Why does education cost so much? Shouldn't we find ways to make it more accessible to all?

Question

Here I am mostly referring to College and University education.

abc3643 · Accepted Answer

It shouldn't. Indeed, the sudden rise in the price of education beginning circa 1983 was a huge reason why I decided not to have kids.

When I began college at RPI, a private technological university with a well-known reputation, it was fall 1981 and my yearly tuition was about $8000.

Of course, I had student loans...

I decided I did not want my kids to have student loans, so I did a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation in my head...

Making the numbers round, by the time a kid reaches college, that's about 20 years with a year is 350 days. Well, 7000 days.

OK, my tuition for 4 years was going to be about $40,000. Inflation, then, we obliterated. About 4% annually. Assuming 4% inflation over 20 years...

Cost increase factor = (1.04)^20 = 2.19... about 2.

So, my kid's tuition should be about $80000.

Spead that out over 7000 days, and that means saving about $11.42 EVERY DAY THE CHILD IS ALIVE... AND FOR EACH CHILD! OK, that's "doable" although $11 went a lot farther in the early 1980s than it does today.

However, my assumption of about $80000 for a 4-year degree was quickly off.

My own tuition was rising much faster than the general inflation rate.

I was shocked. Why was this occurring?

In short, people who would become professors were also being sought by industry - especially in STEM fields as this is when personal computers were taking off but also when Star Wars (the Space Defense Initiative) was being invested in. The US under Reagan was doing a shitload of deficit spending to bolster the military. So, colleges and universities needed to make becoming a professor more enticing and that meant pay raises and other perks all of which translated into higher tuition for students.

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Tuition is absurdly high and, frankly, not worth it. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes down at some point as AI gets more involved in the education process. Note also the number of colleges that have failed... Too many colleges and not enough students, so many long-running colleges are closing now - especially in the liberal arts.

It's reaching the point that only kids from wealthy families can afford college... which is just what the GOP wants. Keep the poor stupid so they vote for us, but send our kids to school so they can get the top jobs and "keep the money with 'our people'".

Why does education cost so much? Shouldn't we find ways to make it more accessible to all?

Lliam · Accepted Answer

The percentage of Americans enrolling in and finishing college grew dramatically between 1954 and 1974, when the number of community colleges doubled and many campuses expanded in size. Faculty jobs were also better. The majority of instructors had tenure or were on the tenure track. Federal aid also increased, jumping from annual expenditures of $1.4 billion to $3.7 billion between 1963 and 1966 alone. Since then, there has been a noticeable decline in federal and state support for higher education.

Landmark legislation, from the 1944 GI Bill to the 1965 Higher Education Act, did little to compel campuses to improve the quality of student jobs or build a financial aid system premised on affordability, inclusivity, and equal access. Indeed, Great Society liberals created the Guaranteed Student Loan Program in 1965 in order to avoid the kind of direct federal funding that would have kept tuition costs down. That incredibly complicated financial product promised only repayment to bankers—not the support campuses and students needed. It’s a lending scheme that epitomizes how gilded the academy’s past was and why its future hinges on a truly progressive break with placing the burden on students and parents to pay for what should be a basic public good.

The choices that Democrats and Republicans made in higher education’s mid-twentieth-century gilded age have continued to shape the academy’s historically uncertain finances and the costs of enrolling. Federal and state lawmakers intent on spending and taxing less since 1970 have slashed higher education aid and expanded the opportunities for students and parents to borrow. Donations and business partnerships have remained important for many institutions, but student costs have still soared. By 2018, tuition was the main source of higher education funding in most states.

Colleges and universities cost a lot to run. I think it would greatly benefit our country if states and federal government invested in educational opportunities.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

It costs so much because of student loans and grants and the lowering of academic standards. Its a real industry, they charge so much because they can.

Then there's all the extra stuff they put in that's not needed and is added to the cost like golf courses, equestrian centres, lazy rivers, gourmet dining halls, vr labyrinths, lavish events etc. All of this is paid for by students.

My college spent $50,000 on a reflexology path. Where you walk barefoot on a bunch of rocks because it supposedly has healing properties.

