[mufufu]

> When you subsidize something, you get more of it. ... That leads to the question of what educational discounts subsidize. In effect, they subsidize going to very expensive universities.

I’m not sure I am following the point here. Are you suggesting people are signing up to a 4 year university, taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans (as you mentioned) in order to get a student discount?

[AlchemistCamp]

In my specific case, the subsidy would be very, very small. In aggregate, discounts, special offers, easier credit, grants, loans and a social affordances add up.

At the margins, subsidies lead more people to spend four (or often five to six) years of their life getting a credential. If you're interested in this topic, I highly recommend Bryan Caplan's book: https://www.amazon.com/Case-against-Education-System-Waste-e...