State University officials take case to Washington - MEGAN McCOURT, Scripps Howard Foundation Wire

These days, it's cheaper to go to prison than to college. Your price for a year in the slammer? Free. California foots the bill, shelling out $49,000 a year per prisoner, close to $11 billion a year, said California State University Chancellor Charles Reed at a press conference here Wednesday. The average cost for a year at a CSU? Roughly $20,000 if you live off campus. The state gives each CSU school $6,800 per year for each full-time student, which comes to $2.35 billion a year.