College Tuition (how to get it wrong)

This article from the Arizona Republic covers the controversial topic of tuition increases at ASU and I assume U of A. Regular readers of my site know how I feel about this topic, education should be free, end of story. The economic benefits of free University education easily outweigh any costs, but that is not what I want write about today.

Here is the quote I want to talk about:

University officials say the initial hikes are an attempt to bring tuition at Arizona universities more in line with tuition at other public universities. Nationwide, tuition and fees are averaging $6,185 this year at four-year public universities, according to the College Board. UA, which currently is the costliest for undergraduates among the three state universities, charges $5,037 in tuition and fees.

I was nearly speechless when I read the quote above. Let me see if I have this logic straight: You are raising tuition, not because of increasing costs, new programs or too little funding from the Legislature. You are raising it because it is below the national average? Our tax burden in Arizona is also below the national average will you be raising that as well? Foolish me, I thought tuition was based on the actual costs of providing an education, not on how much you think you can squeeze out of parents.

The point of having a public university is to make the education as affordable as possible, hence the tax dollars they get for their operation. It is not a for profit business where you charge as much as possible based on the prevailing market rate.

If there was a smart and ambitious politician looking for a good issue, they would see the political hay to be made by helping parents pay for college. The HOPE scholarship kept Democrats in power in Georgia for two election cycles longer they should have been there. I hear many of my liberal friends criticize the South, but most of them don't realize that many kids go to college for free in Georgia. I don't see that happening in Massachusetts... (or Arizona).