<p>Something…good that you are thinking of all of this now. Check the threads with stick pins above. One has colleges that cost less than $25,000. Another has schools with guaranteed merit aid (there is a link on that thread to the up to date list…well worth checking). </p>
<p>When you start to craft your application list, keep finances in mind, and find at least two affordable schools that you like.</p>
<p>And…run the net price calculators for each college. They will give you a decent estimate of your net cost to attend. BUT if your parents are divorced, own a business, are self employed, or have real estate in addition to your primary residence, the NPC might not be accurate. Also…wait until at least September to do the NPCs as they will be updated for the 2015-2016 year.</p>
<p>@thumper1 Thank you! I’m already making a list of all the colleges I want to apply to and how much the deposits and average tuition fees and dorms will come out to be. </p>
<p>Something…unless my memory is failing…the deposits we sent for our kids were actually applied to the costs. So the admissions deposit was applied to the tuition/fees, and the housing deposit was applied to the housing costs. Your deposits are NOT additional costs…they just have to be paid to secure your enrollment spot.</p>
<p>@dyiu13 Thank you! Hahaha. I did a lot of Googling and just couldn’t find the answers I was looking for. Apparently I still need to do more research. :/</p>
<p>Something…you are completely misunderstanding my post 23. What I am saying is your deposit is put towards your costs. I said NOTHING about how you pay anything. Where did you see that??</p>
<p>Regarding payment…now that you are asking. Many schools have a payment plan whereby you can set up monthly payments for 10 months, or 11 months or 12 months. The college payments YOU have to pay out of pocket (you would subtract the amount you have to pay from the cost of attendance when you set up the plan).</p>
<p>One question…were you perhaps referring to application fees, not deposits? You WILL have to pay application fees to apply to most schools…unless you are very low income and are eligible for waivers (it does not sound like this is the case for you). In addition, if the schools require the CSSProfile, you will have to pay to submit that. AND you will have to pay to submit your SAT or ACT scores.</p>
<p>When you decide on which college to attend, you will need to put down a deposit to reserve your spot at that school. This will be several hundred dollars or more. Then that money paid will be subtracted from your total fall bill. </p>
<p>Definitely find out if you are eligible for application fee waivers. College apps can run from 30 to 100 each. </p>
<p>If you can trust your mother not to spend your money, set up a bank account with both of your names on it. Colleges expect 20% of a students assets, but only 5.6% of a parent’s. </p>
<p>Get your FAFSA done as early in January as possible, even if you need to use estimated earnings. There is some Financial Aid that goes first come, first served. When it’s gone, the later FAFSA folks are out of luck.</p>
<p>Take your ACT or SAT as early as possible in case you need to retake. Make sure you note all scholarship deadlines at the schools you apply to. Some are much earlier than application deadlines. </p>
<p>I don’t know if this is common, but I’m two for two. Both schools my daughters are going to hold the housing deposit as a security deposit - it is not applied to the bill. At one school, I paid $500 and $300 was credited to the first semester bill, but the other $200 I won’t see until she moves off campus, which may be 4 years.</p>
<p>Second child I believe I paid $200 for, and only $100 is credited on the bill this year. The housing deposit is again the security deposit.</p>
<p>When you decide to attend a college, you will be asked for an enrollment deposit and a housing deposit. </p>
<p>Here is an example. </p>
<p>You might be asked for a $300 enrollment deposit to secure your spot. In many cases, that $300 will be credited to your account. So say your tuition cost for fall was $10,000, you would have a balance of. $9700 left to pay. The $300 deposit would cover the remaining amount.</p>
<p>Then you might be asked for a $300 HOUSING deposit too. If your housing costs $10,000 (room and board), again, you would have a $9700 balance to pay for your housing.</p>
<p>The tuition and fees on the website would be the total cost of tuition and fees only…and would be a LOT more than your enrollment deposit. </p>
<p>Your total cost of attendance, if you are living on campus, would be tuition, fees, room, board, books and personal expenses.</p>
<p>Is this clear to you? What aim I saying that is confusing you so much?</p>
<p>You can set up a payment plan with most schools where you pay anything remaining AFTER your loans, scholarships, grants and all are paid, but if that is the case, you will not be getting a ‘refund’ check from the school for the overage. You cannot have a balance owed to the university and get a refund with an agreement to pay monthly - that they won’t do.</p>
