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While parents need to think about how to help financially facilitate their child’s goals for higher education, colleges are not without responsibility. And while most universities offer some level of financial assistance to the majority of their students, they could probably do more to reduce costs.

As prices have continued to skyrocket, a growing number of children are simply saying no to college debt and choosing a different path into adulthood. That is a decent option, certainly, but kids shouldn’t feel compelled to take it because of exorbitant costs.

Nearly a decade out of college, I am still paying on students loans. I don’t want that for my son. And while scholarships help reduce costs for many students, any debt when you’re just entering the working world as a college grad is difficult to manage.

But there may be hope. With Princeton, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania all offering or preparing to offer no-loan aid packages to middle- and upper-middle-income students, other institutions of higher education are evaluating their options.

Yale announced two weeks ago that it is significantly boosting its financial aid spending, which should cut in half the average cost for families with financial need, Yale officials told The Associated Press.

Yes, those are all ritzy schools, but what’s to say that the state schools can’t also find ways to lower costs? News reports say most universities can’t afford to, and maybe they can’t. But, perhaps, there are spending trends that should be reevaluated.

My kid doesn’t need to feel pampered in a top-of-the-line dorm room; what he needs is an affordable education.