<p>I'm new to CC. Have a son who will be going to college in 2013, one in 2014, and a daughter who'll be flying the nest in 2016, so I'll probably become a regular here over the next few years! I haven't figured out where to post yet, so this may be in the wrong place, but I was comparing colleges on the College Search forum, and wondered why under tuition and fees, the costs vary so dramatically for some schools and not at all for others. UT Austin's tuition and fee says $9,418 / $31,218. Why the wide gap? Other schools, like Trinity University, have the same number twice: $30,012 / $30,012.<br>
Thanks!</p>
<p>Welcome!! 
Using the two schools you listed as an example, Trinity is a private university and the cost is the same for all students (before any merit or financial aid). UT is a public university so there is a lower price for instate students and a higher price listed for out of state (commonly stated as OOS online). This is tuition only. Room, board, fees, etc, will be the same price for instate or OOS students, and is in addition to tuition. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Welcome, vbigler. blueiguana already answered your questions well, so I won’t repeat. I just wanted say you’ve come to the right place to learn all about the college experience. I have gotten so much great advice and information from College Confidential over the years, and I’m sure you will too.</p>
<p>$9,418= instate tuition for students from Texas, whose parents have been paying taxes to support and fund the UT system.
$31,218= Out of state tuition for Non Texas residents</p>
<p>Sensei iguana did provide you with what you need. Just my two cents. I found the same comparing many schools on the web. I found “college data” to be good for comparing $'s. Good luck.</p>
<p>I used “Petersen” site for rough pricing (it was sometimes a year or more old). I’ve read that colleges will be required to add cost calculators soon.</p>