<p>Something else to watch for. UM put a 700.00 charge on our first bill for health insurance. (Actually not a bad price for the coverage they were issuing) but because the boy was still covered under our family policy they took the charge off. My beef is parking fees.....outlandish to say the least!</p>
<p>As others have asked, why highlight just tuition? The colleges can play games with the money once it is collected, charging lower tuition to look more affordable (well, OK, less expensive) and raise other fees. </p>
<p>Example: My D attends Kenyon. Tuition this year is 31,260 (which happens to be 910 less than the figure listed that put it at #3, so I don't know how valid the rest of the numbers are). At Kenyon most students live on campus. My daughter pays 2,790 for board and 2,480 for her double or 5,270 for both. The only other mandatory charges are a health fee and a student activities fee. The total is 37,440.</p>
<p>I looked at NYU, just to pick a very different setting, and tuition is 30,095 or 165 less, but the website says that room and board for a student living on campus is 11,390. For someone living off campus they give an even higher estimate of 11,500. For a student living on campus the room, board and tuition alone is 41,485 before other fees.</p>
<p>If someone wants to compare the costs of colleges then the comparison should take a more global perspective.</p>
<p>Other comparisons: Middlebury tuition, room, board, mandatory fees = 40,400, USC 39,650, Rice 29,586.</p>
<p>2dsdad, you're correct that more than just tuition should be considered, but the list DOES state the most expensive colleges counting tuition only. My complaint, as I mentioned earlier, is that even THAT portion is not listed accurately. I have my D's NYU tuition bill sitting in front of me and it's $33,030. So why is it not on the list? Even the lowest NYU figure should be there. The figure you've indicated is probably an average or it's for a particular NYU college (the one my D attends is the highest, of course!) The housing fees differ, too, depending on what type of dorm you get. They can range from $7,000 - $16,000. For her freshman year, with everything combined, the cost is in the $46,000 range (and likely to climb each year).</p>
<p>mediocrites, sorry I didn't see your post before replying previously. Of course, things are going to cost more in the city but NYU is not even on the list! That's why I'm skeptical about accepting this information on the list, at all. Tuition is high at NYU in addition to everything else. Housing is guaranteed for four years for NYU students. A very small percentage do not take advantage of that.</p>
<p>Two colleges I pay attention to ;) are Wellesley and Kenyon. Wellesley is in a place where the cost of living is a killer---and it's not on the list. Kenyon is out in the middle of a corn field---and it is.</p>
<p>I wouldn't be too quick to make assumptions about such lists. Are you really going to favor one school over another if one costs a huge pile of money and the other a little more or less?</p>
<p>so what's wrong with that. It you have talent and need the money- you get $. If you don't need the $, then you should pay. Schools are also a business. Getting successful kids and successful graduates mean that in the long run everyone wins.</p>
<p>Some of the top schools like GW are high in Room and board as well. In general the schools in the NE tend to be the most expensive that way. But I can tell you that one thing to watch is whether room is even available for all 4 years, because that can not only be expensive but a pain in the neck if the kid needs to go look for an apartment off campus. It's one thing if it is his idea, and a bunch of them decide to do it and find a reasonable arrangement, but I know lot of families cursing the BC third year when the student is basically dumped onto the Boston housing market. The same with Johns Hopkins where there simply is not enough university housing for everyone. Also some schools do have sufficient housing for everyone but it could be quite a distance from the school which can also be a pain. So room can become an important issue.</p>
<p>It is incredible to me how quickly the cost is accelerating. 10 years ago, I did not believe those planning charts that forecast a 5% increase in college costs. I think now they were even too parsiminous compared to what has happened. I cannot even imagine for my little guy.</p>
<p>i herd boston college was expensive to.. hey carylon can u relpy back on my thread on wats my chances for u. of michigan.. thanks alot</p>
<p>U. of Richmond has its numbers up on its website for next year: $34,850 for just tuition.</p>
<p>And Wake is going up to $30,110.</p>
<p>Jeez, I better get some good financial aid, or it's going to be State U for me. :|</p>
<p>Red state.</p>
<p>To consider the cost of education ask, "What is the average debt of a graduating student?" This might be more revealing than sticker price. All student aid is not equal, a grant subtracts from the cost, a loan contributes to the overall cost.</p>
<p>Then ask what will a degree from this institution get me? Cheaper isn't always better.</p>
<p>Public colleges should be free. Their diplomas let you get the jobs high school graduates got in the early 60's. (Bank loan officers, stock brokers, social workers)</p>
<p>Mr B says:</p>
<p>"Public colleges should be free. Their diplomas let you get the jobs high school graduates got in the early 60's. (Bank loan officers, stock brokers, social workers)"</p>
<p>That is absurd. Read the attached article to see that the college producing the highest # of CEO's is the U. of Wisconsin.<br>
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/30/1091080437854.html?from=storylhs&oneclick=true%5B/url%5D">http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/30/1091080437854.html?from=storylhs&oneclick=true</a> This article notes that "Chief executives are four times more likely to have earned undergraduate degrees from a publicly funded university than from an Ivy League school. The top 10 educators of CEOs also include public universities such as the University of Texas, City University of New York, University of North Carolina, University of California, University of Missouri and University of Washington".
There is another thread on CC that discusses many of the top CEO's and the colleges they attended-- I will post the thread title when I find it.</p>
<p>Carolyn-
I got a note from CC that you had responded to this post, but I don't see your response here. Can you repost it??</p>
<p>Without going to page 2 and 3... Morgantruce and carolyn. Absolutely figure how much it really costs to educate students.</p>
<p>I do know that it costs $60,000 to educate a Smith student... so the school's endowment is actually paying $20,000 for every student! Sheesh!!! I didn't know that we were so highly valued.... :)</p>
<p>I noticed that the previous link to the article about CEO's wasnt consistently working right. Try <a href="http://accepted.typepad.com/admissions_almanac/2004/07/want_to_know_wh.html%5B/url%5D">http://accepted.typepad.com/admissions_almanac/2004/07/want_to_know_wh.html</a>
This at least gives you the gist of the article....
Wait-- here is a better link to the full article <a href="http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=aIMI5Fx8d9sM%5B/url%5D">http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=aIMI5Fx8d9sM</a></p>
<p>Hmm....my son was accepted at Colgate last year, and I seem to remember that the PA schools he applied to were very similar in price. Colgate gave a very good aid package, in some instances more.</p>
<p>I agree that state schools for out-of-state students can be just as expensive as private institutions. Fortunately, S was granted in-state residency for his last year and half at UCLA. To do that, though, he had to be financially independent for two calendar years, i.e., pay his own bills on his own--working and using his savings bonds that were in his name. He also established residency by working and registering to vote there, but spending most of his time in Cali--no trips home (East Coast) longer than a couple of weeks at Christmas time. If he did return home in the summer, it was for 10 days max due to his work schedule. Saved him big bucks with paying only the $6K yearly in student fees. No such luck second time around with D who's applying to only privates.</p>