I mean exactly that. Every state in the country reduced funding to their public university system during the 2008 financial crisis. 32/50 states have yet to restore that funding. Universities must make up for the shortage by increased tuition and increased reliance on international students (who pay significantly more).

Ivy League colleges aren't meant to educate the masses, but people somehow aren't able to come to terms with that. Your kid is significantly more likely to find a place at the local U, but now they must take crazy loans for it and compete with a rich chinese kid for the spot, all while you are fighting big bad Harvard.

It's not quite that bad, but UC/ Cal State tuition used to be next to nothing. In my mother's time it was effectively free. Now your out 14k for a UC and 8k for a Cal State.