r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Interesting-Data2294 • 28d ago
Rant This sub is oblivious to how expensive college is
Nowadays, even state schools can cost up to $20-30k/year when factoring in room and board. For many people, these prices are unaffordable. They cannot pull $80-120k out of thin air. Yet when someone on this sub complains about like a $17k/year COA, they get dismissed and get told they’re lucky. That is still a lot of money. Even if you or your family can afford to cover that much, it’s still painful to have to fork over that much just for your state school, especially if you’re a high-achieving student.
The other day I was criticizing my state school for being stingy on financial aid for high-achievers. I know many NMFs and some kids who got 36 ACT’s. Yet my in-state school only gave them $6000 in merit scholarships. My state school isn’t UC Berkeley or UMich. It’s the University of Kansas. When I voiced my complaint in this sub, I got dismissed with remarks like “in-state students already get a big discount” or “that’s half tuition.” That still doesn’t change the fact that half tuition plus room and board is still almost $20k/year. No Kansas resident should pay that much to attend the University of Kansas, let alone kids who were NMF or got 36 ACTs. It’s frustrating that this sub just accepts college being ludicrously expensive.
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u/hailalbon 28d ago
when people get criticized for posts freaking out about not being able to afford college and getting told they should just go in state but in state is expensive too
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u/paftz 28d ago
Facts UVA/VT are both around $35-40k to attend in-state which is absurd!! Isn't the foundation of democracy education?? Let's just make public state school education unaffordable. Destroy democracy! 🤦🏻♂️
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u/TheGooseMegaphone HS Senior 27d ago
Let's not forget COA for UVA Engineering! ~$52k in state and ~$90k oos!
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u/ScholarGrade Private Admissions Consultant (Verified) 28d ago
UVA gives full rides to in-state families earning less than $50K. They give full tuition to in-state families earning less than $100K. Among public colleges, they're one of the most generous.
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u/MajesticBread9147 28d ago
Google says the average cost after aid for both Tech and UVA is like $21,000 a year. Am I missing something?
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u/sonder2287 28d ago
average cost after aid is bullshit
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u/MajesticBread9147 27d ago
I'm curious, where can I read more about this? Is it just that this sub likely leans high income?
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u/sonder2287 27d ago
this sub is for all the people attempting to get into ivies mainly. Thats what most of the posts are geared towards. That being said, most of the middle class can't afford ivies due to lack of financial aid and no scholarships
Given that, id say this sub is for overachieving low in come students and those in upper class that have the money. I'm sure there are a lot of middle class students in here, but the odds of them being able to afford an ivy, myself included, are low.
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u/seashore39 Graduate Student 28d ago
I was a poor student and a high achieving student at the same time, and I got more money for being poor in undergrad and more money for being a high achiever for grad school, which is the way I think things should be.
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u/Substantial_Pace_142 28d ago
even state schools can cost up to $20-30k/year
Even? Up to? I think you're a little behind the times. I'm in-state for NJIT, got a $3,500 annual scholarship, and the total still comes to $41,606 per year. UVA and UMich out of state cost over 75k each year. Not to downplay your point, but "almost 20k/year" is not the worst it could be.
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u/sonder2287 28d ago
"not to downplay your point, but 'almost 20k/year' is not the worst it could be"
That is their ENTIRE POINT. College is expensive. in state and out of state. OP was ranting about how 20k a year is still insanely expensive for some people. Just a rant about the failures of the American government with public state schools costing in state students 20k+ yearly.
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u/Substantial_Pace_142 28d ago
College is 100% too expensive. I believe that was his overarching point.
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u/Time-Incident-4361 28d ago
Tbf that’s the estimate and if you’re dorming in a triple/quad you likely won’t hit that number. I’m a sophomore and my estimate is technically 38k but I probably pay 32-33k all things included (food + going out+ amenities like shampoo + transportation) and I have like the highest meal plan and go back home 4-5 times a year. Housing is probably the biggest contributor to that number so if you can commute/live in a cheaper area that’s where you’ll save the most money.
