...there were a number of large public universities that offered free tuition plus some sort of living stipend for National Merit Scholars/Finalists.
I found a
list of colleges offering full tuition scholarships to National Merit Scholars.
These scholarships are wonderful, as are the no-loan policies at a few elite colleges. But they only cover a tiny number of people, and future students are dependent on the colleges continuing to offer them.
The problem is that college costs long ago escalated to a point where they create debt serfs. Like the LA Times pointed out (see OP), internal costs at public California colleges/unis are going down, yet the tuition goes up. And what the colleges offer to students is also being reduced.
The choices are grim for 95% or more of students: pay a lot for a public university and take summer classes instead of getting a summer job, or pay a king's ransom for a private college. And then there is the cost of textbooks. A local community college has a policy of using the newest edition of any textbook, so students pretty much can't even get used copies.
I just don't like the idea that society tells students that a college education is critically important to their chances of future success, yet getting it mostly requires being soaked for money. Total loan debt apparently hit $1.3 trillion last summer, and is
growing faster than starting salaries for graduates.
