The average cost of college is $22,000, rising to $44,000 at private institutions. The median family income in the US is about $50,000. The extreme costs of higher education almost seems like monopoly pricing.
Colleges tout that they meet "full demonstrated financial need". However, these different programs calculate the "need" of students differently-- for example, some universities count the family's house as an asset, which inflates their apparent wealth and decreases their apparent need.
The calculations by which these different programs and institutions are not made available to the public. Require universities to make their methods available to public scrutiny, and provide a detailed explanation for cost of tuition and other fees.