There are several reasons that private college tuition has risen along with public school tuition, but there is a very good reason why tuition has risen. The actual cost of educating students has not risen a lot. Some, because instead of sleeping in a tiny dorm room with another person and playing frisbee on the lawn like I did decades ago, today's students are princesses that demand luxury suites and fitness centers. But this is unsubstantial. What happened is that years ago, the actual cost per student was, let's say, 10,000 dollars per year. The state charged $3000 for tuition, and paid the rest from the general fund. In other words, the taxpayers gave every student a huge scholarship. Then taxpayers decided they didn't want to pay anymore (you know about Prop 13 in California and Measure 5 in Oregon, right?). After that, the actual cost of educating a student rose to, let's say 11,000 dollars, but the Student pays 8,000 in tuition, and the government kicks in just 3000 dollars. So, it's not a scam. It's a deliberate policy shift that Voters asked for. Baby boomers got an education paid for by their parents and even more by their grandparents. When it was their turn to help their kids and grandkids, they fucked you. But again, not a scam.

Likewise, textbook prices are not a scam. It's a very open and transparent market. The difference is that a couple of generations ago, students bought a book for $40. Now they have to pay $150, but that includes much more than the book. Stuff you dont see. Like grading the quizzes and exams so the professor can be on the golf course all day Friday.