> Tuition in the CPI is the price paid by consumers, not states. States are
> paying relatively less, and consumers more. So I don't get your point.
Eyeballing those graphs, it looks like if you assume that the state contribution had stayed constant at the 1980 level (with consumers covering 30%), the cost of college would have still increased at a rate on par with medical costs. That's still pretty bad, no?
-Alex