It’s been a long time since state governments paid the lion’s share of public higher education costs. In 20 states, tax appropriations and state lottery revenues don’t even pay half of the costs. Since 1980, net tuition revenue as a percentage of total revenues at public colleges has doubled, from 20.9% three decades ago to 42.1% in 2021, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association’s latest higher ed finance report.