The NY Times ran an article this weekend about the increasing costs of colleges across the country.  The article describes how many campuses are cutting back costs by postponing development projects and eliminating all but the most necessary positions.  Some state university systems are experiencing proposed budget cuts in excess of 65 million dollars.  One of the major areas of concern is the university's ability to provide financial aid to its students.  The article mentions that admissions rates may be effected because of the decrease in available financial aid.   We live in a society that tells us that we are entitled to many things, including higher education.  Our universities have become a place for the most mediocre students we have to offer.  Sure, the high school valedictorian gets to go to college but we have lowered the bar so much that the least qualified students attend some of the most prestigious institutions around because of their skill on the field, court, or stage. I think our universities and colleges have become money hungry institutions instead of institutions dedicated to academia.  If post-secondary schools would go back to the old-school elite mentality of only admitting highly qualified students, there wouldn't be such a strain to provide financial aid to those kids who really deserve to go and who will most benefit from the experience.  Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think college is for everyone.  What do you think?