[Richard Kimball]

Some of the choices make no sense whatsover. Baylor has a five year education degree, and the tuition is somewhere around $30-$35K annually, not including room and board. Figure 45K annually for five years, and the total bill for a degree that gets you a job that pays around 33K a year starting out is $225,000.

Many jobs require degrees now, and much of that is part of the "exclusive club" thought process. Many college degrees are now simply a place to send the kid for four or five years to get them out of the house and have something to do while waiting for them to grow up.

The more government underwrites college education, the more the price will go up.

[Will_Zurmacht]

"The more government underwrites college education, the more the price will go up."

Nail on the head. This is what has happened since the mid-1970s. Prior to 76 the majority of aid came in the form of grants. We transitioned to loans in the 70s and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Problem was there was now an incentive to raise prices, as SallieMae would help Johnny pay the bill.

The recent education bill (I think 2004) pretty much sealed the deal on this one.