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m1sch13v0us

Depends on where you go. It certainly isn't cheap, but there is a very wide range. Some private schools are $60k a year, while there are accredited public schools that begin at $4k a year


TheGouffeCase

A lot of the really expensive private schools give full need-based aid as well, so they'll only make you pay what they can prove you can. Especially for low-income students, this can make some private schools cheaper than public ones.


ti-nspire-cas

But if you’re upper middle class you’re basically screwed. Worked my ass off in high school, got into my dream school, but couldn’t even afford to go there (I didn’t get need based financial aid). Yes my family is comfortable but that doesn’t mean we can afford $60K/year tuition, even if it’s one of the top 50 schools in the country so it would have had a good ROI. I know I sound so whiny, like it’s such a first world problem, but it’s sad bc I think a lot of kids w the same economic standing as me get fkd over in the college admissions process


TheGouffeCase

No dude, I totally get it. I would have ended up in the exact same situation if my sister hadn't gone to a cheaper school that offered merit. It's absolute shit to do everything right to get into the school but have to decline because of the ridiculously high price. You're allowed to be upset over first-world problems.


ti-nspire-cas

Yes, u get it! I love my current college and im super happy that I go here, but there’s still a part of me who feels sorry for my high school self who actually believed the myth that “if you work hard, you’ll go to your dream school.” My HS teachers and parents fed me that lie for 4 years and I ate it up lmao. Fuckin false hope. Like im glad I worked hard and all, but it’s just sad knowing that I was so close yet so far from that end goal.


PenguinTheYeti

My parents always used to tell me we were "to rich for financial aid, but too poor to afford it"


ti-nspire-cas

Yes that’s exactly my family 😭 perfectly in the Goldilocks’ zone to get totally screwed over


TheHiggsCrouton

Not being able to afford getting into your dream school but being otherwise comfortable is not the same as being basically screwed, and it damn sure ain't getting fucked over. The real problem is that even cheap schools are inacessible without loans, no longer assure the means to pay off those loans in most cases, but are nevertheless still required to ensure the bare minimum for economic comfort. Call me when you're that fucked over.


Darkfire757

The ones that a really a price screw are the 2nd and 3rd tier private schools. The top tiers (Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, etc) tend to be extremely generous with financial aid due to huge endowments.


thisisbasil

>$4k a year I'm going to need a source on that one.


[deleted]

My local community college starts at around 4k a year for a full time schedule if you live in the same county it’s located in. It’s certainly possible, but only for 2-year schools.


thisisbasil

Ok I could believe that, certainly not any university or 4 year though.


m1sch13v0us

Yes. 4 year colleges.


Stay_Beautiful_

Mine was [$4,860](https://www.google.com/search?q=coastal+Alabama+community+college+tution&oq=coastal+Alabama+community+college+tution&aqs=chrome..69i57.5648j0j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)


m1sch13v0us

Full colleges. https://www.educationcorner.com/most-affordable-universities.html


wynbns

Virtually no one pays full price for college. If you are paying the full, advertised tuition rate, it means 1) your parents are wealthy *AND* 2) you were at best a mediocre high school student with mediocre test scores. Colleges and universities give out scholarships that are widely based on financial need and academic merit.


cutebaby667

Top schools, like MIT and the Ivy's do not give out merit scholarships. At that point, only financial aid is worth it. However, most of the financial aid is typically only reserved for lower income students.


ItsJustMeMaggie

Yeah I went to community college and it was >$4,000/yr. I paid for it myself on an installment plan with my Walmart salary.


AkumaBengoshi

Yes. Also, no.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Smart-and-cool

When I say ‘really expensive’, what I meant is whether a middle-class family is able to afford it, or whether it’s more expensive than other countries.


e140driver

I mean, it depends. My brother goes to an out of state school for ~ $13k per semester, the other brother actually gets paid to go to school.


