> It is largely free if your means are limited.

What 18 year olds have any means at all? Surely everyone passes this means test?

Can't say for Canada but in the US the colleges look to the parents unless the student is over a certain age (most commonly 26).

There's the FAFSA[1] required by almost every college. Many private colleges also require the CSS Profile[2] which is far more detailed and intrusive. Many people agree that the colleges do this for maximizing their profit and/or providing an incentive to go where it's "less than sticker".

Some 18 year olds are not on good terms with their parents and can't get their parents to complete the processes. Not sure what happens then but you'd suspect nothing good.

[1] https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa Free Application for Federal Student Aid

[2] https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org

When I went to college you could bypass this by getting married, and I considered it with a high school classmate. We weren’t dating and weren’t even really friends - she just happened to bring it up in class once and I told her I’d had the same thought.

I ended up going for pretty close to free after scholarships anyways, though she did joke about consummating the marriage so I guess I missed out on that.

They include your parents’ income in your means test, unless you’ve been out of high school for >7 years.

> They include your parents’ income in your means test

I wonder what happens if your parents are wealthy and you're on good terms with them and not estranged... they just don't happen to want to fund your education.