The cost of college in the US is not a limiting factor for the types of people who would succeed in college. If somebody is intelligent and not going to college

The cost of college in the US is not a limiting factor for the types of people who would succeed in college. If somebody is intelligent and not going to college, there is something else at play and it’s not at all clear to me that making college free would fix those kinds of problems. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who are poorly suited to college who would probably attend if it, as well as room and board, were free. After all, what irresponsible 18yo wouldn’t take free room and board in exchange for half-assing some classes. The community college system in the US is actually a pretty good way to figure out which students on the margins are actually able to succeed in an academic setting. All without requiring that taxpayers pay for for room & board. And regarding the economic aspects: it shouldn’t matter who pays for college or when they pay. The same amount of economic activity is happening.