It's a natural outcome of federalism. State A invests revenues heavily in a world renowned university. State B invests little in its postsecondary education. It is each states prerogative to decide how much to spend on education- federalism.
Naturally many State B residents will want to attend the world class university in State A. But they didn't pay a dime of taxes to support it. Hence, higher tuition rates for out of staters.
You see it as restricting access to education, but I see it more as reaping the the seed you sow. Each state chooses how much to spend on education, and lives with the results of their choices.
Except the people effected are not the people making the choices. No child today voted for a reduction in education budgets. Given how much the volatility of job market causes people to move many people don't have much of a choice when choosing which state to live. Disadvantaging people because their parents happen to work in South Carolina and members of their parents generation decided to cut funding is the exact opposite of "reaping what you sow". An out dated view for a system designed before instant access communication.
Children grow up in a world that was not created by them, but by their parents. News at 11.
Running education at the federal level is not going to suddenly lift education funding to a "10" in all states.
I am not doing a good job explaining this eloquently, but the point is federalism allows states to cut education budgets, or be lavish with them, without answering to other states. States that want to be lavish do not have the clout to force the entire country to be lavish. "Every state has top quality schools with extremely generous education spending" is not an option on the table, because the states that don't want to spend money on education have a vote, too.
Naturally many State B residents will want to attend the world class university in State A. But they didn't pay a dime of taxes to support it. Hence, higher tuition rates for out of staters.
You see it as restricting access to education, but I see it more as reaping the the seed you sow. Each state chooses how much to spend on education, and lives with the results of their choices.