Why do some firms practice price discrimination? Relate your answer to the common practice of public colleges charging lower tuition to in-state students and higher tuition to out-of-state students

What will be an ideal response?

Price discrimination helps businesses capture more consumer surplus and hence increase their economic profit. Basically the firm charges more to people who are willing to pay more. For a public college, out-of-state students will likely have a higher willingness to pay for attending that college because, by leaving their home state, they are demonstrating that they truly want to attend the college. If the college charged in-state residents the same tuition as out-of-state residents, the college would miss the chance to maximize revenue from each group. Charging in-state residents the same high price as out-of-state residents would lead to a massive drop in quantity demanded and thus lower total revenue. By separating their customers based on differing demand conditions, the college earns more total revenue.