X-post: College cost specifics--would the experienced help me with some numbers?

[Harriet Vane]

College cost specifics--would the experienced help me with some numbers?

Hi folks,

 

My dd is only 13yo, but now that she is earning money we have asked that a portion of those earnings be set aside for college. She is willing but also a little overwhelmed. She asked me to give her a sheet that shows how much college costs. Accordingly, I visited three college websites and wrote up the numbers for her. However, those numbers are too big and too overwhelming. What dd really needs are some smaller numbers--like the cost of books for one class, or the cost to eat in the dorm cafeteria for a day.

 

As a disclaimer, we are NOT in any way pressuring her--we just don't see the point in spending ALL her earnings on frivolous things. Dd feels that knowing what things will cost in college will help her WANT to save a little better.

 

If you are living the college reality with your kid(s), would you be willing to break down costs for us? Also, when you do, can you specify public vs. private, in-state or out-of-state? If you have small costs at your fingertips (books per class, $$ per credit hour, cafeteria, fees, etc., etc.) we'd be so grateful.

 

Thank you.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

My dds go to a private Christian college. Here's the breakdown:

 

Tuition: $11,500/semester

 

Room: $2820/yr

Board: varies by plan. My dds get 14 meals/wk at about $1000/semester. They then buy lunch/breakfast/snack foods for their room. ($50-100/month)

 

Books: varies a lot depending on the major. History: about $300/semester with online searches and used books. Nursing: about $800 the first semester with 2nd semester expected to be less. Also will spend about $100 next year on lab equipment.

 

Dorm: both girls spent their graduation $ on dorm supplies: bedding, fridge, organizers, desk supplies, etc.

 

Clothes: homeschool kids typically don't spend as much as their peers on clothes. Both of my dds needed to add to their wardrobes for college, especially in the shoe department.

[rieshy]

My oldest is in his first year paying in-state tuition for a 4 year state university. This first semester (5 general freshman courses) his books were around $500, round it up to $600 for the odds and ends of supplies.

 

He lives at home and commutes but he bought a meal plan for $900 for the semester, which allows him to eat 3 days a week (unlimited number of meals) on campus. He is a skinny but perpetually ravenous young man so this was a great deal!

 

Fees and tuition came to somewhere over $5000 for the semester- all covered by various scholarships and grants.

 

One thing you might consider is having your child plan to save for a great college computer or laptop- or ipad. It's a smaller more manageable goal and something that they will need but probably won't be covered by scholarships.

[creekland]

My son is at a private Christian college and his costs were lessened a LOT by scholarships. Besides having her save, it's very worth it to concentrate on grades and knowledge for test scores as well as enjoying some extra curriculars. He "made" more there than he would have saved.

 

Books for the semester cost him roughly $300 - $350. $100 of that was for a new book that couldn't be bought anywhere other than the college bookstore. Almost all of the rest were bought online for much cheaper.

 

Now that we've had experience with him, I'm expecting similar for my middle son who gets even better/higher scores. Time will tell if it happens. He's looking at different schools due to his desired major and the desire to be known as "himself" and not "younger brother."

[Leanna Tomlinson]

My son is at a private Christian college and his costs were lessened a LOT by scholarships. Besides having her save, it's very worth it to concentrate on grades and knowledge for test scores as well as enjoying some extra curriculars. He "made" more there than he would have saved.

 

 

 

:iagree: Both of my dds have scholarships that reduce their tuition significantly. Spending extra time studying can do far more to reduce tuition costs than spending extra time on a minimum wage job.

 

My 2nd dd doubled her scholarship by raising her 2nd SAT score by 50 points.

 

I think the suggestion above about saving for a computer is an excellent one.

[Lori D.]

12th grade DS is taking one class (Spanish) at the local community college.

 

- 1 semester-long class = $240

- books for this 1 class = $170

(includes book, audio language CD, and required online access to class exercises that must be completed online)

- bus pass to get to/from class all semester = $40

(students who drive to campus spend much more than that for an on-campus parking permit)

 

Total = $450

[Karen in CO]

My ds is going to a private college in Tokyo. His apartment is $500 per month with utilities (he shares a 3 bedroom, 5th floor walk up with 2 other people and has neither heat nor air conditioning). He rides the train everyday for an hour and half each way at a cost of about $75 for a monthly train pass. His books were $42 for the semester. He spends about $200 per month on food since he learned to cook and shop in the Japanese grocery stores. His tuition is right now $8400 per semester (it varies with the exchange rate) or $600-$700 per credit hour. A plane ticket to come home for Christmas will be about $900 which doesn't include the $45 re-entry visa or the expensive train ticket to the airport. A day pass at the gym is $2. A traditional bath is $10. A trip to Tokyo Disney cost him $100 including train tickets. And he has to get new shoes every time he comes home because he actually walks the bottoms out of his shoes each semester.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Karen in CO

[creekland]

12th grade DS is taking one class (Spanish) at the local community college.

 

- 1 semester-long class = $240

- books for this 1 class = $170

(includes book, audio language CD, and required online access to class exercises that must be completed online)

- bus pass to get to/from class all semester = $40

(students who drive to campus spend much more than that for an on-campus parking permit)

 

Total = $450

 

Wow! I'm officially jealous! It costs us $1500 for two courses for middle son at our local cc. Books (for both, not each) cost us around $150, but we bought them off e-bay and half.com. The parking pass was just $10 - but I'd trade the latter two for your tuition cost!

[Harriet Vane]

This is wonderfully helpful. Thanks for sharing.

 

Any further information is definitely welcome.

[Michelle in AL]

I like Rieshy's goal of saving for a computer. I think the cost of college could very likely overwhelm her. I know the cost has shocked a couple of my friends with kids just entering high school.