<p>For a freshman, you do need to count tuition, room and board and a meal plan when taking cost into consideration. All freshmen have to live on campus (and sophomores have to live either on campus or in “university-approved” housing, which includes apartment complexes like U-Cross or Chestnut Square, which in some cases are closer to the heart of campus than certain dorms). Later on, students can move off campus and maybe find better deals.
As for transportation, books, personal expenses, etc. your mileage will vary as with any college. We have never spent anywhere near that estimated cost, but we live just two hours away and my daughter is good at living inexpensively.
Some co-ops will pay well; others, especially for those with majors in the arts or applied arts, may count only for college credit. This is also something to take into account.
One more thing - as sarahjudith posted twice earlier in this thread, many Drexel students receive merit aid and thus don’t pay the full tuition cost. This is the case for my daughter (and I will add that the aid has not been taken away, changed or anything else). No other private university to which she was accepted - all of them with tuition similar to Drexel’s or even higher - offered as much aid. The University of Rochester, for example, with tuition of $44,580 this year - nothing.
I think Drexel works for some families; for others, maybe it’s not the best in terms of either academic major or cost or fit. Our experience has been positive, though.</p>
<p>Drexel is notorious for giving qualified candidates at least 10,000 in merit money. My son got 12,000 last year but opted for UMD engineering. As for U of Rochester they guarantee that the price you pay as a freshman is the same price for all four years. They also have a fifth year for free with restrictions of course.</p>
<p>Yeah but even though 10K or even 15K is nice that still leaves close to 50K when other schools are bringing COA below 25K with their offerings. We will continue investigating… I really need to be convinced of its worth, especially when graduate school is also in the future</p>
<p>As a freshman you DO NOT have to live on campus.
[Housing</a> | Undergraduate Admissions | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/student-life/housing/]Housing”>http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/student-life/housing/)
“Living on campus is a big part of the college experience. Students entering as freshmen are required to live in residence halls or with a parent or guardian for their first year. During their second year, students may live in University, University-affiliated, or University-approved housing or with a parent or guardian.”</p>
<p>I’ll be living with my parents to save myself money.</p>
<p>Thank you, jyza95, for clarifying - I think I was trying to address issues of cost that had been raised on this thread and make it clear that room and board would be necessary for a freshman. What they won’t let an 18-year-old typical freshman do is live in an apartment on their own.
As I said, Drexel works for some families but maybe not for others. We live 15 minutes away from UMD and it is a fine school but didn’t fit the bill for either of my kids. Neither of mine is in engineering, so we had different considerations in play. All I’m saying is our experience with Drexel so far has been a positive one.</p>
<p>Here is a copy of our freshman’s bill. Note that it will be changing to quarterly billing next year, but the fees and basic costs will remain the same. This does not reflect scholarships and grants which bought the cost down to a very reasonable level. Race Street is suite style and one of more costly options. The blue meal plan is the best of the 3 options and the early check in fee was well worth the 35.00 to avoid the chaos and move in early. The immunization fee is ridiculous as we had that taken care here, but they charge it just to process that you are up to date. LOTS of FEES etc, but very happy with our choice of Drexel and the quality of education so far. New quarterly billing is more affordable as you don’t have to pay tuition during co-op only $290 fee and can take a course if your co-op is close to campus. </p>
<p>Tuition 43,134.99<br>
Race Street Housing Charge 9,900.00<br>
Laboratory Fee 405.00<br>
Immunization Fee 35.00<br>
General University Fee 1,715.01<br>
Early Check-in Fee 35.00<br>
Blue Meal Plan 5,685.00<br>
Activity Fee 249.99</p>
<p>@middleoftheroad - we ate in the dc area as well, just curious if ur kid is in a premed program? My D has been accepted with 15k scholarship, but we are not ure if we can still afford this school, though we liked it.</p>
<p>Is the coop program guaranteed? </p>
<p>I think students still need to apply for the position personally, and I am not sure whether attending Drexel gives students an advantage in getting the position.</p>
<p>So, you still having to struggle and compete with all other college students in a more and more competitive environment.</p>
<p>@Greyform, Drexel is a co-op school so yes they will GET a co-op in their field as it is built into the program. Depending on the major it will be required to go on either 3 or 1 co-op. Some paid, some not also depending upon the major. Graduating with a minimum of 6 months experience in your field is huge in this economy. There is an entire building/team dedicated to providing assistance through the co-op process. Not a typical summer intern program.</p>
<p>That is correct basketLady, and NEW This year up last year my son was accepted and you paid tuition for five years whether you were in class or on co-op.</p>