Simple Solution...

> If you can't pay for college out of pocket or through full-ride scholarships, then... DON'T GO!!!

It doesnt work that way. If you dont go to college you are cementing yourself at a young age to be relegated to low income and poverty. Low income is romanticized a bit in the media. The reality of low income and poverty is a endless downward spiral of rundown neighborhoods, crime, single parent households, divorce and leads to negative impacts on society.

THere is a thinking that education is and should be a societal good. Thats why elementary and secondary school is free. Its in the best interests of society to have people that can read, write and do rudimentary math. THe same thinking translates to post secondary schooling. Its in the best interests of society to have as many people as possible trying to find cures for cancers, diseases, resource problems, pollution problems....

Looks at it this way, if the government subsidizes $100,000 for a post secondary education for a medical researcher they stand to gain a possible savings on $100,000,000 if that individual turns out to find a cure for a disease that is putting financial preassure on hospitals and doctors.

Your comment tells me that your are well off with money and probably think less of people that are not is well of as you. 1. Universites are making money from tuition (I don't like it but that is the current fact). They keep increasing the number of students accepted each year to increase the university income from tuition. If people that couldn't afford university and didn't get a scholarship didn't go to school then the cost of tuition would increase for everyone that is going because the student population would decrease but the university would still want to pull in equivalent amount of money. 2. Scholarships are hard to get and even then may not cover everything. I didn't get any scholarships for my undergraduate studies, but received full scholarships to cover tuition for my graduate studies. I also recieve a teaching stipend for teaching undergraduate biology labs, however that was less than 14k a year. I have also held second jobs tutoring community college students and I still needed to take out student loans just to pay for the essentials of living in an apartment as an independent adult paying for all my own bills. I don't splurge on inessential expenses either. 3. Classes should never be dumbed down no matter who is accepted to universites. I do feel this is an issue with some universities though. Classes should be taught to challenge students to learn, if a student can't handle it, whether they are rich, on scholarship, or on student loans then maybe university isn't for them. There is a high percentage of students that drop out after the first year already. 4. Just because someone was not born into money and was not able to obtain a full scholarship does not mean they are unintelligent, just the same as it doesn't mean that someone born into money makes them intelligent. Nobody should let their economic status determine the level of education that they will recieve. By doing that, one would be giving up before trying. I applaud anyone whom takes the initiative to increase their education. That doesn't necessarily have to be through university either. University is not a right of the rich but a privilege to anyone whom works hard to challenge who they are and what they know in order to attain a goal of a university degree.