Notion of "in state" tuition over?

[financeguy]

I've noticed that in my state which has one of/arguably the best state schools in the country, the difference between in state and out of state tuition is a basically a rounding error. I checked a couple other schools in different states and was also surprised to see how much of a difference there is from when I was looking at undergraduate programs 20+ years ago when the difference was a material and substantial amount. For those whose states have taken this path, why in the world would the citizens of your state support the university system when they're essentially getting no more than someone who has never set foot in or paid a dime of taxes in the state? What, if any, have been the repercussions? I guess I'm not so surprised to hear many of the locals speak about our higher education system with absolute disdain if they have no reason to see it as "theirs."

[Hibush]

I've noticed that in my state which has one of/arguably the best state schools in the country, the difference between in state and out of state tuition is a basically a rounding error. I checked a couple other schools in different states and was also surprised to see how much of a difference there is from when I was looking at undergraduate programs 20+ years ago when the difference was a material and substantial amount. For those whose states have taken this path, why in the world would the citizens of your state support the university system when they're essentially getting no more than someone who has never set foot in or paid a dime of taxes in the state? What, if any, have been the repercussions? I guess I'm not so surprised to hear many of the locals speak about our higher education system with absolute disdain if they have no reason to see it as "theirs."

The disinvestment by many states have made the state universities essentially tuition-dependent and unable to meet many of the mandates usually assigned to, and funded for, state universities. The emotional connection with "State U" is probably running mostly on momentum and alumni nostalgia.

The state that most supports its state higher ed today is...Wyoming. I suspect that is more because of oil money to pay for a small school, than it is because of a political commitment to government-sponsored education.

[mleok]

Well, according to this chart from the College Board,

https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/College%20Pricing%20-Figure%206.jpg

https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/college-pricing/figures-tables/published-state-tuition-and-fees-public-four-year-institutions-state

The only states where the differential between in-state vs. out-of-state tuition is very low appears to be North and South Dakota. For most other states, there is a substantial difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition.