<p>rrah,</p>
<p>Yes, Indiana is geared to providing primarily for the in-state students--as are almost all state universities. But keep in mind that when someone like myself pays the out-of-state fees for my son to attend, we are essentially subsidizing the in-state students. If you "scare" all the out-of-state students (and their parents) away with exorbitant rates, then the in-state rates will have to increase accordingly.</p>
<p>In my own son's case, next year's cost of attendance will run:</p>
<p>Out-of-State Tuition (11,952.95 per term x 2 terms) = $ 23,905.90
Activity Fee (78.47 per term x 2 terms) = $ 156.94
Student Health Fee (105.76 per term x 2 terms) = $ 211.52
Technology Fee (192.33 per term x 2 terms) = $ 384.66
Transportation Fee (54.96 per term x 2 terms) = $ 109.92
Business Program Undergraduate Fee (540.00 x 2 terms) =$ 1,080.00
School Total $25,848.94
Apartment Cost*($813.00 x 12) = $ 9,756.00
Meals ($20.00/day x 200 days) = $ 4,000.00
Transportation to/from School (airfare plus shuttles) $ 600.00
TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE –one year $40,204.94
*(Includes utilities costs)</p>
<p>Less the $1,000 a year scholarship he receives makes this $39,205. Since I have a FAFSA of $34,000 or so, that still means my son will either take out an additional $5,000 in loans for the one year (which I expect him to pay off after graduation), or earn that much during the summer (which is the current plan, since he has an internship promised).</p>
<p>The average person in California will not have a FAFSA of $34,000, however, but something closer to $25,000 to $30,000--meaning that Indiana is looking more and more unaffordable. If half the out-of state students were to stop going to Indiana (and were replaced by in-state students), then the true cost to an-instate student (and their parents) would rise by approximately 30%--from about $10,000 per student to $13,000 for tuition and fees.</p>
<p>There does come a time when a parent like myself looks at that $10,000 cost for in-state students versus $25,000 for out-of-state students--and starts thinking that the local UCs (such as UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine)--all of which my son could have gone to--are looking more reasonable at the current $13,000 per year in-state costs for UCs here in California. And, bluntly, most of the parents I know here in California have already come to that conclusion--and are not paying to send their students to a school like Indiana. Thus, I think you can expect to see your in-state tuition rates rise dramatically in the next four to five years unless the out-of-state tuition rate increases slow.</p>
<p>P.S. One final note. There are some privates in California that have even higher in-state rates than Indiana (Stanford, USC, and Pepperdine, for example). However, these schools all provide significant financial aid to students in terms of either a discounted rate--especially for those whose FAFSA is low--or a "Cal Grant" ($9,300 direct payment for college paid by the taxpayers) that one cannot qualify for when going to school out-of-state. What this means is the Cost of Attendance at a school like USC is listed as $49,000 per year--but after a Cal Grant, the cost to attend for a California student is approximately equivalent to the cost of going out-of-state to Indiana.</p>
<p>--of course, this is just one opinion.</p>