funding dropped by 15.6 percent this year. Tuition and fees rose $400 on average across the UNC system, while some sources of financial aid are drying up. Tuition and fees for North Carolina residents are $4,668 this year at UNCP, and the total minimum cost is $12,366, including room, board and health insurance. At the same time, more students are qualifying for aid because a parent lost a job. They are often taking on bigger loans to stay in school, while worrying that when they graduate they'll end up in a dismal job market. There is no statewide data on the college dropout phenomenon, and it appears to be playing out unevenly. Flagship campuses - UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State - have not seen a major impact so far, partly because they have more pots of money to tap to help students. Some campuses have noticed a slight dip, mainly in out-of-state students who have higher costs. Others saw a significant decrease and began to contact students to inquire why they weren't coming back. "The message was clear," said Steve Roberson, dean of undergraduate studies at UNC Greensboro, where 125 students left. "It's the economy over and over again in ways we just haven't seen in the past."