The problem with in-state tuition

Chronicle of Higher Education : Roger Pielke Jr of the University of Colorado’s Center for Science and Technology Policy Research argues that deeply discounted tuition fees for in-state students do not serve the interests of his state or his university. Low in-state fees deprive the university of much-needed funding while high out-of-state fees make the university financially reliant on a minority of students. The reliance on out-of-staters, writes Pielke, “creates incentives to favor their admission. That is contrary to the very purpose of in-state tuition, which is to favor Colorado residents.” Pielke favors replacing the current tuition fees of $7700 for in-staters and $29 000 for out-of-staters with a single fee of $14 000.