A proffessor in my college was given the approval (by the division VP) to spend $15,000 on a height-adjustable treadmill desk for his office. His small department was almost entirely funded by student service fees.

My college spent $300k on a casino manegment program that literally no one does.

They put in a dozen and a half identical slabs of granite costing $10,000, just piled up on the ground next to the student union. It's referred to as "The Rock" (despite being a collection of several), and is supposed to stand for the school's core values, which include things like diversity and significance. In an effort to get people to engage with the Rock, the school gave everyone pieces of chalk and were shocked--shocked-- when people drew dicks all over it. Someone painted the words "literally nobody wanted this stupid rock" on it and it was still there a couple years ago.

Inflatable Things at $300,000. They had a sumo wrestling inflatable, a surfing inflatable, an obstacle course one, a water slide... and more. Our student programming board has so much money for stupid stuff, while other clubs sometimes struggle to get funding for events.

CupcakeTheDestroyer · Accepted Answer

The privatization of The Student Loan Marketing Association is the main source of the issue. The privatization of it drove the organization to focus on profit rather than focusing on giving students loans to attend college and as they became so readily available compared to previous federal loans that were on an extremely tight budget, colleges were also encouraged to raise tuition prices so that an even greater profit could be made from the students who attended their schools. It was honestly an insanely shady practice and even though it no longer exists, the precedent is still there and colleges aren’t lowering tuition costs, and student loans are still some of the most insidious loans you can get. As long as banks keep profiting, prices will keep skyrocketing.

Advisor Smith · Accepted Answer

Education costs are high due to factors like faculty salaries, campus maintenance, research funding, and administrative expenses. Efforts to make it more accessible can include expanding financial aid, offering more scholarships, and increasing funding for public institutions. Additionally, online learning and community colleges provide more affordable alternatives. By adapting these strategies, we can work towards more equitable access to higher education, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from learning without financial strain. My own educational journey taught me the importance of accessibility in maximizing diverse talents and perspectives in society.

1

MrOracle · Answer

It's because it's largely a scam to make a ton of money for colleges and employ a lot of useless people. You'd be SHOCKED by how much useless administration there is at a college - it's about 6 "generals" for every "private", and almost none of them spend any real time or effort matching curriculum with real-world job requirements - and would be offended by the suggestion that that should even be a priority.

Somewhere between 50 and 60% of people going to college today are taking majors that have virtually zero financial relevance, meaning they aren't going to lead to a job that you can make a real living on. If you are independently wealthy or otherwise can afford advanced education in fields that interest you without any need for financial viability, great, but that's the rare exception.

In the past, only wealthy kids or insanely talented ones went to art school or fashion design, much less became English or French language majors. Tons of people pick a major because it's relatively easy to get, without knowing anything about the job market for people with those degrees. Just because you went into $100,000 of debt doesn't mean you are going to get a job that pays well. I just saw a video of an oceanographic researcher complaining about her low salary - but most academic researchers in those fields have never made large salaries. Just because she got an expense degree from a private university doesn't mean that reality is going to change for her. It's the norm for those fields, especially early in your career.

The truth is that people were sold on the idea that a college degree was virtually a guarantee of future financial success. It never was, but colleges especially pushed that idea in the school system because it fed LOTS of money into colleges - with government-backed loans to ensure that the school got paid, even if the student couldn't afford college and would not be more employable after graduation. They don't care about your success, just your tuition.

Obviously if you are going for a STEM degree, things tend to be much different, but there aren't many STEM students in frats or who go to the bars every weekend.

The truth is that most people who aren't on a STEM track would be better off either at a trade school (which were largely killed off) or just going directly to work and gaining experience. An empty degree won't get you far in the real world anymore. But too many people aren't paying attention and still buy the propaganda, and they or their kids will suffer for their delusion.

ODC2112 · Answer

In the United States, higher education—both undergraduate and graduate—is historically perceived not just as a tool for personal growth but as the main lever for accessing and remaining within the middle class. Unlike in many European countries, where higher education can be subsidized or even free, university expenses in the U. S. are enormous, creating a kind of selective barrier: those who cannot afford tuition often do not have access to the same income opportunities and social mobility.

