Nationally, state funding to higher education has significantly decreased. Ironically, the trend of state divestment in higher education coincides with federal and state policies geared toward increasing degree completion rates. Through an analysis of qualitative data gathered at California higher education institutions, this paper highlights how cuts to educational funding create academic barriers for students. This can have implications for how students progress toward degree completion and undermine efforts to increase completion rates. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 4 footnotes.)