A couple of thoughts on this:
1. completely agree that the approach being taken by Red states in higher Ed makes no sense. Investing in higher ed brings others to invest in your state as companies want to hire educated employees, etc.
2. On disclosure - maybe the issue isn’t disclosing the costs but the student’s expected earnings after graduating with your anticipated degree? I keep seeing anecdotes about kids getting private university degrees with significant debts in careers which can’t generate the income needed to ever repay it. The costs and the benefits ultimately need to be understood.
3. On costs, I agree that certainly inflation should be expected but why should higher Ed costs inflate more significantly than other costs in our economy. I don’t think there is one item like admin costs as it’s a multitude of items that have created the inflation.
4. The parent of any child who believes they are repaying their student loans with influencer money has failed. I had the benefit of parents who stressed the importance of taking costs into account in my college choice. That ultimately lead me to a great education at UT for a great price.
5. With respect to interest, that’s an interesting thought as if the loans are Gov’t loans, the US doesn’t need to make a profit there. It could view that as an investment in our future economy.