This mechanism has a twofold effect. On one hand, it maintains education as a kind of exclusive “social currency”: university is not just about learning; it’s a certification of economic and cultural status. On the other hand, it generates massive debt for families and young people, because most have to take out loans to finance studies that, paradoxically, are intended to help them enter the middle class, where they otherwise would not have access.

In this sense, education in the U. S. functions almost like an economic filter: it does not automatically make someone more competent, but it determines who can aspire to professional positions and incomes typical of the middle class. It is a form of meritocracy heavily conditioned by initial financial resources.

In the United States, the astronomical cost of college does not just buy knowledge or academic skills: it buys access to privileged social and economic networks. Attending certain prestigious universities means connecting with influential families, powerful alumni, exclusive job opportunities, and clubs or associations not open to those coming from less expensive or less renowned institutions.

In practice, university becomes a device of social legitimation: the real value is not only in courses or books but also in certifying that you belong to a certain elite group. This elucidates why affluent families are prepared to incur significant debt or pay exorbitant tuition fees: the benefits extend beyond education, serving as a social and strategic tool for social mobility and prestige.

Thus, “merit” becomes partly a pretext. In theory, anyone can access an elite college if they are talented enough, but in practice, money and connections often weigh as much as or more than talent. The social network you build there is often more valuable than technical knowledge, because it determines future opportunities and entry into the middle or upper class.

This model is a derivative of the British social system. In the United Kingdom, as in the U. S., certain universities—Oxford, Cambridge, and some in London, such as LSE or Imperial College—function not just as centers of learning but, above all, as gateways to elite social networks. The real value for many students lies less in the courses than in being inserted into environments where families, alumni, and professional contacts hold economic, political, and cultural power.

The British system adds a significant historical element: universities are not only instruments of social mobility but also institutions that reproduce social stratification. Private schools (called public schools, though they are private) prepare students to enter certain universities, creating continuity between wealth, education, and status. This ensures that education is not only a means of rising to the middle class but also of consolidating already privileged positions.

In practice, both in the UK and the U. S., elite education serves a more social role than an academic one: it certifies who belongs to certain circles and who does not. The main difference lies in historical and cultural channels: in the U. S., there is a narrative of “meritocracy through talent and competition,” while in the UK there is a more explicit heritage of social and aristocratic continuity.

In summary, the financial cost of elite education primarily focuses on gaining access to privileged networks rather than the knowledge it imparts. Not only do you pay for lectures and textbooks, but also for access to families, alumni, professional connections, and social environments that provide opportunities for high-status careers and social recognition.

In other words, the “education” is a vehicle, but the real product is social position. Your diploma signals not just competence but membership in a certain elite circle—and that membership is what drives future opportunities, prestige, and class mobility.

It’s a subtle but crucial distinction: the formal learning is secondary; the social capital you acquire is the main return on investment.

OneViewpoint · Answer

It's obscene here in the US. State schools are not well funded. And private schools are sitting on literally billions in endowment money that isn't used for anything related to tuition assistance for students. They just hoard wealth.

Total endowment as of April 2025

Harvard University: $39.5 billion
Yale University: $31 billion
Princeton University: $26 billion
University of Pennsylvania: $14.7 billion
Columbia University: $11 billion
Cornell University: $7.3 billion
Dartmouth College: $5.7 billion
Brown University: $4 billion

Endowment per student...

Princeton: $3.1 million/student
Yale: $2.3 million/student
Harvard: $1.9 million/student
Dartmouth: $860,000/student
Penn: $650,000/student
Brown: $390,000/student
Columbia: $330,000/student
Cornell: $300,000/student

What is the point of hoarding wealth in a private "non profit" educational institution? Why are taxpayers underwriting the tax free wealth hoarding of these institutions? Something doesn't add up. Something here stinks.

D_Bone_Steak · Answer

In America... it doesn't cost much for the internet or a library membership. The problem with education is these degrees have become proof of ability, and now they have the retards running rat races to get them with the promise of making more money.

Little do they know... trade jobs usually make more money in the long run and especially the short run. If you take on debt to pay for college... I'm sorry, because High School should've taught you better. Trade jobs... as for women though... it's not my fault most of you avoid trade jobs like it's COVID mixed with AIDS or simply just crave jobs that require college. I can share videos later to eluminate on what I'm talking about if anyone asks later on.

