Why aren’t there university lemon laws?

Why aren’t there university lemon laws? I’m serious.

I was debating with someone about what a waste of money college is. And they threw out something like, “Well, why shouldn’t we have the same problem with people incurring $60k of debt to buy a car?”

two counterpoints popped
into my head

First, people are fine spending $60k on a car because the car fulfills its promise: it gets the required number of people from point A to point B in style.

Second, if you buy a new $60k car, and it doesn’t get you from point A to point B, guess what? There are literal lemon laws in every state mandating that manufacturers refund consumers’ money.

what about universities? they have failed to deliver on their promise

Whether you’re talking about the original promise of universities in the 1600s and 1700s to prepare their students for what they’d be doing after graduation, or the modern promise that going to college will result in students getting better, higher-paying jobs and having more prosperous lives — universities have not held up their end of the bargain.

So why aren’t universities held to the same standards as car manufacturers?

why isn’t there a university lemon law?

The U.S. Department of Education has been working towards establishing a new accountability framework for higher ed. I don’t know if it’s exactly what’s needed, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.