On problem is that many of the government interventions on "making college cheaper" had the reverse effect. Loans and grants made students price insensitive (a

On problem is that many of the government interventions on "making college cheaper" had the reverse effect. Loans and grants made students price insensitive (and financial aid disguised the true price). Couple that with the fact that universities compete for students by spending money - nicer facilities, more programs, more administrators/support personnel. It will be interesting to see how the experiments by Purdue and Texas pan out. Both have initiatives in "affordable" degrees, and both have enough of a brand to be attractive alternatives.