<p>Say your tuition, room, board, fees, insurance is $20k, and you have $15,000k in loans, scholarships, etc. You can arrange to pay the $5000 over the semester/year. If on the other hand you have $25,000 in scholarships, loans, grants, the school will apply the first $20,000 to your bill and rebate the $5000 to you. Usually this is done by the semester, so you’d get half the first semester and half the second.</p>
<p>I think you are asking if you must pay it all at once, and the answer is no, you pay by the term (semester/quarter/summer) but your financial aid is also split, unless it is an outside scholarship which is handled however the grantor directs (paid to you, paid to the college per semester, etc). When planning, you need to know that first semester will most likely cost you more because of some one time fees, some books that might be used for more than one semester, your computer, dorm items, etc. You need some funds as a start up fund.</p>
<p>@thumper1 OMG. I’m so stupid. 8-| I actually understand it now!!! I promise. I’m sorry I made you tell me the EXACT same thing so many times. But I appreciate it SO MUCH!!! Thank you!!!</p>
<p>@twoinanddone Thank you!! I was scared for a second I would have to pay so much at once. Most the money I get from work will go into savings so I can pay for personal expenses. My mom already told me my graduation present was going to be a laptop, but I don’t NEED the Mac Book, I can just hope I have enough scholarships to get a refund check. But in all honesty if I do have leftover I will most likely save up in case if something doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>My D has scholarship funds that will cover her tuition, fees, books and housing, although the money for housing is enough only for the first year. She can use her school ID to purchase or rent textbooks at the campus bookstore. The cost of those books is charged to her school bursar’s account. After tuition and fees are paid, the bursar’s office will pay the bookstore for the books. D will get what is left over to pay room and board. We filled out paperwork and had to provide evidence of all scholarship money to the the dorm in order to have her monthly rent deferred until the leftover scholarship money is released to D which will be via a direct deposit to her bank account at the end of August. In the meantime I have to write a check for $250 to the dorm by August 1st. That money will be applied towards D’s first month’s dorm rent. That $250 is all I’ve had to pay so far. D’s orientation fee was charged to her bursar’s account, as will the parking pass she will have to purchase in a few days. Aside from costs for dorm room bedding and all of the things needed for the dorm room, all I’ve had to pay out of pocket thus far is $250.00. Since each school is different, YMMV.</p>
<p>On a side note, textbooks will more than likely be rented online at a huge savings, so buying books will be another out of pocket expense, but I will get reimbursed when D’s leftover scholarship funds are dispersed to her. D’s scholarship money will go a lot farther this way vs buying books on campus.</p>
<p>If you wait for leftover scholarship money to buy a Macbook, make sure you have computer access until those funds get released which will be two or three weeks after school starts. Also, make sure you take your ACT ASAP. Most school scholarship deadlines are December 1st. You may need to take the test more than once. If you get a job with Sears, apply for a Sears Scholarship if you are going to major in business or marketing and belong to your school’s DECA club. </p>
<p>@icuinNm I’m majoring in English. Also what does my D mean? I see it a lot on the site and thought it meant daughter but then I saw someone using DD… But yes! My mother has already told me my graduation present will be a laptop. I wanted a car but she’s just going to give me her mini van and let me take that… Hooray. But a car is a car nonetheless. And I plan on taking the ACT twice. I plan to send all applications by December 1st, except one that I will send in November for honors college application, but it’s to my safety school. I’m already prepping as much as I can. But thank you! By far the best help I’ve gotten so far. My job interview is Friday, hope I get it!</p>
I’m already making a list of all the colleges I want to apply to and how much the deposits and average tuition fees and dorms will come out to be. </p>
But I appreciate it SO MUCH!!! 
Also what does my D mean? I see it a lot on the site and thought it meant daughter but then I saw someone using DD… But yes! My mother has already told me my graduation present will be a laptop. I wanted a car but she’s just going to give me her mini van and let me take that… Hooray. But a car is a car nonetheless. And I plan on taking the ACT twice. I plan to send all applications by December 1st, except one that I will send in November for honors college application, but it’s to my safety school. I’m already prepping as much as I can. But thank you! By far the best help I’ve gotten so far.