Seems like top students can go anywhere, so guaranteeing them a spot in Illinois doesn't seem very attractive. Most high school students aren't making decisions based on a state income tax credit that they have no way to measure because they have no clue as to their future income or debt.
That leaves us with the Bernie Sanders-ish idea about student loan forgiveness. Who wouldn't consider that, just like free tuition after military service?
But how much would it cost and who pays for it?
Which brings us back to this familiar dog chasing its tail. Spend money you do not have in amounts you don't bother to measure and create problems that you try to fix with more spending in amounts you don't bother to measure.
Remember the plea of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Chancellor Carlo Montemagno? Much more basic changes, that might save money, can fix Illinois higher education.
Stop the growth of administration, which rose 26 percent in a decade. Merge campuses. Cut red tape so bureaucracy doesn't stop innovation or changes to courses and majors that would make college more relevant to getting a job in today's economy rather than 1990's economy.
Students would be much more willing to attend an Illinois university knowing they could expect a job offer instead of a demand for loan repayment.