“That said, I would never pay out-of-state tuition for any public university in the country.”
I would if there was some merit attached to it. For example, D20 will likely apply to one OOS college that could give her some merit that would make her COA in line with the UCs and direct admit into their business school. The bottom line is there are many factors that come into play that would make paying OOS an option for certain applicants.
I absolutely know many families who pay out-of-state tuition and/or receive awesome scholarships, and it works out great for them and their kids. My kids received large merit scholarship offers from public universities across the country, and they chose to focus on in-state for a variety of reasons. Plus they ended up receiving merit scholarships from their CA public universities, so it did work out for them and they were able to pay their way without any debt through these scholarships, grants, and working multiple jobs. Each student and family decides what works best for them.
@Fish125
Well said.
@JBSeattle - I’d really recommend when processing the costs for out-of-state tuition to include a “life continues to happen” expense category for travel expenses. Kids can be hospitalized for emergency illnesses, they can suffer a horrible accident, and dear family members can get a bad diagnosis and/or die. Lots of variables can happen which can mean a quick plane ride home or a parent needing to go to the university. One of my kids had over 10 friends, several were very dear friends, die in 2 years. One had been her buddy since preschool. Only one died from an illness, the rest from horrible accidents and suicide. Plus, her second mom also died. It was a long two years, and there were trips home for funerals or just to grieve around loved ones, as well as trips for us to go to LA for the day to check in on her and how she was dealing with so much loss. Most students won’t experience what my oldest experienced, but it is something we all have to think about when planning for college expenses.
@Fish125
You said it in a different way, but my wife and I had this same conversation tonight. My D now has lots of choices. We need to visit a few and let her make the decision but give a lot of guidance. I am giving her the opportunity to graduate with some money plus whatever she can earn.