Historically two things happened in the US to make public colleges affordable. The first the State paid a much larger chunk of the tuition than they do now. The

Historically two things happened in the US to make public colleges affordable. The first the State paid a much larger chunk of the tuition than they do now. The second is they had higher standards for attendance than they do now. Those who were good enough go into college. Those who weren’t paid for the their betters’ education.