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u/Desperate_Day_2537 28d ago edited 28d ago
Thank you. Thank you for saying this.
I have been toggling between r/a2c and r/studentloans for months. The disconnect is staggering. Just about everyone in r/a2c plays along with this system. No one pushes back. The whole a2c process is wrapped in feelings and emotions, hope and pride.
And yet, four years later, everyone shows up in r/studentloans. They finally understand what this system has trapped them into. They're defeated, overwhelmed, and full of regret.
Push back. Find an alternative. Especially parents. Why are we setting our kids up for a lifetime of indentured survitude?
Case in point:
https://www.reddit.com/r/StudentLoans/comments/1isrzoc/how_much_student_loan_debt_do_you_have/
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u/notassigned2023 28d ago
There are loud voice on here who regularly tout the cheaper alternative. Just not the majority, sadly.
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u/WithoutDir3ction 25d ago
On one hand, loans and paying for college can be devastating, and on the other, if you're privileged enough to have parents pay for college, investing it and going to a lower cost institution probably have the better lifetime value.
I'd always advocate for a breadth of college choices (broad range of aid potential and selectivity) and conducting a in-depth, rational financial analysis to see if your aspirations check out. I cannot express how much I agree how incredibly emotional the college choice process is for so many students.
As a senior, it's been kind of shocking and eye-opening to talk to my classmates about college and just how much money they might be flushing down the drain or taking out in loans. People don't realize the massive cost discrepancies and crippling debt they can get into. And for those fortunate enough to have parents that pay for their college, they don't realize that, in the end, the total "cost" of their education, compared to if they had just invested it in the SMP500 and waited 45 years, can be in excess of 10 million USD. (E.g 260k initial investment for 45 years at 8% RoR (lower than the smp500's 100-year average of just above 10%) compounded annually= 8.3 million)
With that being said, competitive lower-income applicants definitely have a "better" at private institutions with generous financial aid packages, but that's an avenue I'm not very privy to.
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u/Lazy_Reputation_4250 28d ago
The public school system has failed to be affordable in many states. I personally have gotten far better aid from multiple private schools then state schools
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u/therealdrfierce 28d ago
Yeah we are relatively fortunate in terms of savings and resources. It will be cheaper for my kid to go to a small private LAC instead of instate due to generous merit aid. P
I’ve spoken to many lower income kids with great grades who have been accepted to schools like BU but got little aid.
Unfortunately parsing which schools are likely to give merit aid or financial aid is hard for a student to parse especially if they don’t have a counselor or parent who is savvy. I did not find the cost of attendance calculators to be particularly predictive.
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u/KickIt77 Parent 28d ago
Ok, well I think people think in their own bubble. Like our state has free/low cost paths for lower income students and so does our closes neighbor flagship. If your state doesn't fund lower income students, you can thank the voting population of your state for not supporting those types of policies.
I think part of the problem on this board is you have students who have literally never had to want for anything. Need a school? Private high end prep with experienced counselors. Like a sport? Here's some private coaching. Like science? Oh mommy knows a PhD down at FancySchoolLab. Want to apply to college? Let's hire an advisor.
Then we have all brands of middle and lower class students posting here too. They don't always have a good sense on how finances work coming into the process. The first group has no self awareness on their privlege. The latter sometimes get carried away with marketing from schools and believing this is a true meritocracy (hint, it most definitely is not). Some students who NEED substantial aid to attend at all know all too well.
When you are a high school student focused on high school things you are just oblivious to a lot of things that are not in your immediate bubble. Why are you surprised people don't know everything, especially outside their own experience. I work with students, and I find students that come out of urban, socio economically diverse schools that are academically motivated to be a bit more ... wordly than most.
If you cannot afford your public flagship for 4 years, consider reseraching starting up living at home and doing CC for 2 years and how transfers work from your closest CC. Or look into commute from home options. Housing is the thing that really costs and colleges have a hard time doing anything about. Room and board costs money. It's harder than giving you a cheap seat in a classroom. Getting through college affordably is winning. Don't worry about what other people think.
