I ' m willing to bet the US universities far out rank yours in the international rankings . Funny how Europeans like to talk about how they pay more for teachers and that leads to a better educational experience , but you don ' t apply that to professors as well . All that extra money helps fund the massive research output of the US , and keeps us on the forefront of the world economy . Oh , and btw , if you come from a very poor household , you will get a need based scholarship . Its not them that have to worry . It ' s the children of middle class people who didn ' t have the forethought to save for their children ' s education . Regardless , I am happy being responsible for my own cost of education . When the loans are paid off , I am done . Unlike you , who will be paying forever in the form of taxes . College is an investment . And you made a poor investment if you didn ' t increase your earning potential enough to justify the cost of loans .