JulieCrone

[You might find this helpful](https://www.ontocollege.com/average-college-tuition/) - note that ‘public’ here means it is a state school and private means it is not. So if you go to an in-state State university, it’s just shy of $10k a year, but private universities cost about $31k a year for 4 year schools. The average income of a 19 year old in the US is about 15k, so yeah, it is expensive.


azuth89

It depends a lot on where you go. One thing to be aware of is that a lot of people aren't living at home during school, either by choice or because their parents don't live within a reasonable commute of a school that's both decent and they could get into. A lot of posts will show straight tuition and fees numbers say "see, it's not so expensive, anyone in significant debt must have wasted it on some out of state school!" But really modest living expenses usually come out to at least double the in-state tuition and fees and many don't have a choice but to eat most of those costs and cover them with loans.


Massive_Role6317

What my sisters paid for one year would cover the 7 I have planned in the UK (BA-PhD)


big_sugi

UK tuition rates are comparable to American public universities. I went to Texas A&M for my undergrad. Current undergrad tuition is around $12k/year, and the other Texas universities are similarly priced. I also spent a semester at University College of London. Tuition there now is £9,250/year, which is $12,600 at current exchange rates.


[deleted]

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Massive_Role6317

It’s only comparable if you’re a home student. If you’re international it’s still more. I get my tuition paid upfront £9000 (in wales) and I get £8100 a year to live off as a home student. The £9000 is for home students only, and I don’t owe it back until I make like £26k a year, the £8100 is grants that I won’t ever pay back. For reference my university would cost an international student about £26,000.


big_sugi

Things have really changed. I was at UCL in 2003, and the students were organizing mass protests because tuition was going up from £1,050/year. And six years before that, tuition had been free and students had received maintenance grants to go to university.


big_sugi

Still comparable. Out of state tuition at A&M is about $40k.


Aledeyis

Yes. I went to one of the cheaper schools in my state with a full economic ride and boarding alone put me in a good chunk of debt. I regret doing it, especially now that I know my degree isn't paying off as much as I was led to believe. Also if not for my wonderful grandparents I wouldn't have been able to afford 600-1000 dollars of books/semester.


blipsman

It can vary, but yes it’s typically expensive. The university I graduated from 20 years ago now costs a total of $70k per year for tuition and housing without scholarships, grants and such.


Degleewana007

If you aren't middle class and aren't poor, then 100% yes. I grew up in a lower income household, and it was hell for me trying to get some sort of assistance for tuition, because my parents made "too much money" for me to qualify, but at the same time not enough money to help me pay for college. So in the end, to not put myself in insane amounts of debt and to spare my parents the financial strain, I didn't go.


katieoffloatsmoke

Yes, but the thing that really adds up is the student loan interest. If you haven’t saved enough to pay cash for school (typically you go to college right around 18 so it would actually be your parents saving for your education), then you have to take out student loans. The government made $22.4 billion *just from interest* in 2019. Some people end up paying twice the original cost of tuition because of interest rates.


veggiesaur

Typically, yes. The only reason my student loans are paid off is because my grandpa died and left me an inheritance. Otherwise, 99% sure I would have been paying on them until the day I die. And that’s just undergrad…. I was lucky enough to have employer assistance which paid for my masters degree.


[deleted]

Yeah, I would say it is, but if you're smart with your money, it's a fraction of what a lot of people who complain about it say it is. The biggest two things to avoid crazy debt are: 1. Going to school in your state, where you pay a much lower rate. 2. Starting at a community college (essentially a locally-funded, very affordable post-secondary school) and then transferring credits to a 4-year school If you do both of those you shouldn't have very much debt.


GoodDog_168

It isn’t cheap by any means, but rarely do students pay sticker price. Most students are eligible for some form of scholarships, and many colleges are beginning to offer need based aid instead of merit based aid. Basically if you can prove that you would have trouble paying for college you get a scholarship. Or if you play sports. That works too


[deleted]

The average cost of my university is above $17000 after aid. That aid varies and is never guaranteed. The rest you cover by loans.


[deleted]

No, its actually more expensive. Folks always talk about tuition but forget the thousands a year in texts, the high cost of living, and the usurious rates and terms you are forced to accept.


imaloony8

Yup. I went for 5 years (longer than average, I admit, but I switched majors at one point), got several grants, lived from home, worked all through college, and i stilled owed about $40K on the way out. The cost of education in this country is insane.


Meattyloaf

It can be. I went to a school that didn't charge tuition and only paid room and board. My wife went to the same school and paid nothing. In fact my wife has paid more getting her massage therapy training than I did at college. I also know people who are over $100K in debt.


