# Should college cost an arm & a leg?

**URL:** <https://discussion.fool.com/t/should-college-cost-an-arm-a-leg/74260>\
**Category:** Macro Economic Trends and Risks\
**Created:** [August 27, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/should-college-cost-an-arm-a-leg/74260 "2022-08-27T00:55:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![WilliB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/willib/32/6136_2.png) [@WilliB](https://discussion.fool.com/u/WilliB)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/should-college-cost-an-arm-a-leg/74260/21 "2022-08-29T19:58:38Z")

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Education could be less expensive if universities were more willing to let students earn credits by testing and by transferring on-line courses. But they nearly all require you to live on campus and take most of your courses in expensive buildings from poorly paid grad students. The ones who allow you to earn credits by testing frequently charge you the same amount for the credit that they would for a full-blown course. And for-credit on-line courses are frequently the same price as well.

It seems to me that it could all be a lot more flexible.

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**Author:** ![flyerboys](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/flyerboys/32/2123_2.png) [@flyerboys](https://discussion.fool.com/u/flyerboys)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/should-college-cost-an-arm-a-leg/74260/22 "2022-08-29T23:53:27Z")

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I would definitely short every large mediocre to decent residential college in existence unless they or their locale have some very weird nonacaemic intense attraction.

Why in the world waste the time while having to pay for all that? I suspect other agendas are work…

david fb

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**Author:** ![JLC](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/jlc/32/1338_2.png) [@JLC](https://discussion.fool.com/u/JLC)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/should-college-cost-an-arm-a-leg/74260/23 "2022-08-30T12:35:33Z")

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….Education could be less expensive if universities were more willing to let students earn credits by testing and by transferring on-line courses….

Obviously it is a system by system or state by state decision. My alma mater (LSUS ‘87) for decades has allowed dual enrollment (high school kids earning college credit). Lead in online teaching since it was a thing, most successful with their MBA program. They were always liberal with their transfer of credits because of the nearby military base and how frequent those people can be moved.

FWIW, when I graduated, a years tuition was about $1800. Today about $5000.

JLC

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