Connecticut was one of 15 states to see a decline in the percentage of residents age 25-34 with a college degree, though a number of young adults hold one as an absolute figure.
The U.S. Department of Education released new numbers showing a half-percent increase in the percentage of those age 25-34 with a college degree, to 39.3 percent of all U.S. citizens in that age bracket as of 2010.
While Connecticut bested the national figure with a 45.9 percent college completion rate among young adults, that was down from 46.1 percent in 2009. New Jersey numbered among the states with the five biggest increases at 1.3 percent, while New York was middle of the pack with a 0.4 percent increase.
President Barack Obama has called for the United States to increase the number of recent degree-holders to 60 percent by the end of the decade. To hit that mark, Connecticut would have to increase its recent college graduate figures from some 190,000 of those age 24-34 as of 2010, to at least 295,000 in that bracket by 2020.
“We”™ve made some progress, but the combination of deep state budget cuts and rising tuition prices is pushing an affordable college education out of reach for middle class families,” said U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in prepared comments. “The federal government has done a tremendous amount to increase the amount of aid available to students, but we need states and institutions to meet us halfway by doing more to keep college costs down.”
