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Statement regarding President Obama’s proposals for rating higher education institutions

We are pleased to see President Obama speaking about the importance of higher education to the future competitiveness of the United States and the necessity of affordability and access for everyone. The University of Washington already scores well on many of the factors the President is promoting such as percentage of Pell Grant eligible students, tuition, debt loads and graduation rates, and we continue to expand our use of technology to improve access as well as services to students. While these measures are important, sustained financial support from our state government remains the best way to ensure affordability and access for Washington students. The state of Washington is indeed fortunate to have one of the best universities in the world at a cost that is still relatively low for students, and we intend to keep it that way.

Michael K. Young
University of Washington President