College tuition has outpaced Americans’ ability to pay it, The Economist reported earlier this month. Median household incomes are 6.5 times what they were 40 years ago, but the cost of attending a state school is 15 times higher for in-state students and 24 times for out-of-state students. The cost for private colleges rose by roughly the same rate or less, but that tuition remains out of reach for many families. One year at a private four-year university averaged $35,636 in 2009-10, according to the College Board. In-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions averaged far less, at $7,020, while out-of state averaged $18,548.

Equally as interesting is the results of a study that shows school selectivity has little impact on a student’s future earnings. Now that is not to say that there are no other differences, but it does beg the question: if one school costs a lot more than the other, and does not make any difference in one’s ability to pay back the cost of attending, well maybe — in the immortal words of Joel Goodson after his interview at Princeton – “Looks Like State U.”