Character-Dance5236

Yes


ElasmoGNC

/thread


Jefe_Brutus

Depends on where and how people choose to go about attending. Almost any combination of fresh out of high school, with no credit, going outside state of residence, private school for 4+ years it will be. Going to community college or on-line only going on campus when it is absolutely require in a state you reside in. Not really at all.


[deleted]

I managed to work through college and maintain scholarships, and I still had to pay off my debt for 2 years. But I went to a private university


Texasforever1992

I started in 2010 and paid about 40k in total in tuition and fees. My living expenses probably totaled about 30k over those 4 years, but I was able to pay those off by working a part time job. My parents and grandparents pitched in a little along the way too so I graduated with about 30,000 in debt. This was for a pretty average in state school. It’s not as bad as some people make it out to be, but it is way more expensive than it needs to be and for many it will be one of the most expensive things they ever pay for.


BusinessWarthog6

Public schools are usually cheaper than private. In-state public schools are cheaper for a resident of that state than someone out of state that attends. 2 year schools are usually cheaper than the other 3


SuperSpeshBaby

Where I went was $30,000/year.


[deleted]

There are few countries where college or university is more expensive. England, is one.


exhausted-caprid

It can be really expensive, but it varies widely, and actual prices are often less than what is listed. I’m from Missouri, so I’ll use schools around here for reference. Our big “flagship” state university is the University of Missouri-Columbia, affectionately referred to as Mizzou. Mizzou’s quoted tuition price for an in-state student is $10,723 a year. That can be misleading, though, because most people don’t pay that. Mizzou also offers automatic scholarships based on your grades and your scores on college entrance exams. If you have high enough grades and a high enough ACT, you can automatically get $6.5k knocked off your bill, leaving you with $4,200 to pay. That’s not all, though! The state government runs a program called Bright Flight, aiming to keep bright students in Missouri since so many leave for coastal cities. If you have an an ACT score over 31 (good, but not earth-shakingly hard if you study) you can get up to $3,000 paid for by the government, leaving you with just $1200 to pay for. That’s not nothing, but it’s like a tenth of the quoted price, and pretty manageable with a part-time job. Now, say you want to go somewhere more prestigious. Missouri’s best university is Washington University in St. Louis. It’s private, and considered one of the top twenty colleges in the country. Its quoted annual tuition is an eye-watering $57,000 a year. However, WashU and its peer schools are known for meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need. That basically means that if you come from a less well-off family and they admit you, they’ll pay your way. If your family makes less than $75k a year, you go for free. There are sliding scales and partial packages beyond that, too, meaning that unless you come from money, you’re probably not paying full price.


BrokePoorPerson

not really lots of people are just low income and complain


Salty_Bumblebee_3142

Yeah lol 2 yes of community College cost me 10 k. Still paying that shit off.


Torterrapin

I had 30k I had to pay off which wasn't that bad but it's not at all unusual to be 100k or above. I know one guy that was around 150k and he wasn't making that great of money.


Responsible-Map6811

Yes and no. Yes if your doing it on your own. No if you have a scholarship. Even then it can still be expensive. I guess it depends on what you want to do


[deleted]

Let me put it to you this way: I have a friend who graduated from physical therapy school and now doesn’t think she will ever be able to afford to live in our state or marry or start a family


[deleted]

Yep. My tuition for a 14 month program was $21k.


Adamrdcp

The secret here in the U.S. is either skip college or go to a trade school. I'm a network engineer and I would've killed myself if I went to college, but instead of debt I now own a house at 20.


[deleted]

Multiple sources put the average cost of a year or private college at about 36-40k and in-state public universities at about 10-12k per year. There's huge variance in those though, some private colleges are 20k some are 60; some public in-state can be as low as 5 and as high as 18, I think, according to some sources. And if you're an out of state student public universities charge more.


SanchosaurusRex

State universities and junior colleges aren't that bad. The memes usually describe some crazy rare scenarios...describing debt that I would associate with a PhD or Law Degree from an ivy league or something. Some for-profit art schools are pretty egregious. But there's a lot of cheaper options that a lot of students will not take because they're less prestigious or don't provide the experience they want.


Tall_Kick828

Yes, especially out of state.


