<p>Drexel 5 year tuition: $33k per year
3 Coops</p>
<p>Drexel 4 year tuition: $41k per year
1 Coop</p>
<p>I've seen many times people complain about Drexel's cost. There was a reply saying that you're supposed to use the co-op salaries and it becomes significantly cheaper.
The reply to that was that you have to pay an extra year. This flicked on the math switch for me.</p>
<p>Let's see.</p>
<p>$33k * 5 = $165,000
$41k * 4 = $164,000</p>
<p>They are almost the same.
Now let's subtract avg. co-op salary if you put it to tuition. $13,000 after tax, let's say.</p>
<p>You SAVE $34,000 by going for 5 years with 3 Co-Op. In other words, there is no reason not to do 3COOP unless your major doesn't offer. Do the calculations! It makes life better!</p>
<p>You lose a year. Time is money. A year working elsewhere could probably bring in more than $34,000. The co-op gives valuable experience though which may well be worth it.</p>
<p>Not everyone has enough money lying around to afford the extra $34,000.
You go 4yr 1CO-OP, you better have a hefty scholarship or rich parents.</p>
<p>Some more confounding variables for you:
-Drexel has never posted an official job placement % for recently-graduated.
-1/3rd of Drexel grads go to jobs that are back to their co-op employers.
You do 4 yr 1 co-op, you limit your shot at this.</p>
<p>So you can say you can find a job elsewhere to quickly make the money back, but it isn’t quite so generally simple as you’re making it seem. A huge number of college graduates are drowning in student loan because they can’t find work, and I’m not about to accept that it’s any different for Drexel based on hearsay and advertisement without hardcore proof. Maybe for specific majors, you would be right on the money (no pun intended), like Engineering majors.</p>
<p>You have a math error. Aside from that, I think a lot of times it’s a wash, since the student who graduates after 4 years has the possibility of a year at a JOB, which you didn’t take into account. In your scenario, the student taking 4 years spends year 5 on the couch.</p>