As a single datapoint, in 1983 MIT tuition hit $10K -- highest in the nation according to a cartoon in the paper. It's currently $60K (total cost estimated $80K) so 7X is about right.
However there's another way to look at it: over the summer I would earn over $10K so roughly covered my tuition. Admittedly that was at the high end of summer job compensation due to the AI boom, but gives you a rough idea of where that tuition fee fit. I finished school with no debt.
These days I doubt anyone is getting $50K for a summer job.
Big tech and big-tech-competitive places will generally pay you around $30k pre-tax for a summer job. But of course, most college students don't have access to those jobs at all, let alone for each summer in college.
However there's another way to look at it: over the summer I would earn over $10K so roughly covered my tuition. Admittedly that was at the high end of summer job compensation due to the AI boom, but gives you a rough idea of where that tuition fee fit. I finished school with no debt.
These days I doubt anyone is getting $50K for a summer job.