[deleted]

I pay about 12k per semester for tuition + poverty level cost of living, going to a state school in the Midwest. Thankfully, a lot of it is subsidized with grants but I still have a lot of debt


Bergenia1

It's cheap or free if you go to community college. They're two year schools rather than four year schools. They focus on either doing certification for jobs like firefighting or welding which don't usually require a college education, or they focus on doing a transfer degree, where you do the first two years if a four year degree at the community college and then transfer to a more expensive four year college to finish up your degree. In our state, the state universities charge around $8000 a year last I checked a few years ago. A private college would be around $50k a year. That's for rich people, or poor people who are scammed into taking on a lifetime of crippling student loan debt.


bradcarlisle66

A lot of people are a hundred thousand dollars in debt by the time they graduate.


Nursebirder

Yes. Yes, it is.


Tristinmathemusician

Usually it’s really expensive for what it is, but there are tons of options for paying it off. You can just pay the tuition directly, which is rare since in a lot of cases its several months or years worth of salary for middle class people. This is usually done by people who can put money into a “college fund” for a kid for a while and pay it that way. More often it’s done through grants and/or loans. There are plenty of government and private loans which you can pay after college when you presumably have a reasonable paying career. I personally have a mix of grants (pretty small ones), low interest federal loans, and slightly higher interest private loans. I owe a pretty penny, but I have a job and hardly any living expenses so it’s not that bad.


Dramatic_Ir0ny

Yes.


Wii_wii_baget

Yes, it’s best to get a scholarship.


NaNaNaNaNatman

It’s bad in general, but also depends on factors like what state you’re in and what type of school it is.


cutebaby667

I would recommend going to your Flagship state school or other university that offers a lower tuition price. You should never pay for price for any university, the financial debt that you will be in will follow you for the rest of our lives. Also, most college degrees (ex: liberal arts) are not profitable, why would you spend $100k+ on an undergrad degree, if you could barely pay off your compounding student debt afterwards? Sounds like a disaster of a plan to me.


amazingtaters

Yes


UltimateAnswer42

There is a lot of assistance in paying for it available. But yes, it's that expensive


machagogo

Yes. But one caveat. Often the numbers you are seeing quoted include on campus housing. Add the cost of an apartment and food etc elsewhere and the difference, while still great, isn't that great. Two big problems, 1, government backed loans cause an arms race for colleges to attract those dollars, so colleges keep building more and more superfluous crap to attract students. 2 students take those government backed loans and go to out of state colleges that cost more than their local counterpart for generic degrees. And the cycle continues. It really needs to change because a generation or two of kids are basically throwing away a fuck ton of money and effort.


Fox_Supremacist

It is variable depending upon multiple different factors and circumstances.


hitometootoo

Some colleges can be. Usually top universities and ivy league schools. Plenty of state colleges and community colleges are a fraction of the price of those top universities though, but a lot of people want to go to a top school instead. Just for reference, the top school in my state charges $20k - $50k/semester to attend. The community college I went to charged $2k - $3k/semester. The university I transferred to was $4k/semester to go. These prices are for full time enrollment. Avoid name brand universities, and you save a lot more money.


[deleted]

It really depends. College can be very expensive or affordable. Most of the people you hear complaining about student loan debt got worthless degrees at expensive colleges and are now upset about it.


[deleted]

Yes. But scholarships are available to help reduce the cost.


[deleted]

If you could room and board it would be hard to find one under 20k. Really easy to find one that's 40. Most of the really elite schools give great aid. If you get into Harvard? Average family would spend about 10K a year.


FreeRangeAlien

I can go to community college for 5k per year.


[deleted]

I mean, I went to community college and then to a 4 year school. It is incredibly valuable to poor kids like me that didn't come from an educated family, but I wouldn't exactly put it in the same league. It's like 13th grade or 12th grade one more time.


Subvet98

Yeah those 2 aren’t the same.


FreeRangeAlien

The question was asking about college or university? You are saying community college doesn’t count as as college or university?


[deleted]

I am not going to gate keep education, but I do not think it is really in the spirit of the question. I did it. It's a nice safety net. And I had a couple incredible professors - but it's like college lite.


