A national report card on higher education gives Hawaii failing grades for college participation and affordability.

Hawaii got an “;F”; for affordability and a “;D”; for participation (going to college), down a grade from the last report in 2006.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out “;F's”; for affordability to 49 states; only California received a passing grade of “;C.”;

The report noted that poor or working-class families must spend 38 percent of their income, even after financial aid, to pay for the cost of a University of Hawaii education.

Nationally, enrollment at a local public college costs families in the top fifth of income just 9 percent of their earnings, while families from the bottom fifth pay 55 percent - up from 39 percent in 1999-2000.

Linda Johnsrud, the University of Hawaii vice president for academic planning, said the cost of attending UH is still low compared with other schools, even with the current tuition increase.

The report faults the state for having very little taxpayer-supported financial aid programs, noting that only 5 cents is spent by the state for every dollar in federal Pell Grants to students.

Johnsrud said the university has stepped up its financial aid for students. Part of the tuition increase is devoted to financial aid and much of the university's private fundraising efforts are going toward scholarships, she said.

Patrick Callan, the higher education center's president, said there are fewer students getting a college education than in past generations.

He said the United States is, at best, standing still while other countries pass it in areas like college enrollment and completion. And as higher education fails to keep up with population growth, the specter lurks of new generations less educated than their baby boomer predecessors.

“;The educational strength of the American population is in the group that's about to retire,”; Callan said. “;In the rest of the world it's the group that's gone to college since 1990.”;

Hawaii has similar demographics, Johnsrud said.

“;Hawaii's 25-year-olds are not as well educated as 35-year-olds, 45-year-olds and 55-year-olds,”; she said. “;This is a really serious issue for Hawaii.”;

Johnsrud said UH is seeing some success in getting high school students to go to college. But it is more difficult to recruit adults to go back to school.

The report gives Hawaii a “;C minus”; for its efforts to prepare students for college, noting that Hawaii is among the lowest-performing states in science, reading and math.

Hawaii also got a “;C”; for the ability of students to complete college, noting that only 46 percent of college students get a bachelor's degree within six years - and that the percentage has declined over the years.

The state gets a “;B minus”; for the benefits of higher education, noting that 43 percent of adults ages 25 to 64 have at least an associate's degree.

All states received an “;incomplete”; in the learning category because of a lack of information needed to compare states in literacy and other measures.