I recommend this Kiplinger survey!
Goldy’s editorial on tution at private bvs. public schools was called a “rant” by the editor at the AAUP listserv. She was wrong.
According to Kiplinger, Princeton is the best bargain among hugh prestige American universities: in order of average debt at graduation:
a. Princeton, d. MIT, e. Stanford, c. Univ. Wash. b. Gonzaga, .
The striking thing about the Kiplinger data is that the cost of an education is now largely dissociated from the rank or prestige of the school. Even within the public universities, based on prestige divided by cost, the UW ranks tenth in the nation. Perhaps most interesting is how I would rank five of the schools often thought of as pubic ivies: In order of debt at graduation .. lowest first:
a. UNC, b. Berkeley, c. UW, d. Wisconsin, e. Michigan.
Berkeley has just taken a huge increase in tuition, so the UW probably is among the best bargains in the country.
The elite private schools have large endowments and use these to cut ocsts. This is admirable, however, the tax payers should remember that these are tax free institutions. So a good part of their subsidies are, in effect, supported by the tax payers.
The harder issue is whether we should accept the idea that high level education in America is the province of the private sector?