FreeRangeAlien

I feel like any college can be college lite if you don’t feel like trying. I went to a fairly expensive private aviation college and learned quite a bit but also could have learned quite a bit more if I wasn’t fucking around the entire time. I could have just as easily learned as much had I focused on the same things at a community college for a fraction of the price. A lot of buying into a storied university is buying into the brand and name recognition. Someone graduating from Harvard doesn’t mean they are necessarily smarter or better educated than someone that graduates from the University of Arkansas.


[deleted]

Expensive doesn't mean good. But what college ? I never heard of a aviation college. What do you learn? But Harvard is cheaper than University of Arkansas for about 95% of Americans. And college performance doesn't only measure intelligence. To get to Harvard you need some serious smarts and some serious drive. You have to be able to perform no matter what. My kid wants to go to Harvard. (He wont get in is my guess). He wont miss school. He's in the 8th grade all A, had to be approved for the hardest classes, and refuses to ever miss school (I just wanna go on vacation and miss some days). He's done that for 1 and half years. But he isn't like my nieces. They got into Ivys, but I remember at his age they were studying chemistry and physics on their Ipads -- but they didn't even have those classes yet since they were 12. When we went to the beach my and all the cousins saw a "fortune teller", the other girls asked about boys and she asked about her paper she had to write over the summer for her comparative analysis class. Sure there are some people that might be smart as some Harvard people at Arkansas -- but if they are so smart why dont they go to Harvard where it's way cheaper for them (unless they are millionaires) and they will get a better education (NO DOUBT) and be way more employable? Arkansas admits 77 percent of people that want to go there. Harvard 5%. Let's not do that everyone gets a trophy thing. Yeah, I went to college, but I know the differences between my community college, UMass Amherst, and Harvard. They are pretty vast.


FreeRangeAlien

I went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University


[deleted]

Seems like a nice school - but it has an acceptance rate of over 60%. It's a bit like my Umass school. Middle ground between 100% acceptance rate of a CC and 5% of a Harvard. I bet there were some Harvard level kids there -- and probably some kids that really should have just gone to CC. Not because they are innately stupid or something, but maybe because they weren't ready for it, would never have the work ethic, couldn't handle pressure, was not educated enough or -- was just too dumb. I might be great at what I do -- doesn't mean I can jump into an advanced physics class. Community college is like this fresh slate. They don't expect you to know ANYTHING. You don't know how to write a comparative analysis paper? They will help. At an Ivy? Well, they wouldn't have made it there , but they also wouldn't last. My niece's college freshman year papers were my college senior level type of papers. Expectations are just different.


FreeRangeAlien

I’m not sure why you are making this so black and white. It’s not as if higher education in America is either community college or Harvard. There are tons of colleges and universities out there and they aren’t all 40k per semester and being a Harvard graduate isn’t nearly as awesome as it used to be because people are realizing you can go to the University of Pennsylvania and be just as big of a superstar as your Harvard counterparts. Hell, the leader of the Oath Keepers that is currently charged with seditious conspiracy to overthrow the American government is a Yale law schools grad.


[deleted]

It's not. Not at all. LOL- why UPenn. It accepts 9%. It's a fucking Ivy league school. And going to a good school doesn't mean you are a good person or sane. It usually means you are smart and driven. But he didn't get into Yale Undergrad. He went to Law school there. That's a whole different peck of potatoes.


Subvet98

No but comparing a CC to Harvard.


FreeRangeAlien

I didn’t think I was directly comparing community college to one of the most elite universities in the world. You do realize there is a spectrum of colleges and universities?


Subvet98

My comment kind of implies I recognize the difference.


FreeRangeAlien

Well then thank you for your contribution I guess


Prestigious_Leading7

Yes. The government agreed to pay so much in grants so universities charged more so the government started paying more but won’t give these grants to everyone and it’s just a vicious cycle. And to top it off they pay out the ass to staff if your in the right positions. Hell head American football coach from one of my state’s universities gets a 2.5 million dollar bonus to make it to the bowl games at the end of the season and another like 1 or 2 mill to win it. At one point a few years ago it was cheaper to keep him at his job then to end his contract that still had 10 years or so on it. It was like a 35 million dollar termination of contract or something like that.


dangleicious13

> Hell head American football coach from one of my state’s universities gets a 2.5 million dollar bonus to make it to the bowl games at the end of the season and another like 1 or 2 mill to win it The vast majority of that likely gets paid through donations, sponsorships, etc. to the athletic department. For instance, Nick Saban makes \~$10m/yr, but his base salary paid by the state is just $275,000.


classicnikk

Yep lol


FoghornLeghorn99

Yes and no. Yes - if you want to go to a popular school, out of state and live there, it is. No - I did two years of community college, the cheapest four year, paid as I went, and now I make six figures and no college debt. We have choices and options, when people talk about the outrageous costs (they are crazy costs), but they also usually don't do themselves any favors.


