I have figured out that it is costing $85.00 a day to board ds at college.

[FaithManor]

He gets 15 meals per week on that so we are still providing money for breakfasts that he can eat in his room.

 

He is in the Science Scholars Dorm which has in house tutoring, a Ph.D. science prof as dorm director and upper classmen science majors for resident assistants. The tutoring better be darn good!

 

It is way less for eldest ds to have his little bachelor pad apartment off campus.

 

Has anyone else figured out the quantity of blood and internal organs they are selling to pay for dorms and meals?  :svengo:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I haven't. I had calculated how much we spent per hour (or day, I can't remember which) for his summer internship. That was depressing enough.

 

Edited: Just did it. If I count all of the days DS will be there from now until I pick him up for Christmas Break, we're spending $57 a day. That's for room and board.

Edited August 30, 2016 by ScoutermominIL

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Yep. Did the math. My boys are living at home and commuting. Less fun for everybody (including me, if I'm being honest), but their universities are within 15 minutes of the house so they don't miss anything. They get better and cheaper food, and more rest.

 

I didn't know that moving to a city with many universities would save us tens of thousands of dollars during the college years, but it does make up for a lot of nonsense that made me regret moving to the city, over the years...

[Luckymama]

College senior dd is living in a (nice) off-campus apartment this year. We'll be paying $35/day for her rent and the grocery money we're giving her.

 

I don't want to think about past years :eek:

[Guest]

Board price is reasonable compared to eating all meals out. Freshman dont have to live on campus at big state u, so really no complaint as choice is available. I think what bothers me more is the payment in lieu of taxes talk that is going on as the host towns try to fund their pension obligations. That cost will be passed right on to the students, both in volunteer hours and in cash, while big boxes keep their sweetheart deals and seniors age in place with 50% exemptions on the largest properties. No fair share there.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Heigh Ho

[katilac]

dd's is really reasonable, imo. She's on a mid-sized campus in a mid-sized city. 

 

Room and board, with 3 meals per day, works out to $46 a day. Really, it would be less than that, because I just figured it on 15 weeks per semester, and she is on campus a bit before and after classes start. One person per bedroom, two people per bathroom, four people per suite with common area. 

 

Looking at just the dining plan, it works out to about $5 per meal, which is a good deal. Of course I frequently make meals for a lot less at home, but for a single student in college, it works out very well. 

 

Living on campus also means no car is needed, which is another big savings. We have to go get her for breaks and whatnot, but it's well worth it when we look at the dollars. The city has a pretty good shuttle system, and we told her to be generous to those with cars, lol. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by katilac

[goldberry]

 

Has anyone else figured out the quantity of blood and internal organs they are selling to pay for dorms and meals?  :svengo:

 

DD would love to "go away".  But the dollars just don't make any sense.  In our state, room and board are more than tuition.  That is a ton of money just to have the experience of "going away".

 

 She wants to be a secondary ed teacher.... so no loans that she won't be able to pay back.  We are applying to a couple of away colleges, but unless she gets offered an awesome scholarship it just won't be happening. 

[creekland]

Has anyone else figured out the quantity of blood and internal organs they are selling to pay for dorms and meals?  :svengo:

 

Not really, because there's so much more that comes from what they get that is priceless (to us).  It's not just a bunk and food.

 

I once calculated out how much per day we spend to live here... comparing that to what we spend out camping, etc, and figured I'd better not dwell on it (just keep it in mind when calculating out retirement funds :coolgleamA: ).  And we don't live in a high COL area either...

[teachermom2834]

DS is paying about $31/day for room and unlimited meal plan. It is a good deal but the absolute cheapest room on campus. Furthest away from classes, small, common hall bathroom instead of suite. I honestly think there are only a few rooms on campus at this rate. The more standard dorms are double the cost.

[G5052]

That does seem like a lot.

 

DS will commute next year to a larger school, and we're probably going to get him a 5 meals/week plan which is about $12.00 a day. The way he eats, that's well worth it, especially because he plans to work out there between classes. I don't think I could pack a sack lunch that would satisfy him for that amount that would be easy to haul. Certainly he'll take snacks along too.

[Guest]

I gladly pay it for my three college boys. It beats the heck out of trying to keep enough groceries in the house to feed their voracious appetites! Not to mention, they need to be away. It's time for them to strike out on their own.

[MerryAtHope]

I gladly pay it for my three college boys. It beats the heck out of trying to keep enough groceries in the house to feed their voracious appetites! 