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u/toastedmarshmellos Parent 28d ago edited 27d ago
You could do like my kid and boycott uni altogether, even though he is National Merit Scholar. Not that I recommend this but there’s no denying that the cost is less than even attending community college.
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u/WithoutDir3ction 25d ago
Technically speaking? No, college doesn't have to be more expensive than CC, not for him. Speaking as a NSMF myself, finalists have a wide array of options. I'm headed to UT Dallas on a guaranteed package (thanks to finalist status) that covers full cost of attendance+ a $2500/semester stipend for miscellaneous expenses. Even right now, UTD is accepting rolling applications up to may 1 if your kid's a senior. Colleges like University Of Alabama. University of South/Central florida, and many others offer compelling options.
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u/MonkeyEatingBBC 28d ago
So what’s he doing instead
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u/toastedmarshmellos Parent 28d ago edited 3d ago
He’s trying to become fluent in French. He listens to French language podcasts of various sorts so that he can pick up on regional dialects. I would like him to take the Oxford MAT exam this October. Not that he’s a candidate for Oxford but because he has a way of doing well on these types things. One morning, as he came down for breakfast, I showed him the 2023 MAT exam after it was posted online and he sat down and completed about six to eight questions or sub-questions, including the question with two circles in a unity sided square, with a perfect score.
His teachers in high school told him he “didn’t try hard enough“ but they couldn’t fathom that he was busy doing amazing things on his own and he found their assignments to be simply valueless. I suspect that ultimately he is going to end up working for a company that has a need for a very sharp guy and they won’t care at all that he doesn’t have a degree. His mother took a secretarial job with a Fortune 50 company and was promoted to senior software engineer, despite having only a BA in Business Administration, so he has a worthy role model in the house.
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u/yourlittlebirdie 26d ago
Being fluent in French is fine but literally millions of people are fluent in French. It’s not really a career plan.
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26d ago edited 13d ago
[deleted]
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u/yourlittlebirdie 26d ago
Well it’s awesome that you’re wealthy enough to be able to afford that kind of lifestyle. I admit I’m a bit envious of that!
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u/monstertruckbackflip 28d ago
I'd say people accept the cost of college as a fact of life. How could we possibly change the cost of attendance by next year or two when a lot of us will be going to college or sending our children to college?
People figure out how to deal with it. They appreciate the relatively low cost of attending a state school versus a private or out of state school.
Some people go with ROTC to reduce the cost. Some people attend part-time while working or go to community college or trade school. The cost is just a fact of life in the US right now.
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u/Interesting-Data2294 28d ago
I don't disagree with what you're saying. I'm not criticizing "accepting college as a fact of life." What I am criticizing is when people on this sub dismiss complaints or concerns about college being expensive or overpriced.
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u/monstertruckbackflip 28d ago
You said, "it's frustrating that this sub just accepts college being ludicrously expensive." What are people to do? You have to go to college to do certain things in life. It's not optional for certain professions.
It's like saying, 'People just accept the high cost of housing'. Buying a house is just expensive. If you want a certain size house in a particular area, there's a cost. You can't just change the cost of things because you don't like it.
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u/Orangetazzer 28d ago
Dude ur litteraly proving their point
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u/monstertruckbackflip 28d ago
OP's position is a bit absurd. It's like walking into a fancy restaurant, complaining about the price of the food, and expecting the other patrons to support him. If it's too expensive, then go somewhere else more affordable.
We're all here in this sub because we've decided to apply to college. Yes, college in the US is expensive. That's part of deal. Everyone here is working to find a way to pay for it. Looking for solutions to move ahead. If it's too expensive for OP, then maybe he should go a different route. College isn't the only path in life.
That's why he's getting static.
