As yet another college student, while I may not be loaded, I feel that the ability to do freelance work makes my life considerably more comfortable than the average student. A monthly fee wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Now, I say that because I have spent the last 18 months on HN. I'd be an easy conversion. The new signups would be less easy, as it's hard to see the true value in HN until you've spent time here.

Assuming it isn't unreasonably high, I would pay.

I was reading Something Awful since about a year after they launched (late 90s). I never got around to registering for the forums. Now, I kick myself for not having been a part of and stuck around that community when it was that small.

Them charging (they have a one-time fee, but I think HN could definitely be monthly) cut down SEVERELY on the crap content, because only people serious enough to pay could post.

Having a free-read/comment-and-post-pay system I think would be great, even if you price it as low as $5-10/month.

If you honestly think a college student can't find $5 somewhere to paypal for a one-time fee, you're kidding yourself. And I say that as a college student.

I am a college student and 10$ is my monthly allowance

True, there would definitely be some loss of content. Of course, you could give an account to students based on their obtaining a .EDU address. :)