" At the time President Roosevelt announced these goals, a college education was largely outside the grasp of most working-class families. Placing a college degree within reach of every qualified veteran was extraordinary. In 1940 the average worker earned less than $1,000 each year, and the annual cost of a college education fell anywhere between $453 at state colleges to $979 at private universities. Under Roosevelt’s plan, higher education would be doled out irrespective of social class or wealth for the first time in American history. "

― , When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II