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u/glidersupersquirrel 21d ago
Middle class families are at such disadvantage!😢 In your restaurant example let’s say I walk in with $10 and someone else is walking in with $5. We both don’t have enough money to eat here but $5 person gets the full fancy meal just because someone decided that $10 is much more than $5 and we need to support $5 person. So the wealthy are eating and the “poor” are eating the good food and I am going to McDonald's. 😭
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u/monstertruckbackflip 21d ago
We all know college is expensive. Yet, we are all in this sub because we are applying for college. Therefore, we need to find a way to pay for it. A way to get the extra money beyond your $10 to pay for the meal. Complaining that it's expensive isn't a solution.
Either we find a way to pay that bill, or we eat somewhere else. It's just that simple.
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u/glidersupersquirrel 21d ago
I am ok eating somewhere else, I am not ok with taking my tax dollars to pay for $5 person’s fancy meal while I am eating at McDonalds
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u/monstertruckbackflip 21d ago
So, you are against federal and state aid for students from low income families? I'm for that sort of aid. I think most people here are for that.
Are you against private schools giving need based aid to students they deem eligible? Princeton and other colleges do this.
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u/glidersupersquirrel 21d ago
I am for it, I just want to be included in it! 😂They need to include middle class into the aid distribution.
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u/monstertruckbackflip 21d ago
It's nice to be included. It would be nice if college cost in the US was more like it is in the UK, where tuition is no more than about $2500/yr (Edinburgh University tuition cost for Scottish students). But, what are we gonna do?
The way things would go in the US if middle-class families received aid is that the cost would just get increased to the point where you are paying the same amount out of pocket that you were before.
I don't know what it is about the US, but college, housing, and medical care costs have just skyrocketed during the past few decades. Many people are still paying off college loans into their 40s or 50s. With the way things are in this country, I don't see that changing any time soon.
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u/SirCarrotTheFirst HS Senior 28d ago
Mizzou gives a lot more money if you have the stats I think, you do have reciprocality, though I’m not sure if that carries over for scholarships. Plus k state is by no means a bad school
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u/dafoolio 28d ago
You can thank Baby Boomers
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u/Kimmybabe 28d ago
How is it their fault?
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u/dafoolio 25d ago
Back when Boomers were college age, state university tuition was affordable. They even had government programs like the GI bill people from the military make college even more affordable. As boomers aged, they used their massive numbers to cut their own taxes and made college tuition less affordable. My dad went to state dental school for $10k a year for example. Ask a dental student what they pay these days.
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u/Kimmybabe 25d ago edited 25d ago
Thank you for your thoughts!
Boomers started college between 1964 and 1982. Father of my son in law was born in 1955, graduated from high school in 1973, graduated from college in 1977, law school in 1980.
Price of a candy bar at 7-11 in 1977 was 20¢, UT Austin law school tuition for all three years was $35,000.
Today the price of a candy bar at 7-11 is $1.50, UT Austin law school tuition for all three years is $110,000.
Point being that today law school tuition takes fewer candy bars than It did in 1977, when the boomers went to law school. Dental school may be the same nowadays?
What happened in between 1965 and today is that the state legislatures decided to off load college education onto federal loans. Easier to fund it with student debt, instead of state taxes. That's what happens when the federal government allows unrestricted parent plus loans and graduate plus loans up to full cost of attendance. No reason for universities to control costs when federal loans will fund it.
My grandchildren go to community college and then local state university, while living at home, where total tuition cost of all four years of each bachelor degree is $32,000. Compare that to neighbors that send kids off to out of state and private universities and the kid comes home with $30,000 of Stafford debt and the parents have $150,000 of parent plus loan debt. And the big winners are the parents that sent three off to college and have a mere $450,000 of parent plus loan debt. Two working parents with annual household income of $100,000.
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u/IKnowAllSeven 28d ago
Have you tried your regional public schools? That’s what my kids will be doing, flagship is too expensive.
My kids applied to regional publics, which run $12-$17k in my state. They got from $4k off to free full tuition. They will be both attending a school which leaves their tuition around the $3k annually mark. That’s cheap! Living costs are also from $11k - &17k per year and those…there’s no discount on those.