 

LOL, I have thought that I should try to calculate what it costs ME to house/feed my kids--hoping that I'll be able to then pass that amount on to them when they go away to school! (Ds is going to the local CC and then transferring, to save on costs). I know the food costs, but have wondered what other costs might decrease...

[katilac]

 I know the food costs, but have wondered what other costs might decrease...

 

My college girl isn't here to constantly leave her light on, that's got to count for something. 

[TechWife]

Room and board is $31.02 per day. No complaints, here! 

[Bluegoat]

It's not just the cost of the food, it's paying someone to cook it and do the clean-up.  Wages are expensive.

[angela in ohio]

It's hard to calculate for oldest dd. In total she is paying $19 a day to be at school. That's tuition, room, and board. It's far less than she would pay to live at home and go to school locally (she pays about $4,500 to go to a school that costs just over $63,000.) The real room and board amount would be about $70 a day.

 

For second dd, it's actually about $50 a day for room and board, but again we pay less. We are paying about $7500 of her $28,000 total bill. So tuition is free, and we cover 75% of her room and board basically.

Edited September 1, 2016 by angela in ohio

[Gwen in VA]

I find it fascinating that the numbers vary so wildly!

 

Location matters!

The combined total rent for dd's new sparkling large 2-bedroom apartment (with weight room, pool, etc.) in the South is 1/3 the rent of my son's old tiny run-down 1-bedroom apartment (with no weight room or pool or other fringe benefits) in Silicon Valley. (Really! Not exaggerating!)

 

What that kind of difference in rent translates to in college room and board I can't even imagine.......

[FaithManor]

I would be happy with $30-55 a day. Given that food and housing in that area is very low COL, I feel that $85 a day is absolutely gouging. If youngest ds ends up at the same school, we will probably buy a two bedroom cottage for them to live in and then keep as investment income or sell when the youngest graduates. At nearly $20,000 a year for two, it is a far better use of our dollars to invest. But the sad thing is losing out on the on-campus living experience. Still youngest is shy and not likely to enjoy dorms, and the other will be knee deep in heady coursework and research, department advisers already warning that in his major, no one has a social life the last two years, so it might work out for the best to get a tiny home for them.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I was incorrect in my previous post. The amount I posted was what the school charges for a single room and 15 meals a week per semester. I didn't take into account scholarships and financial aid. Once I've subtracted those we are paying $29 a day. I kinda like that figure.

[Hoggirl]

About $91 per day for room and board with 14 meals per week. We don't get financial aid. No merit $ available. The dorms are all the same price regardless of quality.

[FaithManor]

Ouch, Hoggirl! Seems to me for that price a personal chef should be on call!

 

We do not get a dime of financial aid so while his scholarships cover a good percentage of tuition, the rest of the bill really hurts.

[Myra]

Budget help needed.....

 

My son is living in a campus townhouse this year with 5 other of his buddies.  Now he just totally cancelled his meal plan and plans on cooking exclusively.  So how much should I transfer to his debit card each week to budget for those groceries?  Keep in mind that he is 6'2" and 185 lbs of solid muscle and also rows on the varsity crew team.

 

Myra 

[Hoggirl]

Ouch, Hoggirl! Seems to me for that price a personal chef should be on call!

 

We do not get a dime of financial aid so while his scholarships cover a good percentage of tuition, the rest of the bill really hurts.

Ha ha! Not *that* much higher tha your quoted $85 per day in the subject line.

 

Since he's in California, I am wondering how that impacts it.

[City Mouse]

I don't even want to know.

[Guest]

Budget help needed.....

 

My son is living in a campus townhouse this year with 5 other of his buddies. Now he just totally cancelled his meal plan and plans on cooking exclusively. So how much should I transfer to his debit card each week to budget for those groceries? Keep in mind that he is 6'2" and 185 lbs of solid muscle and also rows on the varsity crew team.

 

Myra

App 100 a week, and that includes personals and his share of cleaning products and tp. Does not include any bodybuilding supplements.

[TechWife]

Budget help needed.....

 

My son is living in a campus townhouse this year with 5 other of his buddies.  Now he just totally cancelled his meal plan and plans on cooking exclusively.  So how much should I transfer to his debit card each week to budget for those groceries?  Keep in mind that he is 6'2" and 185 lbs of solid muscle and also rows on the varsity crew team.

 

Myra 

 

What about giving him the same amount of money as the meal plan he cancelled? 

[Haiku]

Has anyone else figured out the quantity of blood and internal organs they are selling to pay for dorms and meals?  :svengo:

 

Yep. We came up with a nice round figure of $0.

