[usrusr]

> My only concern is how Universities will react to being paid almost arbitrary amounts of money per-student.

This is absolutely not how it works over here. The state is not saying "go learn wherever you want, if they send you a bill, we will take care of it", it is funding the universities who have to accept students who bring the educational prerequisites. Funding is certainly coupled to number of students in some way, but the rate is set by the state and universities have to compete for students within their budget.

(more like "hey, university, you seem to be quite popular with the students, you can employ up to X professors, we will pay them for you at our standard rate. Just don't forget to keep serving those students")

[jo_]

Thank you for the reply. I understand much better now. An intuitive understanding of the price/demand/negotiation dynamics still eludes me, but this has helped a lot.