However, I don’t know what could be done about that on a systemic level. Living is expensive, for everyone.
I figure our savings ($5k per year) + loans ($5k per year) + kids working ($5k per year) will cover living expenses
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u/FoolishConsistency17 28d ago
The biggest privilege is being able to live at home and go to school. Lots of kids don't have that: they have no school within commuting distance or home isn't safe, or their parents won't let them stay, or their parents can't afford to keep them.
It amazes me how many kids who DO have the privilege of living at home utterly reject the option, even if it means borrowing an extra $50-60k over 4 years. Like, I get that moving out is cool and exciting and maturing, but so are lots of things that are unaffordable. Travel is great for personal development, but it'd be foolish to borrow $$$$$ to do so.
I
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u/notassigned2023 28d ago
My kids are in that boat. I live in a midwestern city with one of those universities that some will give an arm to get into, and thankfully both kids have been accepted. They are living at home until they get sick of me, which has not happened yet since they have to pay for their own rent if they leave. Smart kids.
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u/Petey567 28d ago
Yeah like I cannot decide between UVA or VT cause of costs
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u/DoobieKeeblerWNYX Parent 28d ago
UVA. They provide a lot of unanticipated scholarship opportunities for 2nd-4th years. They are very generous with financial aid.
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u/Petey567 28d ago
I feel like the opposite for me based on what I read.
They gave me a 20k grant but I feel they are not going to give it again if I do not do in state housing and food.
Also VT I can go around 1 year less.
Ahhhhhhhhh this college stuff
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u/paftz 28d ago
1 year less is def. something to consider. I am in the same boat rn lol
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u/Petey567 28d ago
The problem is I have around a year less worth of classes but idk if classes would line up correctly so…
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u/NoTheme_JustOpinions 28d ago
I know this won’t be better for everyone, but is remote college not a good option for cost savings? No room and board, not activity fees, work while you go to school… and if you’re lucky enough to have supportive parents stay home for the first couple of years. In today’s economy staying with family when you can seems like the smart move.
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u/averagegarlicenjoyer 21d ago
i’m in state at a UC and without scholarships and such my total cost is like 42k. it’s insanity.
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u/WilliamandCharles 28d ago
20k/year is cheap in comparison to schools that range from 60-80k a year in or out of state
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u/didnotsub 28d ago
Generally those 60-80k schools discount heavily, though. If you’re going to a t50 private school and paying full price, you’re either crazy rich or didn’t apply for financial aid.
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u/WilliamandCharles 28d ago
Some public schools cost that much for out of state too. Private is both and out of state.
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u/didnotsub 28d ago
If you’re going to an OOS public school without being crazy rich, you’re just an idiot, though. I won’t make excuses for those people.
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u/WilliamandCharles 28d ago
Yep. I unfortunately am disadvantaged by being in a shitty state for college so I do gotta go OOS. Thankfully my other parent lives in the state where I will attend college, making residency very possible for my second year. I’d also be lying if I said they didn’t have more than enough to financially support me every year of college without sweating it but they don’t want to. Lots of different situations, it isn’t black and white.
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u/Ok_Experience_5151 Graduate Degree 28d ago
financial aid for high-achievers
If the aid is premised on achievement then it's not "financial aid", per the generally understood meaning of that term.
Why do you think high achievers should get a free ride, when that money could instead go to support some other Kansas resident who as admitted to KU and who would find it more difficult (than the high achieving student) to afford to attend?
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u/Interesting-Data2294 28d ago edited 28d ago
who would find it more difficult (than the high achieving student) to afford to attend?
It is a misconception that every high-achieving student is rich. As someone who is lower middle-class yet still managed to pull off a 35 ACT, I feel insulted (not saying that they mean to) when someone conflates achievement with privilege. A lot of the high-achievers I know are just middle class (not even upper middle class).
