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Comment by outside1234 | Hacker News Reader

You probably forgot taxes in that cost (that you will pay for the rest of your life as a high earner) but, that said, that is a great model: the country makes an investment in you, you prove you are serious about it (the $3000 a year), and in return, the country gets a higher wage earner (and more taxes) to pay for the next generation.

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In France the very elite students get paid during their studies (equivalent to Msc, not PhD). In exchange they are supposed to work as civil servants for some time (not sure all are supposed to do that), but some go work abroad right after their studies so that investment is mostly lost by the French government.

You're probably referring to the Ecole Polytechnique. Indeed newly graduates are supposed to work as a civil servant or pay the "pantoufle", which according to [1] is roughly 45000€, and as of last May when the article was written, it says only 10% of the graduates were paying it, but the government was starting to go after them.

[1]In French: http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/polytechnique-le-gouvernement-...

I was indeed referring to Ecole Polytechnique, but also Ecole Normale Superieure. I think alumni from Polytechnique can be expected to join the army if needed, since it depends from the Ministry of Defense.

No, I didn't. That was the total tuition fee including taxes. Obviously that didn't include any sort of college accommodation or meal plan - as I lived at reasonable distance from the campus. It was just standard "classes & exams".

That said, because tuition and taxes are proportional to family income, I was in the highest and most expensive tuition fee. Most of the students in the campus would roughly pay half of it - unless they would start to repeat classes and not pass exams (for which you automatically jump to the most expensive yearly fee).

The person you're replying to mean't taxes you pay on your income after college.

What I'm talking about is that most European countries have a higher overall income tax rate than the US. Some of this goes to pay for your education, so 3000 is not the total you are paying for it, you will keep paying for it over your lifetime in taxes.

Again, I think this is a great idea. But that said, there is no free lunch in this world.

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