Yup. Also interest rates are a big factor.

In the 80s interest rates on long term treasuries were around 10%, so I imagine student loans were much higher. Very expensive to finance high dollar amounts with those kind of rates. Most of the gains in housing have been due to rates trending lower for decades, for example.

But I'd advocate a more radical change towards shorter term vocational focused programs (e.g. coding bootcamps) to college.

Many benefits to that, but shorter also means easier to switch professions if you feel you've made a mistake. Due to duration and financial commitment, college is hard to swallow twice through.

Really just need somebody in a position of power to advocate for this kind of radical change in education, to shift public perception and culture.