The bottom line is that the government needs to start stepping in on tuitions, really. They're becoming overly noninclusive for poorer students, a trend which will only further divide people as 'haves' and 'have nots'.

While it's hard to nail down what the fair price of an education should be, the trend that disturbs me is that the rate of change in tuition sharply outpaces inflation. When I was in graduate school, it went up 7-10%/year for undergraduates (*), while professor salaries and other expenses just kept up with inflation. The university's endowment grew rapidly during this time as well. There were some major campus initiatives (new buildings, etc.), but those were generally funded by (and named after) corporate sponsors, or else government programs.

Including room and board, it costs ~$190,000 right now for a four-year education there. Financial aid and loans are needed for all but the very top of the economic food chain.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

(*): Graduate students in the sciences have a tuition, but it's generally taken care of by the research advisor and sort of invisible. I'm sure it went up as well, but I never figured out how much.