Comparing tuition to the growth of the S&P 500, or any fund or stock for that matter, is like comparing a first class dining experience to a computer, the two have nothing in common.
Why would you expect education costs to move with the value of public businesses? How does that make any sense? A businesses worth has actually gone up (acquired assets, generating more revenue, etc.), has the value of a college education gone up 400% from 2011 to 2022? Because that is what you seem to be suggesting. Are new grads from BU on average making 400x what they were in 2011? Even going from $51k to $79K that's about a 47% increase, is BU college education 47% better today than it was in 2011? Probably not.
Why would you expect education costs to move with the value of public businesses? How does that make any sense? A businesses worth has actually gone up (acquired assets, generating more revenue, etc.), has the value of a college education gone up 400% from 2011 to 2022? Because that is what you seem to be suggesting. Are new grads from BU on average making 400x what they were in 2011? Even going from $51k to $79K that's about a 47% increase, is BU college education 47% better today than it was in 2011? Probably not.