> something I only know from movies. It's such a strange idea that access to education would be something you either need to be able to afford or need to get a 'scholarship' for (another strange concept).

Like most things learned from movies, you're not getting the full picture. Most US universities charge on a sliding scale based on family earnings. For larger universities, tuition can actually be free depending on parental earnings. At the extreme end, some Ivy League universities like Harvard have $0 tuition for families earning less than $200K/year.

We also have community colleges and state-run universities with subsidized in-state tuition. It's still more expensive than free, but the tuition is in the range where as long as you're smart with your degree selection the ROI of getting the degree will more than make up for any loans you have to take on. That said, you can get yourself into trouble if you take out loans to study for a degree that doesn't translate to a job.

And, in fact, the median amount of college debt for adults who don't hold degrees is sharply lower than the overall median (it's around $10k). It's not nothing, but it's also not a life-changing amount of debt.

(By way of policy bona fides: I'd strongly support forgiving student debt for all for-profit schools, but would oppose forgiveness for degree-holders from universities, which would be a sharply regressive policy).

Implicit in all these stories is that "education" means "access to highly selective universities". In-state tuition at Directional State University is much more manageable.

Not really. I went to a public land grant university 20 years ago and paid about $12k a year in state. That same university is now $44k per year.

Both my kids went to UIUC and we paid about $15k/yr, and both my kids graduated within the last couple years. And UIUC isn't a Directional State University; it's the flagship of the UI system. You can just look this up: tuition numbers aren't secret.

Ok I will. This claims the cost of attendance is $36,930-$42,310 per year:

https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/invest/tuition

This claims $21k per semester:

https://cost.illinois.edu/Home/Cost/R/U/10KP0112BS/15/120258...

You just cited the out-of-state cost of the flagship state university in Illinois as if it were the in-state cost of a Directional State University in Illinois. Again: you have an argument here that depends on people not Googling list prices (the prices that nobody actually pays) and seeing what they actually are.

No I didn't, that is in state, it's right there on the page.

Directly from the page:

> Illinois Resident

> Tuition & Fees: $18,046-$23,426

> Food & Housing: $15,184

> Books & Supplies: $1,200

> Other Expenses: $2,500

> Total: $36,930-$42,310

I literally looked at the exact school you used in your example and you are just wrong

Couldn't have been clearer that I was referring to tuition, including the fact that I said that specifically upthread.

Well then as long as the kids don't need housing or books or food or to pay the other fees they'll be set. Luckily those are all optional

They in fact differ wildly between students and between colleges! UIC and NIU are commuter universities where students generally don't live on campus. Students at UIUC live in campus-provided housing for their first year, but not generally for subsequent years. Everybody, whether they're in school or not, pays for housing. So no, the cost comparison you're offering here is not very useful.

Shortly later

I also think you might have to ask around to find a student paying full price for books.

take the L, it's ok

I set up an education fund for my kids when they were 2 and I still can’t be sure it’ll be enough. It’s really bad.