[yardie]

You only get the net price after applying and submitting a FAFSA. The net price is only useful if you intend to go there. It's functionally useless for any other purpose. If the price says $100 then for most everyone it's $100.

[aimor]

The number of people where the net price =/= sticker price is growing.

"In 2000, 44.4% of all undergraduates received grant aid, whereas in 2016, that number increased to 63.1%."

[mwerd]

There are resources such as https://collegecost.ed.gov/net-price to help with the information.

College prices are about as real as hospital prices. Sure, some outliers literally pay that much, but the vast majority receive a discounted price for various reasons. When you factor in those discounts, the cost inflation is 2.5x instead of 17x as the article suggests. It's more than a forgettable idiosyncrasy. It's "how it works" and if the author of the article doesn't mention it, they're either so ignorant as to not be worth reading or they're being dishonest.

I thought it was important to give that context.

American higher Ed is often about prestige and branding. The pricing strategy is similar to luxury goods.

[sgustard]

I was offered a $10k/year academic scholarship in my state school offer letter, no application required.