14 of the colleges with the most debt-laden grads in the US are public colleges in Pennsylvania

[JPZenger]

Penn State and Pitt consistently have had the highest in-state public tuition levels in the US. It is up to $20,000 a year for some majors. Also, all public colleges suffered severe state budget cuts during the Corbett years. Corbett actually tried to institute much more severe cuts to the funding of PA. public colleges than were approved by the Legislature.

Therefore, it is no surprise that of the colleges across the US with the graduates who are burdened with the largest amounts of student loans, 14 of those colleges or branch campuses are public colleges in PA.

In other states, the colleges with the highest debt levels are often historically African-American universities or universities that are predominantly out of state students (such as U. of Del.).

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1586193-71-recent-college-grads-owe-average-29k-student-loans-2.html

[JPZenger]

2. I don't believe PA colleges were ever free

I'd be surprised if there was ever a time when PA. colleges had free tuition.

Some states (such as Mass.) claim to have cheap tuition, but then they have fees that total much more than the tuition.

[LiberalEsto]

3. It sounds like my memory is faulty, then.

Thanks for the correction.

The state college system in California WAS free for residents until Reagan put a stop to it, and some colleges in NYC were also free to residents.

When I started Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey in 1969, tuition was $200 a semester, fees another $65. Total of tuition, room and board was $1500 a year. At the time, my father earned $12,000 a year.