Minority student enrollment, particularly among Hispanic and Asian students, continues to grow. Although the majority of students enrolled statewide are white, in all but the theological institutions white students account for a smaller proportion of enrollment in 1998 than in 1993. Tuition and fees in all public sectors account for an increasing share of institutional revenues, and these prices continue to exceed national averages. The percentage of revenue derived from state government declined for all sectors except the community colleges between FY 1995 and FY 1997. New Jersey community colleges will buck the trends to an even greater degree in the future owing to a substantial increase in state funding over four years beginning in FY 1999 coupled with tuition freezes or minimal increases.
New Jersey continues to lead the nation in state-funded student assistance.
New Jersey s higher education sectors outperformed their national counterparts in several key student outcome measures. Most notably, graduation and retention rates at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey far exceed national benchmarks. The number of students transferring from New Jersey community colleges to four-year institutions increased significantly over the past 10 years. The Commission continues its commitment to enhancing higher education accountability in New Jersey through the framework of institutional and systemwide reports and the state s performance funding initiative. In the coming months, the Commission will work with the higher education community to improve the form and content of institutional accountability reports.