SAY IT AIN’T SO: The ever-increasing cost of education is not sustainable.

Higher education in America, historically the envy of the world, is rapidly growing out of reach. For the past quarter-century, the cost of higher education has grown 440%, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Education, nearly four times the rate of inflation and double the rate of health care cost increases. The cost increases have occurred at both public and private colleges.

Like many situations too good to be true–like the dot-com boom, the Enron bubble, the housing boom or the health care cost explosion–the ever-increasing cost of university education is not sustainable.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

UPDATE: A reader emails:

The funny thing about the higher ed bubble not being “sustainable” is that you can’t walk 5 feet on any college campus right now without hearing the word “sustainable.” It’s this decade’s “diversity.”

Please withhold my name. As you can see, I’m in the bubble, too.

Yes, most campuses even have an “Office Of Sustainability” now. Which is ironic, since the very existence of those offices is a sign of a hothouse environment that is, ultimately, unsustainable.