"Reagan’s education advisor, Roger A. Freeman stated, “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go through higher education].” This belief has shaped higher education to become a privilege of the upper class, with tuition serving as a barrier to those from working-class backgrounds.

When Reagan became president, he continued his efforts to dismantle the public education system, targeting federal aid to students. "

from: https://newuniversity.org/2023/02/13/ronald-reagans-legacy-t...

I think it was also retribution against college kids deferring the Vietnam war draft. The student deferment was supposed to be a rich-only loophole..

OTOH, Carter pardoned Vietnam war draft dodgers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_4483#:~:text=Jimm....

(I foresee a similar decision needing to be made in Russia soon..)