Today I continue my feature on universities, crediting them as a key part of the United States’ economic future. But that future will likely look different from the present.

As we are seeing the price of information plummeting for news organizations, information from universities is seeing a similar albeit slower disruption to their century’s old business model.

Higher education costs have skyrocketed over the past few decades, jumping almost 10-fold since 1978, far more than the 3-fold increase in cost of living and the 6-fold increase in the cost of healthcare. What’s more surprising in recent years is technology is pushing the cost of providing education down while the costs of receive the education continue to skyrocket.

The Washington Post published a analysis of the business model turmoil in store for universities. Online universities still possess a stigma of being inferior to brick-and-mortar colleges, but as more and more students attend, that stigma will decrease (see online dating or online retail).

Thus far online courses have remained as expensive as their terrestrial counterparts, sometimes more expensive with additional “technology fees” added on even though these classes cost a tiny amount to offer. But a new company profiled by the article called StraigherLine aims to toss the higher education model for a whirl.  The company offers all-you-can-study for $99. If you can take four classes in two months like a woman did, it will only cost you $200 compared to thousands upon thousands for the same education at a regular university.

This is not good or bad – it is basic economics. Just like the newspaper or music industry, technology is making it cheaper and easier to spread and share information. Professors and experts are offering open source, free, or cheap textbooks online in addition to blogs and interactive teaching materials that work in and outside of the classroom. Collaboration tools allow students and teachers to be fully engaged even without being in the same room or even state, saving money and time.

Universities (and certainly textbook publishers) have been timid to adapt amid growing demand for cheaper education. While several universities offer free online courses, these are not for actual credit. Other universities that offer online courses in addition to their regular offerings do so with similar or more expensive pricing (the technology fee). But these classes cost the university less and can lead to more, not less, efficiency. There is no limit to the student space and professors have more time to respond to student’s questions, allowing for more students and more questions. These online courses can easily handle introductory classes or  even small writing seminars (just email other students your essays) and in-person classes can focus on more complex, discussion or debate heavy classes (as wonderful as Twitter and Skype are, a rousing round table is still best in person).

Top universities offer something more than knowledge. Much of their value comes from reputation and the quality of their student body, a key scarce good that allows them to now and for a long time charge a premium for their service.  State and middle-tier schools face the most threat as competition from online universities convince more and more students (and employers) that their education is as good but significantly less costly. And as society requires more and more students to complete higher education degrees, the need for affordable education will become more in demand – and more affordable because of the greater supply.

All the manufacturing jobs leave the U.S. for China, India, South America, and eventually Africa, the U.S. will face more economic competition for both products and minds. To remain and be a knowledge leader throughout the next century, the U.S. has one massive industry that cannot be easily copied – universities.

Higher education in the U.S. is unmatched by any country. U.S. universities dominate international rankings. Shanghai Jiao Tong University awards the U.S. with 54 spots on the top 100 with the U.K. trailing with 11, Germany at 6, and downward. Many of our universities are famous and respected because of centuries of history and the prestige and connections that provides, something not easily replicated by young yet also top schools in India, China, and other emerging powers.

First, I bringing this up as, amid the global recession, universities are at risk. California is slashing university funding and endowments at Harvard and other universities have seen 27 percent losses. Also most threatening is the drop in foreign applications to U.S. universities, the first drop in five years (when the last drop had more to do with 9/11 than economics). Prices for U.S. universities have skyrockets, more than three times more than inflation, while the government makes attaining visas even harder.

But we should want foreign students coming to study in the U.S. This encourages the next generation of business leaders, scientists, and artists to spend four or more years in the U.S., spending money, learning our culture (and selfishly, learning English), and then hopefully staying to work here or, at least, doing business with us.

This is why limiting H-1B visas is so dangerous for the U.S. economy. One out of four tech companies are founded by immigrants who then create far more jobs than they take away. Even without starting companies, our current tech companies cannot fill all the high-tech jobs they need, but are limited to only a few foreign hirers. Instead, these highly trained and would-be highly paid immigrants return to their native countries to start companies there.

Monday, I will discuss how universities structure, from price to format, is undergoing a radical shift that requires forward-thinking and evolution.