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Originally Posted by shakran
Because he's only paying a small fraction of the tuition. Students pay around $2,000 or so, but government subsidies add another 6,000 or 7,000 on top of that.
That's why doubling the tuition is more than fair to this guy - he's still costing the taxpayers a crapload of money, just not quite as bad.
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Uhh...I don't know where you live, but that's usually not the case.
When I was in school (last year), I paid about $6000 in total tuition and fees, not including living expenses. That's three terms with an average of 15 credits a term. Cost of attendance at my university is about $15,000 (cost of attendance is what financial aid attempts to cover--$15,000 is the cost if you live off campus, it covers all expenses, including tuition, living expenses, and transportation costs).
The majority of the time, Pell Grants/state aid will only cover the cost of tuition. Any additional cost of attendance usually comes from scholarships, loans, or work-study. While most students qualify for better financial aid after the age of 23 (which is the age at which they become independents), the aid decreases over time because eventually, under most aid programs, you reach a maximum of aid received, and your aid runs out. Most universities require academic progress--progress towards graduation--to continue qualifying for student aid.
While yes, this student is being subsidized in some ways by attending a state school, the reality is that more and more funding is being cut from tertiary education at the state level. My tuition underwent an enormous increase from when I started university to when I finished, and for two years my university did away with its tuition plateau (when I first arrived, you paid the same for 12 credits as you did for 18--they did away with it and then reinstated it last year after it was discovered they weren't saving/making that much money anyhow). Cost of attendance has gone up $7000.
More than likely, this guy is paying his own way, especially since he hasn't quit even after they doubled his tuition. Why should we begrudge someone the chance to learn, especially if they're doing it at their own expense? The taxpayers of Wisconsin probably aren't losing much on this guy, if they're losing anything at all.