This is a much more controversial statement than most HNers give it credit.. It's by no means settled 'science' that government loan subsidies are the largest (

This is a much more controversial statement than most HNers give it credit.. It's by no means settled 'science' that government loan subsidies are the largest (or even a large) determinant of tuition costs. Colleges used to be much more subsidized by taxes which have been pared back for decades, the loans are the result of this change -- not the cause. Total tuition costs increase much faster than inflation but look at total costs per student for the college and it's a very different story.