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by Carlton87 2840 days ago
There is far too much government subsidy, loans should be much harder to get.
1 comments

College is essentially free for many european countries, that is what I think sufficient level of subsidy
> College is essentially free for many european countries, that is what I think sufficient level of subsidy

Most of the countries which people usually talk about here - France, Germany, Spain, etc. - have significantly lower matriculation and graduation rates than the US does.

Could you point me to some numbers?
What does this has to do with college prices?

I've studied CS 3.5 years for ~550€ per year (around $700). This includes free public transportation, but excludes an apartment.

In Germany, you can get a gov. funded student loan which can go up to ~750€ per Month. You have to pay back only the half of that. The 750€/Month is the highest amount that you can get. But you get it only if you have to pay the health insurance yourself, which is ~90€/Month. Otherwise, the maximum amount ~650€/Month. What you can get depends on the income of your parents. If your parents earn a lot of money, you get less.

What you have to pay back is capped to 10000€ in total, free of interest. So if you get more than 20000€ in total, you still have to pay back only 10000€. You even get a discount on that if you pay back early. If you are taking this loan, your maximum debt is 10000€ (to be repaid only after the receiver exceeds a certain income level after graduation).

You don't get it forever, though. It is limited to 3-5 years, depending on what you study.

It is called Bafög: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundesausbildungsförderungsg...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_financial_aid_(Germa...

I'd consider this as "free enough".