States slashed financial support for two-year colleges by $457 million during the pandemic, while funding for four-year institutions declined by only $63 million, a new analysis of state higher education appropriations shows. Federal stimulus funding softened the blow for many state higher education budgets, but state tax appropriations, which are often the predominant recurring revenue stream for public higher education, declined this fiscal year. Six states cut funding for two-year institutions by more than 10 percent in the 2021 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2020, and will end June 30, 2021.
