Wondering what’s the ballpark number for expenses in addition to tuition, room and board? Activities, trips, fund raising, etc. Just want to get a realistic sense of the total cost and get ready if daughter is indeed going to a BS.
Consider taking out tuition refund insurance. I don’t think we had expenses other than one trip my son took (with the soccer team, to Spain). And, if kids had financial aid for tuition etc, they got financial aid for the trip. Plus every student gets a $500 stipend towards travel, regardless of one’s financial situation. This was a Hotchkiss, which has a healthy endowment. One of my sons went to a boarding school with a lower endowment and that school had orders of magnitude fewer trips etc.
Sorry, probably too long. We had very few additional expenses.
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There are not-so-old threads on this that are useful…
@Altras @cinnamon1212 thank you!
You can ask the individual schools. But here are some additional expenses which you may not think of, or include when thinking of the total costs:
These will vary
Books: $600-1,000 ( perhaps more). I was surprised at how expensive STEM books in particular can be ( $200-400 per book). Not always possible to get used books in a timely manner.
Insurance for Tuition: I think it’s about $400 ( but not sure).
Computer: It’s likely your kid will need an updated computer with some power. ($300-2,500.00)
Trips: International trips often taken with languages or with sports/activity teams. Varies from $2-5K. Not mandatory, but your kid might want to go.
Laundry: Depends some are free, some cost a small amount. Maybe $100?
Sports equipment: Varies a lot, you know what you need. Some schools provide uniforms and equipment but it really depends on the sport/school.
Activity fees: $100-600.00 These can vary by school. I think most are about $500.00 ( I don’t know how these fees are used but I’d guess to keep things interesting on the weekends and keep them from asking you for money for activities).
Card Fee: Depends on your kid. Debit type cards can be used on campus for food, for the bookstore etc. They usually have a suggestion amount. They can also use this for very special activities which the class will attend ( like a musical, opera etc).
I’ve heard from my kid that kids on FA have a special fund so they can buy things like sneakers, a calculator, etc. if they need them. Don’t know how it works but on every email there is a link so kids can use this if needed.
I’d figure $1,500-2,500 to be in the general ballpark in addition to tuition.
@Happytimes2001 very helpful. thank you!
Obviously every school is different but Hotchkiss gives every student a laptop their first year, irrespective of their financial aid status.
@cinnamon1212
“gives” = “included in tuition”.
(Said with a smile because I corrected my daughter more than once when she would mention many things that schools would “give” the students.)
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Very true, but to play devil’s advocate for a minute, I am sure you know the true cost of educating each student is around $100,000, so every student is subsidized to some extent by the school. . . .
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True. I think Deerfield says the cost is like 85k
Yes @cinnamon1212 – that’s an excellent point. I’m glad you brought it up because many parents may not realize that all students are on an indirect form of merit scholarship at many (if not all?) of these schools.
I was of course being a little silly because my kids love to tell me about all the free things they get in this world, like “Mom! my gymnastics meet gave us all this free leotard with the meet name on it!” Yep, free, after I was charged $195 for a meet that should have cost about forty bucks… But you are right to point out that schools are very generous. They are NOT the gymnastics meet that costs about 4X of the price it should. Indeed it’s the opposite in BS.
I am notoriously optimistic/pollyanna-ish by nature but I completely buy into the idea that the vast majority of people involved in BS education truly and deeply believe in the worthy mission of educating our youth.
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The lists sound about right. Just a few things to add:
There are school-required expenses that we get invoiced for, things we have to buy on our own, and things kiddo pays for as he goes.
Invoiced is branded clothes (Some clothes seem to just be given out, but your kid will likely want to buy some), minor health center costs like a flu shot or prescriptions, special events/travel, and whatever he buys from the campus bookstore. The school offers discounts on supplies like a backpack and sleeping bag for the outdoor program. Some Sports-related equipment. Some travel to special events - like a school organized overnight trip or concert that students can sign up for. These extra charges are more at the beginning of the year, but probably average around $100-$200/mo? It would be more if kiddo did more special activities.
For the one-off things we pay out of pocket - travel to/from for us and him (including family weekends that involve hotel rooms), some regular clothes (hiking boots), SAT prep course ($1200), and setting up the dorm room. Books every year are $400-$700. It depends on the math class and science classes - some teachers don’t use books. The language textbooks are brutal. We bought him a desktop gaming computer for Christmas last year - one that he assembled himself with his geeky friends.
Allowance - usually just for food. Sometimes he buys a birthday gift for a friend? I used to put $20/week in an account with a debit card for allowance. He rarely touched it at first. Now I just put in $300 for each trimester. Dad also slips him some cash before he heads back to school each trimester. There is very little use for cash. Kids venmo, though, to share meal costs.
Kiddo orders things (bulk snacks!) from Amazon when he needs them, which isn’t often. Now he uses his debit card/allowance for staples including clothes, unless he gets pre-approval for us to pay for something specific. Now he has his own money from a summer job, he is buying things directly that I would have paid for previously.
Long way of saying, there are more expenses freshman year, but there are bigger ticket items that pop up, depending upon your kid.
Note 1: if you qualify for need based financial aid, you child may also qualify for a loaner laptop. And a few hours of SAT prep.
Note 2: At my DC’s school, those who don’t pay tuition in one lump sum are required to pay for tuition insurance, and the insurance is based on the total tuition (2.5%, if I recall correctly).
One very important thing to remember, particularly if you’re a parent considering just barely getting by as full pay - tuition increases at 2-3% per year.
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How much does BS cost?
A lot.
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