The state of Wisconsin is currently failing in terms of affordability for both its public and private higher education institutions, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

The biennial study, “Measuring Up 2008: The National Report Card on Higher Education,” gave each state a letter grade in six categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, learning and benefits.

The state of Wisconsin, along with every other state except for California, received a letter grade of “F” for its affordability.

According to the study, Wisconsin’s poor and working-class families must devote 44 percent of their income to pay for the costs of public four-year colleges, even with financial aid.

In a statement released Tuesday, UW System President Kevin Reilly said the system has been working hard to increase its need-based financial aid and the report only confirms how increasing the aid will lead to improved access.

“Broadly speaking, those investments represent a tangible promise to future college-bound students whose intellectual capacity may be greater than their financial means,” Reilly said. “We must send the message, loudly and clearly, that their aspirations and hard work will pay off.”

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said it is important to recognize tuition prices at the universities do not correlate to the “affordability” factor in the study, The scores can only be the result of the levels of need-based financial aid available at the states’ higher education institutions.

While Minnesota and Wisconsin received identical numerical scores for public four-year institutions in affordability, Giroux said both states have very different tuition structures.

“How can a state with higher tuition be just as affordable as us? That’s like looking at two brand new cars that have the same sticker price and saying that one is more affordable than the other,” Giroux said. “How does that happen? In the car world it would be the form of rebates, in the college world it would be the form of financial aid.”

Giroux said he does not think the letter grades are representative. Rather, evaluators of the study should look deeper down into the data.

“You can argue with their methodology, but that’s really neither here nor there. What’s really important is the data. The data tell us exactly what Wisconsin needs,” Giroux said. “We’re seeing that this state and private investors and the federal government need to invest more in need-based aid. That message is out there. This just underscores why we need to keep beating this drum more loudly.”

Wisconsin’s best grade on the report card was an A- in completion, which boils down how many students completed their bachelor’s degree within six years. Fifty-eight percent of students in Wisconsin met that specification.

“The UW System has worked hard to improve these completion rates, and that work is paying off,” Reilly said. “Targeted investments in advising and student support help improve the efficiency of our entire educational pipeline. Ultimately, the return-on-investment for students and taxpayers alike is tremendous.”

Wisconsin’s Report Card:

Preparation – B

Participation – C+

Affordability – F

Completion – A-

Learning – Incomplete

Benefits – C