I do support expanding financial aid for students from low-income and middle-class familes. But I think high-achieving students should get more scholarships as well, especially when they're not going to a "top" school. Getting a 36 ACT is extremely difficult even with the best resources, let alone for middle-class folks
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u/Ok_Experience_5151 Graduate Degree 28d ago
It is a misconception that every high-achieving student is rich.
That isn't implied by what I wrote. Key word being "every". In general, high-achieving students do skew wealthier. If you, as a high-achieving student, would qualify for need-based assistance then you don't need non-need-based aid. Your post is arguing for allocating funds away from need-based and toward non-need-based. That is "worse" for the vast majority of in-state students who have financial need.
Personally, I don't see your either having won the genetic lottery -or- having devoted a lot of time to test prep as *entitling* you to a discount. You put in a lot of work and now you feel you deserve a prize.
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u/Interesting-Data2294 28d ago
If you, as a high-achieving student, would qualify for need-based assistance then you don't need non-need-based aid.
This is not necesarily true. Even with an EFC of 0, need-based aid is not always enough to cover all necessary costs, even when attending a public, in-state school. For example, at the University of Kansas, having a SAI of -1500 would still leave a couple thousand per year in college costs uncovered.
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u/Ok_Experience_5151 Graduate Degree 28d ago
Agree. Those students could benefit from KU reallocating some of the $ it puts toward non-need-based scholarships to need-based instead.
Though, granted, without those non-need-based scholarships, many of the current recipients would not be attending KU, which would make KU somewhat less attractive for the set of students who are non-recipients.
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u/MulberryOk9853 28d ago
Red states are stingier because they are also poorer.
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u/AccomplishedView4709 28d ago
Isn't UT-Austin giving free tuition to in-state students from low income family? Last I check UT is in Texas, a bright red state, not?
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28d ago
I do agree with ur point, but it’s kinda just a fact of life atp that college means debt if ur not Bruce Wayne.
High achievers can just chase other scholarships than U Kansas surely ? Even as a kinda mid student, I got a couple full rides at safety schools no one ik has heard of as an international. I’m sure that 36 ACT kids with ECs and stuff can get them asw.
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u/onceivelostmynovelty 28d ago
But why do accept this? I applied to colleges in both the U.S. and the U.K., and even prestigious colleges over there are significantly less. For example, the University of Edinburgh costs less than a third of the tuition at NYU or Georgetown, two other colleges I applied to. Many governments set limits on how much tuition can be at universities.
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28d ago
Yh but Edinburgh is a much lesser university than NYU or Gtown so they are better value IMO if u get decent aid and Edinburgh is public whereas those two are private schools. I do support public schools being cheaper in state, but privates can do what the market decides people are willing and able to pay.
Compare the about 40 pounds a year inc living u pay at Oxford to the 50 dollars a year u pay at in state publics like Berkeley inc room and board and the difference is small
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u/hellolovely1 28d ago
Yes, the UK limits tuition by law (at least that's what I was told). We just accept that private college is going to cross the $100k/year mark soon because we're suckers.
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28d ago
UK schools are pretty much all public. Any British school is only fair to compare to an in state public in the US. They cost similar including room and board, maybe like 20% less. Ik because I’m British and moving to US for college.
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u/hellolovely1 28d ago
No, not necessarily. We have in-state and out-of-state tuitions. State colleges are much more expensive if you are not a state resident.
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28d ago
Yh I said in state. UK and US are about the same if u stay in state for public school.
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u/hellolovely1 28d ago
Which really limits your choices and is different from your system, where any UK resident can take advantage of limited tuition/room/board.
If we could go to any public school in the US for a capped price, it would be comparable, but it's not.
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28d ago
Wym doesn’t every state have a university ? I assume some of the rural ones don’t have good ones compared to UC UT UMich Gatech type schools. Still you have the option to go in state for cheap or get need based fin aid at a private. The second option don’t exist in the UK and the schools here in the UK don’t compare to T20.
Also UK is much smaller ofc smaller than some states, so fairer to compare it to a single state than the whole country.
