Every once in a while an institution or business does something seemingly out of the blue that really helps people in a tangible way.

This one is fantastic. I just appreciate the effort. I don't know or care that it works perfectly - the spirit is right on it.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/20/pf/college/stanford_tuition.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes

Kudos to them.

Absolutely spot on. Perfect enough, IMHO.

I think this sort of spirit ought to exist in our best schools. It is really great to see this happening for some kids in California.

Good stuff. Tempered by the fact that Stanford is one of the most difficult schools in the country to get into. US News ranks them 4th after Princeton, Harvard and Yale. If you are talented enough to get into these schools, affordability shouldn't prevent it from happening.

My alma mater is 31st. My little bro beats me at 28. My cousin beats us both (MIT). I guess I'm the dumbest amongst the engineers in the family. Oh well.

Who is going to pay for them? If they don't have to pay tuition, who is picking up the bill?
Are they going to increas the tuition rates for other students?

The school will. They aren't exactly a non profit organization. Schools like Stanford make tons of money through copyrights and patents, their Law School, Med school, etc.