Hello, I am a senior in high school in Charlotte, NC. Recently I was just accepted into Clemson University for the Summer of 2019 even though I applied for the fall. This means that I would have to complete 2 courses in the summer at the university and spend my entire summer doing that in order to be admitted fully for the fall. While I don’t have a problem with this, I simply cannot afford it. It costs $11,000 extra in addition to the $50,000 a year for attending the school. Anyone else think it is ridiculous that Clemson can do this to their students? This is literally exploiting students for their money, I would not be opposed to doing those two classes at a community college or at a local state school but I just cannot afford to go to Clemson in the summer especially since it is more than $50,000 a year. What should I do?
Thanks,
Also, does anyone have any tips of receiving in state tuition after one or even two years of attending the university? I really need to find out a way to attend my dream school. I live in Charlotte, NC.
This might sound unrealistic, but if you are from Charlotte- your best best for instate is for your parents to move ten minutes over the border. It takes a year to establish- they need to file income taxes, buy a house, register their cars, etc. So…if your family moves this summer, you can get instate by your sophomore year.
Do you have any AP credits or Dual Enrollment classes already completed? I would call the admissions office and explain your situation.
The only problem with that is that my brother is going to NC State and same with my sister, so they would not be able to have in state tuition anymore.
I only have 3 credits according to the Clemson website. I got a 4 on the AP Psych exam.
I would definitely call the admissions office and explain the situation. Your suggestion of taking classes at a local community college or state school make sense. I would also emphasize (if its true) that your family’s plan to afford Clemson included you working this summer. Good luck
So here is an idea for you. A semester at Clemson in fall or spring is a flat rate if you take between 12-21 credit hours (don’t quote me on that upper limit, but you can research it). Most major schedules have you taking between 14-16 credit hours per semester. If you are a hard worker, you could consider accelerating through some of your classes by taking 18-19ish hours per semester, thereby allowing you to potentially graduate a semester early. This could “even it up” with your summer fees. This may prevent you from adding any minors to your program, but it’s do-able. Not easy, but do-able. Just an idea!
@amxn15, You could move in with relatives or friends that are in state. You’ll be at Clemson for 8-9 months of the year anyways, and you’d just be living with that relative for 3 months next year. Then, change your ID from NC to SC to help establish your change of residency, and once you finish freshman year, you can move into an apartment near Clemson and keep your residency in SC. I know that Clemson requires all freshmen to either commute or live on campus, but beyond that you can live off-campus. In fact, when I was looking at apartments in the Clemson area because my daughter had strongly considered Clemson, there were some cheap apartments for rent, and I’m talking about newer apartments too. The rent is cheaper because Clemson isn’t next to a large city, it’s actually at the foothills of the blue ridge.
If you’re looking at it from your current standpoint, you mentioned $50k per year for 4 yrs plus $11k for Summer totaling $211k. If you are proactive on this issue, and adjust, then that first year might pull you back $61k, but the remaining 3 years could cost less than $75k and you’d end up with only $136k for the entire 4 years. I guess what I’m saying is if that’s your dream school, then be optimistic. Even if you don’t have friends or relatives on the SC side, you can still move off campus bear Clemson and shave off $25k per year in your final 2 years there.
Oh, and to get those numbers, I’m using Clemson’s tuition of about $16k plus $8k total if you were to live off campus. Dining would include a lot of ramen noodles, but it’s a sacrifice I would have been willing to make to go to a dream school. And I am disappointed that a college education at a great school costs so much now a days especially considering that some of these great schools are public universities.
My daughter is in the same boat regarding summer admission. Very confusing when she was a direct admit to USC Business, IU Kelley and Miami U Farmer and Alabama business school. She really likes Clemson but this just seems like a bit of an out of state money grab.
Couple of things–
- Clemson has a regular year program for people on the bubble. Not sure if you would want to see about this option..
- I asked about this very subject of instate for D, and they said you could get status when you're a junior (on your own) that's post 1 year mandatory in dorm and 1 year establishing residency.
@hicksychicks what major did your daughter apply to and what were her stats? I’m nervous I’m going to be in the same position
Business
3.9 UW GPA
28 ACT
(could be they felt ACT too low?)
Did you get into NCSU? It’s a great school and very affordable in state.
When I went to Clemson’s admissions session they mentioned how it was actually very easy to transfer into Clemson. You could call and ask if you could be considered for Bridge program… or you could ask if they would consider admitting you for the Fall if you take some classes at your local community college or you could just ask if they would consider a Spring offer? I think keeping the conversation open is important. Remember a ton of these kids who got accepted aren’t even going to attend. If you stay on their radar you may find some other avenue opening up as they get past the May deadline. Just show you are committed. I wouldn’t make a decision yet until you really know all the cards are on the table.
I was deferred from NC State.
What do you mean by regular year program for people on the bubble?
It’s the Bridges program-i couldn’t remember the name.
I don’t want to have to go to a community college near Clemson and do classes, I think that is pretty pointless. I just can’t afford to do the summer classes, I think that is ridiculous.
What other schools were you accepted to?