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u/hellolovely1 28d ago
The schools in the UK don't compare to T20? Where did you get that idea? Here, I'm guessing?
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28d ago
Nah from my own research. I’m actually British BTW and going to US for college. For anything Engineering or CS related, US T20 >>>>>>>>>>> Oxbridge, for theoretical sciences its still better but by a smaller margin.
All Oxbridge really has that compared to T20 is prestige, the actual undergrad resources suck compared to US. There’s little undergrad research within the school, no startup support/accelerators, rigid curricula, poor limite course offerings with few specialisations, and poor industry (this one is the country’s fault, not the schools, but still).
I say this as a Cambridge admit and a T20 admit, so I’m completely unbiased, maybe even biased towards UK as it would be much much cheaper for me.
EDIT: By the way when I say Oxbridge, i include all other UK schools that are comparable like Imperial LSE etc.
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u/Visual-Course-9590 28d ago
Some of us happen to be more financially fortunate. No reason to call us “oblivious.” I thought the median yearly income in the U.S. was like 150k anyway, should be enough to cover tuition.
-u/Visual-Course-9590, prospective HYPSM student
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u/plzDontLookThere 25d ago
Assuming after-tax is $150k, all of that is not going to the student. Households have many other things to pay for; plus, there may be multiple college-aged student under one household.
$150k for a family of 3 will hold very different for a family of 5.
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u/iski4200 28d ago
i mean community colleges exist… cheaper options exist… relatively speaking 17k is very cheap for a 4 year university education 🤷♂️
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u/BusinessDog7528 28d ago
It's part of it and you complaining will not change that. You just have to figure out solutions to the financial aspect that work for you. For me that is Rotc and applying to as many scholarships as possible and completing the dual enrollment program and getting my associates degree. But you need to figure out something that works for you.
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u/PossiblyRegarded 28d ago
I live just south of you (Oklahoma) is a program for top 0.5% act scorers in the state to get free tuition to one of our two state schools and a 6 thousand towards other costs, on top of other scholarships. I think the quality of OU/OSU and KSU/KU are similar enough to imply that barring unusual circumstances Kansas should have a similar program, and I think if the average Kansas citizen knew about Oklahoma's program and asked for that from lawmakers that could make a difference.
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u/Standard_Team0000 28d ago
One way to offset cost is to choose schools that take all or most of your AP credits if you are a high achieving student and your high school offered a lot of APs. You can knock off most of the general eds that way and potentially save a year of college costs.
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u/The_hineysthebestbit 28d ago
Honestly, you could study overseas. There's a range of great universities with good career paths and low costs outside of the US. Oxford and Cambridge are 20-30k before merit/need aid (both of which they offer for internationals), and ETH Zürich in Switzerland (ranked with or above MIT in several STEM fields) costs $2,000 a semester in tuition. Many of these schools have graduates in international companies making far above 6 figures a year, meaning less opportunity is hardly an issue.
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u/malphonboyo 28d ago
Georgia gets a lot of bad rep but in-state college tuition support is bar none.
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u/degenerateslayer HS Senior 28d ago
Yup 😶 single-income family, we never buy new things unless it’s on sale— COA for UC Davis is 45k/yr…..
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u/Cosmic_College_Csltg PhD 27d ago
College probably don't even know expensive they are themselves. Inflation is out of control.
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u/AyyKarlHere Prefrosh 27d ago
I’d like to say as a fellow Kansan My COA for KU is around the same as my COA for Hopkins 💀
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u/PureJournalist5063 26d ago
You know college is optional right? There are also community colleges for the first two years. It’s only $17,000 if you let it be.
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u/WithoutDir3ction 25d ago
This seems to be a pretty big issue in a lot of state universities. But if you're willing to do some research, there's a lot of fantastic alternatives, ESPECIALLY for NMFs and other high performers. UT dallas/Arlington, U central/south/west florida, Alabama, Fordham (not guaranteed), Floirda A&M, Louisana Tech, Texas Tech, U Idaho, Maine, Missisippi, New mexico, just for Full or near-full rides, and so many more for Full tutition and more! In state, OOS, either way.
