[kyllo]

Colleges have responded to the availability of easy federal money by doing what subsidized industries generally do: Raising prices to capture the subsidy.

Exactly.

This is an American problem though, the Europeans figured out many years ago that making tuition free for the students is a win-win for society. Everyone wants to go to college, so just make everyone pay for it, progressively, over time.

[billsix]

I was under the assumption that college is free for students in many European countries, assuming the student passed certain tests. If those tests aren't passed, no college. Is that not correct?

[Ihmahr]

That is correct.

For example, if you want to study engineering you have to have certain math skills. Otherwise university won't let you in, no matter how much you pay.

Oh, free college no. But tuition is something like $700 annual in germany/france. There is no housing or anything.

[dnautics]

this is all and good for something like engineering where it is possible and maybe desirable to set some reasonable, objective standards. What about something like political sciences? Almost all of the upper-level public servants in a country like France come from the same school (ecole sciences-po)... Doesn't this become dangerous? Who gets to be the gatekeeper?

[mordae]

Well the entrance tests for Faculty of Philosophy that my close friend attended have been in the form of interview and they mostly asked about what authors did you read, what were they trying to say and such. It's actually not that complicated for people invested in some area (of science, politics, culture) to spot good candidates when you give them a chance.

Sadly, the quality of education in Czech Republic have degraded significantly in capitalism. We have gotten rid of Marxism-Leninism but have also let significantly more people in and set the incentives to produce a lot of graduates with much less knowledge, with rest of the bulk being thrown out after 2 years so that the university gets maximum state support.

We are probably going to end up with student loans and lower government participation, which will ruin our education system completely.

[dnautics]

This sounds like a mess. So If I've read the 'wrong authors' (say, bastiat for a right-wing critique of the government and bourdieu for a left-wing critique), I'm basically hosed in the interview. Can't have any radical changers in the public service, now can we...

"the quality of education in Czech Republic have degraded significantly in capitalism... so that the university gets maximum state support."

I wouldn't think 'university gets maximum state support' to be a shining example of (free-market) capitalism. If anything, it sounds exactly like what the original article complains, if only a bit more direct and less sneaky than channeling the mechanism of subsidy through a convoluted, corrupt, and rent-seeking banking system.

[gems]

I don't understand: there's nothing stopping you from reading what you want.

[Ihmahr]

This question I can only answer for holland, where I live.

Basically you can apply to any university and they will let you in. Sometimes you need maths, but mostly it is open. If you don't score 50 out of 60 credits in your first year you're out. You fail a class if your grades are too low, which is more frequent than would happen in usa.

[dnautics]

would never fly in the US. Students would sue for unfair (or worse, from a PR perspective, discriminatory) treatment. Education is a right, and by flunking those students, you are denying those students that right.

[extra88]

Nonsense. American students at public and private universities flunk out all the time.

[wavefunction]

Are you implying that not everyone sufficiently motivated cannot pass the necessary tests?

A question for a question ;)