An overview of the many indirect ways in which Americans pay for college - as taxpayers, students and parents - and description of the sometimes perverse ways in which the state and federal financial aid policies interact. Thomas J. Kane evaluates alternative explanations for the rise in public and private college costs, weighing the role of federal financial aid policy, higher input costs, and competitive pressures on individual colleges. He analyzes how far we have come in ensuring access to all. Evidence suggests that large differences in college enrolment remain between high and low...