Yes, this is true, but this doesn't explain the continuous rise in tuition, especially at Universities with very large endowments. Regarding scientific training, this is a big problem, IMHO. A significant amount of taxpayer-derived federal research funding is going to pay for foreign trainees (e.g. postdoctoral research fellows from Europe and Asia training in US labs), and not enough US students are pursuing scientific careers.
There are many reasons for this, and it's not a simple fix. I would, however, limit the percentage of federal grant money that can be used to hire/train non-US citizens. This is not meant to be anti-foreign trainee. It's just a practical issue in that we need to do a better job attracting and keeping capable US citizens in scientific careers. It is, to some extent, a matter of national security.
Agree wholeheartedly with your contention that we should be training more Americans in scientific fields. That, however, has nothing to do with college costs and everything to do with our society.
Kids can’t handle the rigors of higher learning in math and science if they don’t have a strong foundation in those disciplines prior to college entry.
My experience as a parent very involved in the schooling of our three in public school has been one of rigorous curriculum and excellent teachers, but peers who weren’t willing to do the work and parents who didn’t care.
Much of our society no longer rears its young with a sense of responsibility and self-reliance. Kids just want to have fun, and the rewards of hard work and intellectual challenge are not immediate.
For much of our population, we could offer free tuition for science and engineering study, and they couldn’t take advantage of it, because they’re too far behind. Thus, the plethora of psychology and general studies majors, with the best and the brightest from overseas taking their spots.
My (well-informed, from the trenches) two cents’ worth.