The high cost of college attendance is beyond the means of many. More publicity should be given to the free college courses that are available from top universities and other sources online. You cannot get credit or a degree this way, but you can get a good education. A good place to start for basic courses is http://www.khanacademy.org. If you do not find what you need there, search the internet for "free college courses online". Another source of information is the book "DIY U" by Anya Kamenetz 2010.