This done all time with items like clothing and such. You create a value expectation with the stated price then discount the price to match the true value or some factor thereof. I think some schools have difficulty justifying their stated prices. Why would a local regional college have the same value as a nationally known university? Others are probably worth more than their stated price. The problem with merely stating the discounted price is that you lower the perceived value of a universities that can have difficulty justifying their purpose to begin with. Like Pennys people just quit shopping there.