North Dakota is among five states ranked most productive in higher education. In a July 16 report from the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity and Accountability, Florida, Colorado, Washington and Utah also are listed as most productive states because their cost per credential is the lowest in the nation. The report states that these states convert resources into credentials that have value in their marketplace.

Patrick Kelly, a senior associate at the National Center for Higher Education management systems, prepared the report titled “The Dreaded ‘P’ Word: An Examination of Productivity in Public Postsecondary Education.”

The report presents a new market-based methodology for estimating productivity in state public higher education systems. The new measure relates state and student spending on higher education to the market value of degrees and credentials produced.  

Alaska, Wyoming, Delaware, Rhode Island and Connecticut have the most expensive degrees and are the least productive states, according to the study.

The Delta Project is an organization that researches higher education finance. Its focus is how spending relates to access and success, and ways that costs can be controlled without compromising quality.

For more information, go to chronicle.com/news/article/6797/new-study-takes-a-crack-at-measuring-higher-educations-productivity.