You can read books and know everything about everything like I do for basically nothing but your own effort. What costs the money is that money scheme they got going on for the degrees. My solution?

Allow me to take the bar exam... if I pass you fucking test I'm qualified. This goes for the people that hire too... because we both know some fuck head with a degree can't do the damn job half as good as someone with experience. Start requiring a test before you put them on the payroll. Test them on what matters to you.

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

The cost makes it an exclusive club. It’s how the elites retain their wealth and power.
There isn’t a single bit of information on the planet that is exclusive to organized higher education systems. You can learn anything and everything taught at every level of public and private education from the comfort of your own home. What you’re buying is a piece of paper that verifies that you are part of the club. Ironically, it’s still a two-tiered club. There are a lot of people who took out loans to pay for college and get liberal arts degrees who are angry that they’re not making a million dollars an hour and running the world. Ell oh ell! Worse, these “educated” nitwits talk down to us dumb blue collar workers with little to no debt, and then lobbied the Biden administration to force us to pay off their debts for them!
So, yes and no. Yes, education should be affordable and it already is. Get a library card and learn to use the internet for things other than porn and social media. No, i shouldn’t have to pay off your college degree because you don’t know the difference between education and entitlement.
If there’s going to be a movement toward increasing the value of education without increasing the cost, it will have to start with eliminating useless programs and degrees that don’t benefit society as a whole. Additionally, grants, scholarships and loans for education should be offered equally to trades skool students and apprentices. Furthermore, people who choose not to go to skool of any kind should be offered equitable reimbursement when they find and keep work. Otherwise the “free college” ideal becomes a privilege for some and a burden for others. I certainly shouldn’t have to pay your private club dues when you could have learned all the same crap for free. What do i get out of that deal, besides demeaned by the same idiots who needed my handouts to pay off their lousy choices?

Effably · Answer

The historical reason is probably because they serve another purpose too.

Traditionally of course, education is a ticket to a new life. It is allowed to cost. But in today's day and age we could in theory ascertain someome has a suitable skillset in a few hours. No need for that to cost much.

Which leads to the second and original reason for universities. They are centers of knowledge and have traditionally been paid and sponsored by countries. Why? Because people at large realized that gathering a whole bunch of smart and learned people and then getting both access to what they come up with and a chance to influence it is on its own worth incredible amounts of money.

Need a new weapon? They'll come up with a way to obliterate thousands. Universities are also high-level research facilities. And generaly if they invented a new gun you wanted to own it. You did not want them to go sell it to someone else. So you needed the university to work for you. Hence, sponsored. It was so efficient that everyone did it.

And that brings us to today. Universities are still driving science in many fields. They get specific asks from government to do things for which they normally get paid a lot. In some countries this covers the costs. In others, the cost is offloaded to students. In both cases the university does research and hands it over to the country.

So basically, greed. Usually from the country, not uni.

RavVid · Answer

I would strongly question the value of that because you are hard up against the IQ bell curve. IQ is not everything but it is important in academic attainment.

For example it is pretty much recognized that an engineering degree requires an IQ of around 130 and you must get that degree to be a professional engineer. Only 2% are over 130. So making those courses more accessible doesn't mean you can have more engineers at current standards.

Currently the top 60% of females go to college. The inexorable IQ bell curve tells us the bottom of that cohort will have an IQ of 95-96.

So the College needs to lessen academic standards from that when IQs of 120 were the student norm, in order for them to pass.

There are a few other responses. The bottom of the college cohort will do easier courses like Feminist Studies, i. e useless the degrees.

The business response to falling standards, has lead to demand for higher degrees:- Masters or Phd's.

So I don't think accessibility to all does anyone any favors.

In contrast nursing has a good education model. A person can enter as a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) and just be responsible for toileting and showering a patient. But that PCA can do certifications for say pilling patients. Each step in qualification is a relatively easy certification step up to Nurse Practitioner who can prescribe and perform much of a medical doctors role. And it can be done part time whilst working. Employers often subsidize.