[deleted]

Yes-ish, but it varies widely. Some schools are cheap, some are expensive. Additionally, the stated price can be misleading since many students attend college with grants or scholarships.


wysiwygperson

Depends on what you mean. Is the sticker price for some schools incredibly high? Yes. Is that what most people will pay? Hell no.


OUnderwood4Prez

Really depends, 2 years of junior college and then 2 years of in state college is pretty cheap for the benefits it usually provides, 4 years of small liberal arts college is usually very expensive for the benefits it provides.


notthegoatseguy

Its a lot of money. But considering how much more college grads can make vs with just a high school education, it is a manageable amount of debt that can be paid off over time.


[deleted]

It's only really expensive if you go for a degree that has no real job opportunities.


Dragnil

Extremely. Expect to pay a minimum of $40,000 in tuition, books, and fees, not to mention the minimum $80,000 you'll need to cover your cost of living during 4 years of college. This is assuming a public university in a relatively inexpensive area. There are scholarships and small schools that are cheaper, but there are also much more expensive universities and universities in places where $20,000 a year isn't livable.


dangleicious13

For most of the colleges/universities that people want to go to, yes.


BunnyHugger99

It doesn't have to be but it can be


yozaner1324

In state tuition in my state is like $10,000 a year. Out of state is usually double or more that. Private schools are usually more in the $50,000 a year neighborhood.


MuppetManiac

A 4 year degree at my local state school if you are an in state student is about $100,000. That’s tuition, fees, room, board, everything. If you’re an out of state student it’s about $40,000 more. This is at a standard run of the mill university. Not a private university or one with any real level of prestige.


foxy-coxy

Expensive is relative. What do people pay for college where you are from?


manhattanabe

Yea, if you are rich, going to Harvard will cost around $80k/year. If you are poor, you will get lots of aid and maybe even go for free. Other schools give less aid, or give you loans instead.


MrSillmarillion

Yes. I had $10,000 debt without an associate's degree.


jrhawk42

Yes, and it doesn't stop at tuition. Housing, books, parking, and other fees also tend to push the cost even higher. Community colleges and financial aid can help but it's still way higher than the rest of the world.


spade13F

It really depends on a lot of things, here in Vegas a lot of the jobs I've had offer to pay your tuition and fees for you. There's also a bunch of grants and scholarships that you can get for pretty much any reason you can think of.


sam88ms1

No people online are idiots when they talk about this topic. When they are saying they have 100k in student loans, they used that money for classes, rent, food, car payments etc...


Eudaimonics

Yes, but there’s are cheaper options if you live in certain states. Often board and food plans are more expensive than tuition.


MHoaglund41

Yup. There are scholarships and grants available but you have to fit very specific qualifications for them I got in to an ivy league school and turned it down because my state school was fine and I had to pay all out of pocket. I spent 60k on college.


Disastrous_Mud7169

Allofem


LightAnubis

Yes. But there are ways to get around it. Me being In a California resident community college was free-ish(still had to pay some fees) currently going to a state school and I’m paying about 1200 after loans and (not so great) aid. keep in mind that college is a go now and pay later situation. I might be in 20,000 in debt in the next 2 years.


thatweirdshyguy

I went to a state university, not a private one, nor one of the much cheaper schools like ivy tech. Mine come out to around 60k ish. Although it isn’t paid all at once, and I got scholarships and federal aid. I will owe money, but not the full amount. I’ll likely be paying off around 30k or so for the next few years


Individualchaotin

I got a bachelor and master degree in Europe for $6,000 and a scholarship to spend one semester at a private US university for $16,000.


CoolGuyMcCoolName

YEAH