There is a list of the top 10 most expensive public colleges for OOS students. Vermont was always at the top of the list, but then California raised its OOS tuition and stopped giving any FA to OOS students. Now the list is a list of California colleges. They all cost about the same, so if one makes the list, they all make the list. Vermont might not be on the list anymore, but it is not because it is suddenly a bargain. It doesn’t matter if you go to West Chester or Bloomsburg, the PA state COA is going to be the same and a family will have to borrow the same amount. It makes sense that if the family is going to borrow to go to IUP it’s going to have to borrow the same amount to go to East Stroudsburg. Both make the list.
I do think the borrowing for college is contagious. If your neighbor borrows, and your co-workers borrows, and all the parents from the team are complaining about student loans, you begin to get comfortable with the idea that you have to borrow to go to college.