$12k a year is completely unacceptable. Other costs are also unacceptable. Colleges charge $500+/month for shared rooms. And require freshman to stay in them.

$12k a year is completely unacceptable. Other costs are also unacceptable. Colleges charge $500+/month for shared rooms. And require freshman to stay in them. Nevermind the fact that your math misses several major cost categories like building maintenance, fringe benefits for professors (+30% of salaries at least). In your hypothetical example, students are paying $20k/year before getting ripped off on the cost of the dorm and meal plan. If a prof is making 150k, class sizes need to be 300+ and they need to teach 1,000 kids a semester