I came up with a plan to lower college tuition years ago while tripping. It starts with the decriminalization of all drugs. And to prevent gangs and what not from profiting colleges will get the exclusive privilege of making and selling all drugs. Drug proceeds would be split between lowering tuition, setting up more college ran centers, and rehabilitation of drug users outside the colleges programs. With a small percentage allowed for the college to profit.

For the program itself, i would have the colleges set up drug manufacturing classes which should benefit students in other chemist and medical fields so it should draw in quite a few people. With the drugs made they then would be sold by college ran businesses whicj could also employ students to have on the job experience and to keep more money in the colleges sphere of influence.

At these centers where drugs are sold, there will also be areas for people to partake in the more dangerous drugs, which should be inheritly safer now that its not being tainted with other nonsense. There would be medical students watching and taking care of their patients making another facet of experience that will help in future jobs.

With all this taking place in the college system, and with plenty of opportunities to view patients, it should be easy to spot people who are in a real bad place that would benefit from health and life counseling. So for the people in need of help, counselors will approach giving an offer to participate in a program to train psychology students that comes with a heavy discount for their drugs while in the program.

My whole idea had several beneficial aspects for all of the country.

Lower colleges tuition

Raising the educational level of general poplus

Lower drug dependencies rates

Lower crime rates

Getting people help who need it

Reduction of drug over doses

Less burdens on are justice system clogged up with drug related crimes

Hampering outside nations who push dirty cheap drugs into our country

Extra tax money

Etc

Idk if anyone has any comments on my wistful thinking, but im open to revisions of my plan.

TLDR: Decrimnalize drugs and make collegese create dispense and sell said drugs to fund the well being of our society.

How Did This Happen?

College loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Simple as that.

With lenders knowing that the government will make sure they get paid, they’re happy to loan out any amount of money to anyone regardless of credit worthiness, because they take on literally zero risk.

Then colleges realize the same, and jack up their prices in turn. The feedback loop brings us to where we are today. There is no market (or other) force putting any downward pressure on tuition costs, at all. This is the inevitable result.

People finding out why religions banned usury