Feels like the places where academia doesn’t require lots of money are getting less and less. e.g. university is basically free in Germany, but if your parents don’t have enough money to pay for your living expenses you’re going to have a difficult time. When I went to university in Germany 20 years ago, government subsidies (that are paid out as a credit btw) were very adequate to pay for those living expensive, but apartment rents exploded since then.