How can there be such a tremendous range in the cost of a basic undergrad degree? Does the price have any relationship to anything real?
Surprisingly little, since some schools depend largely on tuition for support, while others are state-funded or rely on donations and foundations. For instance, the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University are both wonderful schools, yet one costs five times as much as the other. Among the schools accredited under GAAP, semester units can cost less than $10 each (in the case of the 30 units awarded by Regents for a single GRE subject exam) to more than $300 each. You should shop around for a course or a school as carefully as you would shop for a car.
