Ohio State: Is it worth the investment for coming from OOS?

Hello! I have been accepted at my top choice school of The Ohio State University! I have yet to visit the campus, which is going to be pretty soon. So far from what I’ve been hearing about it, it gave my instincts the feeling that it is a university that I can really see myself having fun and doing well at. However, I’m from oos, which makes it pretty expensive. May I please have some opinions about OSU from out-of-staters about whether Ohio State is really worth the investment for out-of-staters? Thank you :slight_smile:

What state are you from? Which in state school admitted you for comparison? What do you intend to study?

Compared to what? What are your other choices and what will they cost after grants/scholarships? How much loans will you need to take out? Then do the same for Ohio State.

If Ohio State is less than $10,000 more per year, and your family can handle the difference… sure. (And that number $10,000 will vary depending on circumstances… for some families, that may be only $5000… other families can manage $15,000).

@Chardo‌ and @harvardandberkeley‌ I’m from NJ and I applied to Rutgers as my money safety. I didn’t get any financial aid notifications yet, so I can’t determine the net price of Ohio State yet. I want to study as of right now journalism, education, and psychology. I also don’t feel that Rutgers makes me feel very good, yet my parents still insist me to look at it incase that’s the only affordable school

What about Rutgers doesn’t make you “feel very good”?

Until you get the details of the financial aid packages, there is not much advice we can give you. Of course if Ohio State ends up costing nearly the same, then go where your heart says. But if it is going to cost significantly more than your in-state choice, then you are going to need more than just a “feeling” to justify the cost.

Did you run the NPC on the OSU website? What were the results

What is your FAFSA EFC?

How much will your parents pay each year?

I assume you did not apply Early Action and did not receive any merit aid? Would you have qualified with an SAT of 1260 for Math & CR or an ACT of 28? Being OOS and without the national buckeye scholarship ($12000) and the other additional merit aid offered (either $2000, $3,000 or $6000), it is not worth it to pay approx $42,000 per year (unless you qualify for need-based aid) versus approximately $29,000 for Rutgers. Rutgers instate tuition at $13,800 is pricey, but still you would be saving your folks about $52,000 over 4 years. While Ohio State is definitely a school on the rise, with admissions getting more competitive each year, Rutgers is a strong school too. Both are State Flagships. And Rutgers is now in the Big Ten conference! US News ranks Ohio State 54 versus Rutgers at 70. This is not a significant difference to warrant paying the extra bucks to become a Buckeye unless cost is not a big concern to your parents.

Please indicate (tuition, fees, room, board) - (scholarship, grants) for each university you applied to.
Then the experienced posters here will be able to tell you whether it’s worth it (ROI, value…)
It’s typically not worth it to pay full price at an OOS flagship vs. instate flagship, except in rare cases.

It does seem common for NJ resident students on these forums to want to go anywhere except Rutgers, even though Rutgers is a perfectly good state flagship university that tends to be a better value than out-of-state flagships that are not offering big scholarships.

To the OP: what is the net price of each school, what major(s) are you interested in, and what other preferences do you have?