Colleges and universities rely on being extremely overpriced and accessible to only the most wealthy candidates. Historically, the most expensive ones have always been “good ole boy” social clubs more than learning institutions. The proof is in the fact that a comparable degree program from a community school or even (Odin forbid) an online school cab land you the exact same job in any field except for law or politics, which are just the career version of good ole boy clubs anyway.
In other words: higher education is dying, and these institutions have no idea how to stay afloat in an economy where they are no longer the gatekeepers to socioeconomic mobility.