IT has pretty much adopted this certification model.

Progressive certification is a much superior way than making college degrees more accessible.

LiamJHayden · Answer

In the USA, the issues are mainly from the unintended consequences of mass government intervention. Put more money into a system via grants and the such and prices tend to rise. Guaranty the student loans and people who could not normally qualify for the loans will get them, adding even more money into the system.

Example:
In 1981, the average tuition and required fees (in-state) for UCLA was around $1,935.
In 2025, in is $15,700, 8 times as much.
Median income in 1981: $22,390.
Median Income in 2025: $82,920, less than 4 times as much.

So at one of the least expensive good universities, tuition has risen at more than twice the rate of the rise in income. At private universities it is worse.

Example:
In 1981, Stanford tuition was $7,140
In 2025, $67,731, approx. 9.5 times as much. Others are even worse.

To make it more affordable, eliminate grants and loans for degrees that are basically useless. STEM, Medical, Law, Teaching and the such should get government grants and backed loans. Gender Studies, Communications, Fashion Design, even my beloved Music*, should not get government grants and any loans should not be secured by government.

*for Music, those sufficiently talented WILL get grants from private organizations.

contentious · Answer

State university tuition for residents isn’t high at all. Even if you are struggling to pay it, you could always do your first 2 years at a community college for half the price of the university tuition and still take the same courses, using the same books, with smaller class sizes. Not to mention if you actually do well in high school there is typically state sponsored tuition discounts/scholarships. You can also pirate PDF text book for almost every college course or check out a hard copy from the library. What costs a lot of money is living expenses (room & board) while you live on credit for 4+ years depending on what type of education you are pursuing. Your cost of living is not an education expense. Even if you have an education and can’t find work for 4+ years and you try to live on credit you’re going to be fucked as well. Live at home if you can, commute to the closest state university and get your education. Do go away to a university far away because you want to party or whatever. If you are responsible you won’t incur all that much debt, and if you work while attending school you will incur little to no debt. Only irresponsible stupid people that have no plan have a lot of college debt. Those sorts of people shouldn’t be going to college anyway. They don’t have the brains for it.

HawkPerception · Answer

More and more, people are realizing that you don't need to pay to become educated. There's a lot of free education and courses out there. Some universities offer free courses.

When it comes to jobs, it's more about proving you have the skill set than flashing your resume. People are starting to recognize free online education much more.

Don't get me wrong. There's still things that you need to go to university for. Like being a doctor. Or trades. Getting real hands on experience is extremely important for some jobs.

Here's Harvard's list of free online courses

QuestionObsession · Answer

Because Education is a business. If it was made affordable, they would not make money off of people.

Why are medical treatments and surgeries so expensive? Because sick people are good for business and if they kept treatments and such affordable, they would not make money off of people.

Why is junk food cheap? Because junk food makes people sick and healthy people are bad for business. So they make us sick for cheap, so that they can treat us for it very expensively.

Capitalism 101

LazerBean · Answer

Because they are businesses that mostly make money by targeting people's desire for bragging rights.

College is accessible, you just have to pick one that is practical. The program my brother is in will cost him about 15k total for a STEM degree. At a university, it would have been that amount or more just for 1 semester.

WhiteThought · Answer

College, overall, is one big scam, that's why it costs so much. What more people should do is go to a Trade/Technical school. As far as college goes, they find ways to make you pay an insane amount of money for so little. Most people that have gone to college have experiences paying an absurd amount for books, needing to take, and pay, for classes that are irrelevant to their degree, and their tuition going towards things they will probably never use.

Amy10223 · Answer

It's only expensive in the US. I know other countries where education is actually affordable. Europe, Canada, Japan, and I'm sure many other places. The US is the only country where colleges and university tuition costs have gone up 300% in about 10-15 years.

exitseven · Answer

One of the reasons is that there are more than enough administrators. they also have a secretary. Each administrator has an assistant and they all make good money. Many of them are just in charge of do nothing social programs and affirmative action scams. One of the colleges where I worked had an administrator in charge of the comfort dogs that the college brough it during exam periods that students could pet in case they got too stressed pout during exams. I am not making this up.

