> They are paying to be in school. They may be paying for it with money gained from the University but they are still students.

Seems like some funny-business accounting to me, especially since AFAICT 90%+ Ph.D. students are fully funded.

It's like if you said instead of making 200k [made up number] from working for Facebook, I'm making 300k, but paying 100k for "experience".

> How are the economic realities of grad school any different from undergrad?

Because Ph.D. students almost always have school as their primary income, and undergrads (usually) pay for school and even if they don't pay, are usually supported by their parents or by other jobs. It's very very rare for an undergrad scholarship to pay you enough to live independently.

Also, undergrads don't have a "boss" pressuring them to produce more.

> If you can't afford to go to school, you have a few choices: debt, poverty, or don't go to school.

There is no such thing as not being able to afford to get a Ph.D., unless you have external expenses like a mortgage or needing to support family members. Ph.D.s are funded. Talking about not being able to afford a Ph.D. is like talking about not being able to afford to work for Facebook.