Public universities are controlled by the state which they reside in, but that doesn't exclude them from being elite schools. Public universities allow for students, typically in the state they live in, to receive an education at a fraction of the price of private institutions. On average, not including housing, in-state tuition for a four-year public university costs $7,500. A major problem with public universities is that in order to receive a substantial price reduction for tuition, the student must reside in the state of that school. That becomes problematic because there's an obvious divide between the top public schools and their location: most of them being located in California. Out of the top ten public universities in the United States, five of them are located in California. This leads to problems because for students who are unable to afford the cost of an education at the elite private universities in this country, they still will not be able to afford an education at the top public universities solely because of their location. According to the Washington Post, "most students who receive money from public schools get less than $9,000," so going out of state for a public university seems impractical, especially when only "roughly 30 percent" receive any financial aid to begin with. With this, there is a resurgence of middle class families having to send their children to community college, another facet oft he public universities. However, of those who plan on attending community college for two years, most don't end up transferring for up to six years after they start community college. This creates the idea that the middle class, who are trying to just continue to live as they normally do, are unable to give their children the same education, even if they do attend a public community college for two years, because they will end up spending longer at the community college than they would at a public four year university. The impracticality of public universities, even in the state which the student resides in, leaves the middle class being unable to attend such schools because of the high tuition prices and the geographic division of said elite public universities.
Public Universities:
Operated under the supervision of state governments and are funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state