Cost of College

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What is driving up the cost of college? One idea that surface in a discussion I was in was that the Federal Government is responsible for the college costs increasing faster than any other sector of the economy(even gas prices). When I entered college in 1967 a year's tuition, at a state supported school, was $550 for 18 credits a semester. When I graduated in 1971 I was paying about $1200 a year for 18 credits a semester. I could take up to 21 credits as semester at no additional cost. When my daughters started college in the late 90's the cost was $2500 per semester. and they were encouraged to take 12 credits per semester. With the Pell Grant stating that a full time student was 12 credits that became the norm. My daughter wanted to take 19 credits and they charged her an additional $250. now my son is attending college and the cost is close to $5000 per semester and 16 credits is considered a full load and you pay extra for anything above that. It is interesting that every time the government increase the aid to college students the cost of college goes up. Also we have more students attending college than ever before. I taught in college for a year and have been involved in education for most of my life. One of the things I have learned is that many students go to college because they want to get a better job and it is easier than getting a job now. As a result we have people taking college majors that are interesting but do not lead to a career. As a result they are under employed or have gone to a Technical College to get training to get a good job. As the government encourages more students to go to college more building are being built on college campuses and more expense. You have increases in majors in Womens Studies, Black Studies, Psychology, Peace Studies, and Video Gaming Studies to name a few that lead to no career. You have people becoming frustrated with their lives because they spent four years, are in debt over their head and are working in a job that has no relevance towhat they learned in college.