Dorms - $8800/year and rising!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>High standard dorm costs in high cost of living states like California or metro areas like D.C. and NYC are to be expected. You are paying for all the extras that those places have to offer – internships, entertainments, etc. I have a friend in Marin county that bought a house during the Silicone Valley boom. When I said to her “do you know what you could buy in Ohio for that much $?” she replied “yeah, but then I’d have to live in Ohio.” Touche! I’m sure Tuscaloosa is very nice, but I don’t see it having the same opportunties as Boston or L.A.!</p>

<p>I checked out the current costs for other colleges that we’re looking at – in an apples to apples comparison, UA’s room and board costs for STANDARD dorms are in line with other schools, but the other schools offer the lower cost HONORS housing; and since the majority seem to be standard rooms, they may not run the risk of running out and leaving one stuck with the higher cost option. I need to look further into the off campus options for the other schools, so he knows the four year cost if on-campus housing isn’t guaranteed.</p>

<p>From what I’m reading here, it sounds like the super suites are a huge draw, which is probably why the university is continuing to build them. Also, if you’re coming from CA, it probably looks like a steal! As long as there are parents willing to pay/cosign loans, then it makes sense for them to keep going down that path. Of course the kids are going to love them, but the kids don’t typically think of it in terms of opportunity costs. I’m a very economical person, and I’m always giving my kids lessons in needs vs. wants and how to make choices when you have limited resources. I consider the supersuites a luxury, so my son will have to determine if he feels the debt will be worth it, or if that money would be better spent elsewhere. I imagine he’s going to have to make a lot of tough choices next April. He qualifies for the full ride at UA-Huntsville, but there are definitely some trade-offs that need to be considered.</p>

<p>Beth’s mom, most of the schools he’s apply to are rolling admissions or some sort of EA. I’ll have to check out their policies so we know what we’ll be dealing with. The 3/1 deposit deadline sounds good - can’t drop $225 on all of them!</p>

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<p>I don’t know how Michigan schools compare to other states but UA’s room and board costs are higher (by about $3000) while tuition is significantly less (anywhere from $3000-$9000) when compared to the top MI universities (MSU, U of M, MI Tech.)</p>