You Won't Believe How Cheap College Was in 1978!
In 1978, the average in-state tuition at a four-year public university was around $688 per year. At the time, the federal minimum wage was $2.65 per hour.
A student working a full-time summer job for 10 weeks (400 hours total) could have earned $1,060, which was more than enough to cover a year's tuition.
While the original statement is a little off, the core idea is correct: in 1978, a student could indeed earn enough in a summer to pay for a full year of in-state tuition. The difference between then and now is star
k.
