I was surfing through the iTunes Store at lunch today and wandered back into iTunesU, a collection of academic lectures and things that Apple began gathering a while ago.

My, how things have changed. You can now get the same academic quality of an Ivy League education (at least course content) on your iPod. Take your pick – Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT – the best schools in the nation are sharing their lectures, guest speakers, concerts, and more.

Here’s the mindblowing part: it’s free.

$40,000 a year to attend a top tier school? Or free on your iPod?

Of course, iTunesU isn’t a substitute for a full education, but if you’re going to go to college and try to save money, you can supplement your education wherever you attend with top courses, instructors, and materials from the best schools in the nation.