And that's the problem. Malcolm Gladwell has a great podcast about this focusing on Bowdoin college. Bowdoin (apparently) spends a lot of money on luxuries like great food for the dorms, etc.

As a result, the rich kids who can afford it naturally prefer to go to Bowdoin. Now, the school becomes more prestigious because of the rich kids... it's a place to go to meet other rich kids, which builds valuable connections that ultimately help your career. Meanwhile, schools that prioritize financial aid over things like gyms and food go down in the rankings and become less desirable.

Now, this is all fair game in my opinion. The schools are basically turning into country clubs of a sort and I think country clubs have a right to exist in America. BUT... I don't want to see them subsidized by the rest of us. If you are a school and you want to receive state/federal money directly or via student loans and you want to maintain your non-profit status... scale down the amenities.

At the very least, I don't want tax breaks going to subsidize (mostly) rich kids' gyms.