No Stupid Questions

Education is paywalled

Generally students will get financial aid and scholarships that cover much of the cost of tuition, especially if they're from a lower income family. I'm guessing that, as an international student from a wealthier family, your son didn't quality for much aid. Tuition is also generally lower for residents of the state, which he also wouldn't qualify as.

Even with all that it's still incredibly expensive and lots of people end up having to take out large loans or work jobs while in college to cover the cost.

Profits.

It used to still be a worthwhile investment though. These days... it can be, but it's not guaranteed. You also can learn most things online for free, so what is it even getting for you, really?

Connections.

But that only if you are willing to push for them, and so many kids are only there purely bc their parents send them, like an extended daycare or continuation of high school. I'm not saying it's not worthwhile, but it requires a VERY serious commitment, and so many people are not willing to live up to that.

See also the recent discussion in ! [email protected] Is college in the USA worth the financial investment?

Profit and greed. That’s it.

They charge that much because they can, and what are you gonna do about it? Not go to college? Good luck getting a job flipping burgers without a bachelors degree.

Because idiots keep paying for it. There are so many options for low/no cost education in America but people keep flocking to the same dozen schools for "the prestige" dispite the quality of undergrad education being comparable if not worse than state universities or community colleges.

The politicians of the US took massive payouts from the banking industry in exchange for commodifying anything and everything that people need. Back in 2008, Biden himself took a $250,000 bribe from MBNA to make it illegal to escape student loans even in bankruptcy.

Honestly? Because stupid people like you keep paying it. Sounds nasty, but you are paying it, and that's fucking stupid.

To ensure a large supply of low wage labor.

Tuition is also higher for international students.

Capitalism.

Capitalism took root in the early American colonies through European mercantile practices, private land ownership, and the growth of family-owned farms and small businesses. By the 18th century, the transatlantic trade, including the slave-based plantation economy in the South and a diversified market economy in the North, fostered a system increasingly dependent on private profit. After independence, policies favoring property rights, limited government interference, and expanding markets reinforced a capitalist framework. By the mid-19th century, industrialization, the rise of factories, and expanding transportation networks fully cemented capitalism as the dominant American economic model. In my view, it thrived primarily because it aligned with the nation’s emphasis on individual opportunity and entrepreneurial initiative.

Without regulation, it allowed the most selfish people to rise to the top. Most Americans can't imagine that their leaders are so cruel. They think "everyone is just exaggerating when they say the wealthy elites don't care about us. no one is so callous!" The truth is so much worse than they imagine. Our elites are monsters. They're using tactics that would make Hitler blanch.

Education is one of the social practices they have privatized. The elites don't want us to be educated. They want us angry, stupid and powerless. So they've used propaganda and every tool at their disposal to turn our education system into a scam, a sad parody of an effective instruction method. It's expensive garbage, and that's exactly what the elites want.

Higher Ed is just another broken cog in the American machine. I'm lucky to live in a state that recently made Community College free for state residents that don't already have a college degree.

I'm seriously considering finding a nursing program. I've already been in the medical field for 38 years.

US universities engage in price discrimination between different students.

For public schools, there is different tuition between in state and out of state students. There are also some state government programs based on merit and financial considerations.

For well endowed private schools, the universities will provide scholarships based on a variety of reasons. For students from rich families, those families are generally paying full price and there generally is the implication of additional donations.

I'm sure it's not the sole factor, but universities in many other parts of the world are partially subsidised by the government.

because america is the land of profit over humans. its just that simple.

its ingrained in the entire country. if some rando at the top isnt profiting, it must be killed. its the problem with healthcare. its the problem with government (congress). its the reason we are entrenched in a 2-party hellscape.

Depends on the school but yes it's ridiculous. For a while it seemed like everyone was encouraged to attend college but now it seems like trade schools are coming back in a big way because people realise they aren't going to get anything useful for the time and money they put in