THERE is a paradox in Washington around education and jobs. The state ranks among the highest in the proportion of the population with a college degree (14th), but among the lowest in the proportion of state high-school graduates who go to college (46th). The reason, of course, is that Washington has a lot of jobs that require a college degree, and is such an attractive place to live that people will move to the state to take them.

Washington has been a net importer of college graduates, especially at the baccalaureate level, for many years. But this paradox also means that many Washington residents do not have the opportunity to get the education they need for jobs in the state.

For a long time, the ability of Washington to attract college-educated workers from other states meant that increasing higher-education opportunity was, frankly, not a priority. Now, however, the state faces a changing economy that demands that many more people have the skills and knowledge they can only get through higher education. Relying on other states is no longer a viable strategy, so graduating a lot more residents from college is vital for Washington's economic future.

The most important reason is this: jobs. Recent estimates show that by 2018 more than 67 percent of jobs in Washington will require some form of postsecondary education — one of the highest rates in the country. Unfortunately, only 42 percent of adults in Washington today have an associate or bachelor's degree.

Right at the time when Washington needs to deliver more college graduates, higher education is becoming unaffordable for too many students. Everyone knows tuition is increasing, but most still don't know how much and how quickly it has gone up. In 1993-94, resident tuition at the University of Washington was $2,532. By 2003-04 it was $4,863. This year, it is $10,574. Of course, tuition in community colleges and other universities is less, but even there it has gone up a lot in the past few years.

Cuts in higher-education funding are a big part of the reason for these increases. By some measures, state funding for UW has decreased by 50 percent just since 2009. These trends are clearly not sustainable. The lack of state funding has also hurt Washington's financial-aid programs, precisely at the time they are most needed.

While the state must do more to support higher education, colleges and universities have work to do, too. Everyone must find ways to use scarce public funds to produce more highly qualified college graduates, and there are ways to do just that.

For example, several states now use performance funding to increase college completion for underserved populations, shorten time to degree or credential, and reduce the cost of delivery. Tennessee is distributing 70 percent of its higher-education appropriations based on results and quality rather than enrollment. Student performance incentives, such as the strategic use of tuition and financial aid to encourage students to stay in school and complete their programs as quickly as possible, are also proliferating.

Introducing business efficiencies like joint purchasing of products and services can also help produce savings that are used to graduate more students at a lower cost. In Ohio, more than $900 million has been saved by public colleges and universities over the past few years.

Today, like Washington, every state across America is grappling with the challenge of how to grow jobs, skills and opportunity. It's a big hill to climb, but it's critically important to succeed. Washington and the nation both need more college graduates.