MannMitAntworten · Answer

I think Saudi Arabia has free higher education. Anyway, it just means they have those with Master’s Degrees pushing around food carts versus the United States high school dropouts owning a air conditioned food truck over charging for their street tacos with lines stretching around the street corner.

Anonymous · Answer

Around the 1970s or 1980s, it used to cost a few hundred dollars a year to go to college in California.

Now it's $15,000 a year for California residents, which (they say) comes to $42,000 a year with "extra university fees" and housing, and $51,000 for non-residents, which comes to $83,000 with those added expenses. For a public university. At some point the state of California decided they were there to get rich, not help students.

Avicenna · Answer

More accessible also means more expensive , BUT, offering no-frills options like bachelors degrees from community colleges and virtual programs as well as cutting down on the huge administrator apparatus might help.

Twalli · Answer

Back in the day the price was okay, because it was for those who were overachievers (like graduate school is now), but it needs to be cheaper now. My dad was able to go because there was free tuition to in-state students. Yet that was in the 1960s (he was born in 1952). From what I've read, all that they do now is reduced tuition for in-state students.

Nikki1989 · Answer

State and federal funding for public universities has been steadily decreasing for decades, and the last thing the government wants is smart people, especially under idiots like Donald Trump.

Phoenix98 · Answer

Don't bother with colleges or universities just go to a trade school no worthless degree's with no future no useless courses that serve no practical purpose. They're cheaper, shorter and have a better chance at securing you a job.

genericname85 · Answer

shouldn't we find ways to make it more accessible? sure. but truth is: all the usa cares about is weapons, war and delusion (religion). so that's where the money goes. don't shoot the messenger. i don't like it either.

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

Sure, but you won't. The reason for Trump's second s**t show is that higher education is so crazy expensive, the best and brightest who aren't rich are often priced out, thus assuring the U. S. ruling class is populated with legacy dumba**es.

Surely · Answer

You need to look into the salaries of the college professors all the way up to the top shelf people.
In my mind. The price that you pay for higher education. Should gaurantee you a decent paying job when you graduate!

Anonymous · Answer

If it was accessible to everyone, the rich couldn't hoard wealth as easily. You can already see a conservative campaign saying too many people are going to college. It is quite predictable.

WhitneySnow · Answer

At least there are student loans. They didn’t exist at all 70 years ago. And merit scholarships were much more rare then than they are today.

slatyb · Answer

Yes, we should. Fifty years ago it was relatively inexpensive, even at top colleges. In civilized countries it's free.

Shiprex · Answer

The people buildings materials and purpose of the institute where education is obtained have expenses and nowadays that's high.

TonyMetal___86 · Answer

It should be a lot cheaper but the excuse of these establishments are "from where are we going to pay the teachers" and "from where are we going to get enough money for basic maintenance"... etc

Xawyx-2 · Answer

I know what you mean, it's too expensive, I agree 100%, we should find ways to make it more accessible to all.

noohair · Answer

Over the last 5 years the value of the US dollar has almost been cut in half in reference to an ounce of gold. The university system is also not an efficient economic model.

Agape93 · Answer

You'd think, but politicians don't want an educated electorate, and businesses would want you to be educated if they could get you that education and pay you minimum wage for it.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Capitalism & oligarchy disfavor an educated populace. It's no more complicated than that.

seeyounexttuesday · Answer

Prevent the government from guaranteeing student loans. That's the #1 contributor to college becoming more expensive.

Anonymous · Answer

My feelings is that education at some university or college is a for-profit program. State for high dollar amount. For crappy education system that instructors can't teach.

dustybiker2 · Answer

My local college has free classes

Abdulw · Answer

I totally agree damn universities are so expensive it's unnecessary

msc545 · Answer

Costs so much because it is worth so much.

Vegasrunner · Answer

Why does the world's most valuable resource cost so much?

Spencer10 · Answer

Thats easy... go to Europe or Canada.

qwerty2469 · Answer

If it was more accessible it wouldn't be valuable.

Myra01 · Answer

College is free in turkey 😂

jahaims · Answer

To scam people

Why does education cost so much? Shouldn't we find ways to make it more accessible to all?

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