>> "College education was something only upper class folks could receive ... due to it's expense." > "This is not factually correct - tuition at non-state scho

>> "College education was something only upper class folks could receive ... due to it's expense." > "This is not factually correct - tuition at non-state schools increased 10X in the last 30 years, way ahead of the pace of inflation." You are only considering the monetary cost of college which has, indeed, skyrocketed. However a more significant cost in the era you are both speaking of was the cost of not working immediately after high school - especially when that same social class very likely had started a family, or had a family they were coming from that needed support. People coming from a high SES background could afford four years of non-earning, etc.