While many young people aspireto attending University, theexpenseinvolved can be prohibitivein some cases. The causes of this appear to befocussed on three areas, and a number of solutions also appear to be possible. Perhaps the major factor hereis thereduction in government subsidy for University courses. For instance, in the UK, such courses were virtually freeto thestudent until recently, but now cost around £30,000 per year. This pattern appears to be global, with theresult that students and their families need to meet the costs directly. Another causeis theincreasing cost of living in many countries, meaning that the cost of day to day life(in addition to fees) can be almost overwhelming for students. A third factor is the difficulty in finding part-time work while a student is studying. Such work tends to be poorly paid, whiletaking up timethat students should usefor their studies. Turning to possiblesolutions, an obvious step would beto restoresomeelement of statefu...