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I play devil's advocate with a Cuban friend sometimes: an expensive education is better than a free one because it shows that our culture highly values knowledg

by abecode 11y ago

I play devil's advocate with a Cuban friend sometimes: an expensive education is better than a free one because it shows that our culture highly values knowledge, at least in terms of money. When education is free or cheap, it is devalued, at least in terms of money. It's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek argument but I think that it's good that people highly value education and it would be even better if the tuition increase would trickle down into pay for professors and post-docs. The high tuition does already trickle down to scholarships for good students, at least in personal experience.

roymurdock 11y ago
Students in the UK pay £9k (~$13.5k) per year out of pocket for the 3 year university system. They were paying just £3K (~$4.5k) until 2012. University was free in the UK until 1998. Many universities in Germany still remain free. Is this because the British or German society values education less? No, it's because Europeans pay more taxes on average, and their governments use this to subsidize the sticker price of tuition in tandem with funding and guaranteeing student loans. In the US, tax money is only used to guarantee student loans, while private universities are left to their own devices when it comes to pricing tuition. Price is not always a good proxy for value. You need to look at who is paying for it, and when.
- distances 11y ago
  And of course, free (meaning paid in taxes) in all of the Nordics. At least for smaller countries this makes total sense, I think. There are enrolment limits, so the brightest get in regardless of their social status or wealth, ensuring that the country gets the educated workforce for its needs to stay competitive.
- gabemart 11y ago
  > Students in the UK pay £9k (~$13.5k) per year out of pocket for the 3 year university system. Scottish students studying in Scotland ordinarily pay no fees to attend university, provided they are studying for their first undergraduate degree.

by abecode 11y ago

roymurdock 11y ago

Students in the UK pay £9k (~$13.5k) per year out of pocket for the 3 year university system. They were paying just £3K (~$4.5k) until 2012. University was free in the UK until 1998. Many universities in Germany still remain free. Is this because the British or German society values education less? No, it's because Europeans pay more taxes on average, and their governments use this to subsidize the sticker price of tuition in tandem with funding and guaranteeing student loans. In the US, tax money is only used to guarantee student loans, while private universities are left to their own devices when it comes to pricing tuition. Price is not always a good proxy for value. You need to look at who is paying for it, and when.

distances 11y ago
And of course, free (meaning paid in taxes) in all of the Nordics. At least for smaller countries this makes total sense, I think. There are enrolment limits, so the brightest get in regardless of their social status or wealth, ensuring that the country gets the educated workforce for its needs to stay competitive.
gabemart 11y ago
> Students in the UK pay £9k (~$13.5k) per year out of pocket for the 3 year university system. Scottish students studying in Scotland ordinarily pay no fees to attend university, provided they are studying for their first undergraduate degree.