Why has college gotten so expensive in the last 30 years? A blank check in 1993
&quot;The question then becomes a matter of how we fix this without diminishing access to a college education.&quot;<p>This is the crux of it that everyone needs to get over.  Universality, High Quality, Low Cost.  Pick two.  By letting the government meddle you have guaranteed no one can afford college and will be long in debt to a loan they cannot discharge in bankruptcy.  I&#x27;d rather have cheap college then universal access for every single person who wants a English Literature or Anthropology degree with low ROI.  Colleges are now awash in money and they pump it into newer and fancier campuses to attract more of that government backed debt from all the masses, driving up cost significantly.<p>Or how about breaking the degree monopoly with something like equivalent certification programs and let private companies fill the gap.  Similar to what Google is doing with its certificate program they are rolling out.  4 years for a piece of paper that includes 2 years of general education classes for &quot;well roundness&quot; is starting to look more and more ridiculous considering the cost of that &quot;well roundness&quot; is years of non-dis chargeable debt weighing you down during your best decades.