 

We gave my oldest a set amount of money to pay for college. We said, "Spend it on the community college, transfer to the local State U, and live at home, and you'll graduate debt free!" Of course she chose to go to an expensive private school (to her credit, she got good scholarships), and she's had to take on debt. There is nothing prestigious about the school that she needs for her degree.

 

The younger kids have watched her agonize over debt and decided that it's not worth it to them to start life with a fancy car's worth of debt. They plan to live at home and go local. 

 

I'm 100% in agreement with that. The "rent" on a college dorm is about 300% what is costs to rent a studio apartment. That doesn't even include food. It's gouging, and it's insane.

[Mom22ns]

My kids are paying $36-37/day. Dd gets a lot more meals/week for that price, but ds gets a private bedroom and only has to share a bathroom with one other person. It's a balance. 

[TechWife]

The "rent" on a college dorm is about 300% what is costs to rent a studio apartment. That doesn't even include food. It's gouging, and it's insane.

 

Not where my son is in school. A studio apartment would run him about 25% more than his on campus, private dorm room. 

[JennSnow]

My plan..my hope is that ds will choose from a local college and he can live upstairs in our rental unit.  Sure, we'd lose the $$ each month that we'd typically get from a tenant but the max we could likely rent the apartment out for would be $800 per month and since $26 per day seems to be a good price for room and board it seems more logical to take the hit on the rental income rather than spend more on room and board at college.  Not to mention he'd be "home" but still have his own space.  Does that make sense?  Now to get my ds on board, lol!

[angela in ohio]

Not where my son is in school. A studio apartment would run him about 25% more than his on campus, private dorm room. 

 

Oldest dd's would be much more as well. The school is in a very nice neighborhood and the dorms are the only affordable place for students to live.

 

Dorms also include more than rent: all utilities, internet, (sometimes) cable, Resident Advisors, health services, etc.

[creekland]

Not where my son is in school. A studio apartment would run him about 25% more than his on campus, private dorm room. 

 

Youngest son's college has had students live off campus.  Many move back after finding out it costs more than dorm living does.  I suspect a bit depends upon location and availability of places.

[FaithManor]

Youngest son's college has had students live off campus. Many move back after finding out it costs more than dorm living does. I suspect a bit depends upon location and availability of places.

COL for each area is definitely the deciding factor. With roomate to go halfsies, each student would save close to 50%, have privacy, etc. But I can imagine many areas in which this would definitely not be true.

 

I like the idea of him in the dorms fo four years. Dh and I really enjoyed that period of life snd wouldn't trade it. But when we end up with three boys in college at one time and their scholarships cover 1/2 -3/4 of tuition and fees leaving us with a tuition balance and all room and board to be paid through just the federal subsidized loans and savings at the same time helping their sister with the last of her professional licensing so she can get a job more amenable to motherhood and her health, something is going to have to give unless we strike it rich or a money tree sprouts in the backyard.

 

Anyway, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was demonizing paying for dorms. Just a little frustrated with the burden placed on middle class families who get zero assistance, but do not have the income level commensurate with these bills.

[creekland]

COL for each area is definitely the deciding factor. With roomate to go halfsies, each student would save close to 50%, have privacy, etc. But I can imagine many areas in which this would definitely not be true.

 

I like the idea of him in the dorms fo four years. Dh and I really enjoyed that period of life snd wouldn't trade it. But when we end up with three boys in college at one time and their scholarships cover 1/2 -3/4 of tuition and fees leaving us with a tuition balance and all room and board to be paid through just the federal subsidized loans and savings at the same time helping their sister with the last of her professional licensing so she can get a job more amenable to motherhood and her health, something is going to have to give unless we strike it rich or a money tree sprouts in the backyard.

 

Anyway, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was demonizing paying for dorms. Just a little frustrated with the burden placed on middle class families who get zero assistance, but do not have the income level commensurate with these bills.

 

If any of them have the temperament to be an RA, that gives one a free room.  Middle son has done that the past three years (and loved it), but he's the only one of my three who has wanted to.  We didn't push it on the others because it takes a certain temperament.

[Jenny in Florida]

For the two years my son was on campus at the private university, he had scholarships that covered most of his tuition. We paid room and board out of pocket, which worked out to about $58 a day. That was with an unlimited food plan. We also gave him a small weekly allowance, $30, to cover non-cafeteria meals and daily expenses. So, all in, it was about $63/day.

 

It would have been significantly more for him to live off campus.

