[alistairSH]

The more interesting question is: How many students get a net benefit - financially, socially, etc - from college?

From a policy perspective, the question we should be asking is "how much does society benefit from college graduates?"

If there's a net benefit to people attending college, then society should be funding it, as it's essentially "making a profit".

I also agree that changes to the funding model need to address the spiraling costs of attendance. But, I also believe much of that spiral is due to the funding model (near unlimited government backing and lack of dischargeability for the borrower).