Bennett Hypothesis: Financial Aid Increases Tuition

[davewill]

I am saying that having a chance to go attend college is separate and apart from how someone pays for college.

A distinction without any meaning in my book.

There are 1200 open enrollment community colleges in this country that EVERYONE can attend.  Walk in and sign up.  Access is already in place.  

If I walked into any community college in my state, I could register for 30 credits per year and I would get a $4000 Pell Refund for each and every year that I attended.  I could even earn a second associate and stretch it out a few years.  Each state will differ, but every state has open enrollment community college, and you don't even have to have graduated high school to start.   We don't have an access problem.

Yes, I would agree that for two year degrees, the system works fairly well. NOT because there's no aid, but because they are public colleges that are funded decently (in some places). I would love to see our 4 year public universities be as affordable and plentiful. THEN we could talk about reducing or eliminating other forms of aid. But to suggest, as some have done here, that eliminating aid would automatically fix everything is silly.