 

 

[*LC]

For my freshman, it is $8 a day for room, board, tuition, etc. It also includes unlimited tutoring and use of the gym with fitness classes if he chooses to use those services. He lives on campus; tuition, fees, food, housing are all on the same bill.

 

For my senior, it is $13 a day for her own room in an off campus apartment. She is exempt from the meal plan, because she has food allergies. It costs her the same to eat there as it would for me to feed her at home since she does not eat the same food we eat. 

 

LOL, I have thought that I should try to calculate what it costs ME to house/feed my kids--hoping that I'll be able to then pass that amount on to them when they go away to school! (Ds is going to the local CC and then transferring, to save on costs). I know the food costs, but have wondered what other costs might decrease...

 

Years ago, I consulted with a financial adviser after receiving some money that would go toward the kids' college. When I received the numbers, they looked low compared to estimates I saw seeing. When I asked about the difference, I was told they didn't include board (maybe even room/board) in the calculations, because they found the parents' living expenses went down a comparable amount. When jr lest for college, the parents' costs were less for food, water, electricity, gas, etc. In addition, any costs for the child's activities, lessons, etc., were now gone. 

 

I find it fascinating that the numbers vary so wildly!

 

Location matters!

The combined total rent for dd's new sparkling large 2-bedroom apartment (with weight room, pool, etc.) in the South is 1/3 the rent of my son's old tiny run-down 1-bedroom apartment (with no weight room or pool or other fringe benefits) in Silicon Valley. (Really! Not exaggerating!)

 

What that kind of difference in rent translates to in college room and board I can't even imagine.......

 

My silicon valley intern found that the rent for the summer, sharing a bedroom in an apartment, was more than the rent for a whole year in an college apartment two blocks off campus, with her own bedroom. 

 

 

The younger kids have watched her agonize over debt and decided that it's not worth it to them to start life with a fancy car's worth of debt. They plan to live at home and go local. 

 

 

 

 

In my son's case, it is cheaper to go away than to stay local. It cost him at least $8 to eat on campus as a DE student last year and it cost gas money also to commute. The fees alone there would be more than he pays total at his school. That is just to say one never knows how it will work for each individual. 

[Guest]

I'm 100% in agreement with that. The "rent" on a college dorm is about 300% what is costs to rent a studio apartment. That doesn't even include food. It's gouging, and it's insane.

We find the landlords are well aware of the dorm contract price, and make the rent about 500 a year under. The surprise was that there was only a 50 dollar a month difference between a dump with on street parking and a modern townhouse with off street parking. In my day, the dump would go for far less, but then property tax was substantially lower. Very few studios or rooms available, its more 2 and 4 bedrooms in apts.

 

Friend that attends Fashion Inst. Of Tech is quite happy with the dorm fee. Cant find a rental for that low of a price without a long, long commute.

 

All depends on location.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Heigh Ho

[Haiku]

In my son's case, it is cheaper to go away than to stay local. It cost him at least $8 to eat on campus as a DE student last year and it cost gas money also to commute. The fees alone there would be more than he pays total at his school. That is just to say one never knows how it will work for each individual. 

 

Yes, different people will certainly have different circumstances. Luckily we have a good state university and a good community college right here in our city that have inexpensive tuition and the programs my kids want to study.

[Hoggirl]

If any of them have the temperament to be an RA, that gives one a free room. Middle son has done that the past three years (and loved it), but he's the only one of my three who has wanted to. We didn't push it on the others because it takes a certain temperament.

My ds applied, but he didn't get an RA position. :( Interestingly, at his school, one gets paid and the housing continues to get billed. At least, this is how I think it works.

[FaithManor]

Same for our ds. It is a salary and the salary doesn't fully cover room and board.

 

Back in my say, it was free room and board plus $200 a month stipend and a small budget to organize fun activities for the floor.

[creekland]

My ds applied, but he didn't get an RA position. :( Interestingly, at his school, one gets paid and the housing continues to get billed. At least, this is how I think it works.

 

Technically it's this way at my guy's school too - except if the bill is high enough, the payment goes directly to the semester bill.  The amount is exactly the cost of the room (not board).  If one didn't owe anything for whatever reason, they would get the money paid to them.

 

With my guy getting free tuition this year (due to Take 5), and a free room (RA), the overall cost is really low - just a food plan and a handful of fees (health services, etc).

 

Of course, we still have our share of the bill for my other guy.  :tongue_smilie:

[Heather in VA]

I hadn't but this compelled me to do it. For 16 weeks x 7 days a week I came up with $49/day for room and board. She's a freshman so she is required to be on the most expensive meal plan which allows for unlimited food.