[huitzitziltzin]

Because if we did that then the missing revenue that schools currently get from their endowments would instead come from…

1.) thin air

2.) the government (??? No.)

3.) higher tuition -> hint: pick this option!

The better question is why Harvard and Princeton charge tuition at all! (The answer to that question is not that hard either.)

[bell-cot]

How about: 4.) Cutting their massive bureaucracies so far back that the actual students once again outnumber the administrators?

[bradfa]

To be fair to Harvard and Princeton, neither actually costs very much to attend if you get accepted but come from a lower/middle income family. The hard part is getting accepted.

Princeton has quite large aid packages outlined here: https://admission.princeton.edu/cost-aid

Harvard has different but also quite amazingly large aid packages for lower and middle-income students: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/why-harvard/affordabi...

[hgsgm]

> Harvard and Princeton charge tuition at all!

Wealth redistribution / market segmentation.