I paid 3 grand in '95 and I was probably the only one that paid at a community college, The rest were there on the Government dime, Unemployment. Most of them washed out or failed.
I graduated with honors. I think it makes a difference if you are paying or on a free ride.
I should add that most of those that failed on the governments dime were million mile drivers that just needed to get the licence to be legal
.