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u/ComprehensiveWall152 23d ago
i was so shocked to see uiuc's IN-STATE cost is 38k/year!!! luckily it went down to 2.5k/year with financial aid but omg
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u/Pristine-Pick-5794 23d ago
literally! i live in kansas, am a NMF, and got a 35 on the act and my scholarship that i received was only $5,500 a year for kansas state university. i dont understand what else i could’ve done to get a higher scholarship i dont want to pay $25k a year to go to ksu!!!
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u/Expensive-Primary427 HS Senior 28d ago
I mean the service academies are free
So there’s always that
Or community college
Or just joining the military and getting that GI bill
Or picking up a rotc scholarship
Literally join the military or go to community college, everyone is capable of at least one of those two things if you want college to be free/ cheaper that badly.
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u/Niccio36 28d ago
I don’t think anyone’s oblivious. What do you want a bunch of redditor’s to do about it?
Figure out which colleges you can afford and go there.
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28d ago
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u/Interesting-Data2294 28d ago
The high achieving students are more likely to come from richer families
That is true. But not every high-acheving student is from an affluent family. As someone who is lower middle-class and got a 35 ACT, I kind of feel insulted. Not saying you meant to.
I do think financial aid should be expanded for low-income and middle-class students. But I also think high-achievers should be given more scholarships, especially when they're not going to a "top" school. A 36 ACT is extremely difficult to achieve, even with the best resources, let alone for a middle-class or low-income kid.
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28d ago
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u/Interesting-Data2294 28d ago
Saying that it should go to middle class
I'm not talking about middle class kids who get like a 1200 on their SAT. I'm talking about the very high-achievers such as NMFs and those who got 34+ ACT's. Even in the upper and middle classes, that makes up a small percentage of students.
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u/CryptographerGold848 28d ago
So true. For reference, my kid 35 Act and 4.5wgpa from highly competitive NJ high school was only accepted into his state university. He received no merit aid and only $3750 unsubsidized loan as financial aid. That’s $36k per year (tuition, fees, room and board) which I as middle class will have to scrape up somehow and pay. We are at least fortunate he was accepted.
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u/Scary-Mycologist-498 Prefrosh 28d ago
I think my point still stands. That is a point of merit aid. Not financial aid
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u/Realistic-Bet-661 28d ago
I think OP was using "financial aid" to refer to merit aid as well. Not sure.
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u/Realistic-Bet-661 28d ago
This completely fails to address the nuance of some people's situations. A lot of people I know have parents who make enough to pay, but are not willing to (for a logical reason, what college is seriously worth 320k???), but this isn't the student's fault. High achieving students ARE more likely to come from rich families, but that's a much smaller factor compared to the actual amount you're willing to work.
More merit aid, at least at state schools, is the fairest it can be. A student has no control over how much need-based aid the qualify for, or how much money they can spend on college, but has at least one degree of control for how much merit-aid they can qualify for.
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u/Poopy-88 28d ago
Community college exists for a reason or go straight to work, your life’s circumstances aren’t other peoples issues
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u/Ok-Magician1359 28d ago
If it costs too much, then don't go. There are other things you can do in life.
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u/Charming_Elevator425 28d ago
College is expensive. It's a fact of life. You have to have education in some way, shape, or form to open doors, and you have to choose what kind of education based on what doors you want open. It is what it is currently, and change isn't happening overnight.
When you're poor and/or can't afford things, you don't get the luxury of complaining about how you don't like it. You have to figure out a way around it, through it, or an alternative. Complaining is wasted time, effort, and energy. Life is nothing but one inconvenience after the other, where you find ways to get around it.
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u/Ok_Client_6367 28d ago
My motivation to get into an ivy is because I can only afford an ivy. Everyone is so rich and smancypants that their financial need threshold is really high.
I got a likely letter from Columbia and I get free tuition for my household income being under $150,000. My state school won’t give me crap for $85,000.