State colleges can be cheaper, but they're not as cheap as they used to be in a lot of places. Many states cut back funding for their universities.
"Overall state funding for public two- and four-year colleges in the school year ending in 2018 was more than $6.6 billion below what it was in 2008 just before the Great Recession fully took hold, after adjusting for inflation."
"Between school years 2008 to 2018, after adjusting for inflation:
* 41 states spent less per student.
* On average, states spent $1,220, or 13 percent, less per student.
* Per-student funding fell by more than 30 percent in six states: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania."
"Overall state funding for public two- and four-year colleges in the school year ending in 2018 was more than $6.6 billion below what it was in 2008 just before the Great Recession fully took hold, after adjusting for inflation."
"Between school years 2008 to 2018, after adjusting for inflation:
https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/state-hig...