OOS - Is UCB worth the $$$?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

In-State cost for UCB is around $32K
http://admissions.berkeley.edu/costofattendance

for OOS, + $23,000 = $55K.
worth it?

2

Depends on the major. I would only justify paying for OOS state tuition if you know you can graduate and get a job that can quickly pay it back; there’s no point in paying so much if you major in humanities, and it would take forever to pay it back.

3

Thanks @totalcaprice, going to major in CS, you got a good point!

4

It also depends on what your other options are, and at what prices?

5

If you’re serious about majoring in CS, it is worth the price.
If you are also serious about living in the bay area where a lot of CS jobs are, that is also good, but optional.

6

Thanks @ucbalumnus and @UpMagic. in-state got accepted @GaTech’s ECE

7

Fantastic school. Really enjoyed when I visited there once with excellent facilities and atmosphere.

8

@calcorn - if you got into GaTech ECE instate, I don’t think ucb is worth 55K/year.

9

It is very hard to make an argument for paying out-of-state price for Berkeley (about $50,000 to $57,000 per year, depending on housing and whether you buy the student medical insurance) when your alternative is Georgia Tech at in-state price (about $25,000 per year).

Unless you have super-wealthy parents for whom the added $100,000 to $128,000 is pocket change, that difference is likely to be significant in their financial planning for retirement and/or younger siblings’ college costs.

10

I have a number of out-of-state CS and EECS friends who had debt that would normally be extremely concerning coming out of college, but they all ended up making six figures their first year in the work force, and they don’t seem to be in any financial stress at all.

11

Thanks so much for everyone’s kind input and advice, i really appreciate it :smile:

12

It all depends on your parents’ financial capability. For some families 55k is unfordable. For rich families, 55k is immaterial.

In my personal opinion, 55k/yr – at face value – for a Berkeley degree is worth it. Thus, if 55k/year is not an issue for me, I’d definitely go for Berkeley. The school is world famous.

13

@ucbalumnus in state GA tuition at GA tech actually gets down to almost 0. In state Zell Miller/Hope cover anywhere from 80-100% tuition. Also im in a very similar position. Im in state GA but am not considering GT. My choices are between Berkeley and Michigan for CS. I got a full ride at Michigan. Is it worth paying at Berkeley if I’m a triplet and middle class?

14

Full-ride UMich is totally worth it over Berkeley for full-pay.
Frankly, I think UMich does a better job treating the students too.

15

Full rides at Michigan are quite rare… unless $200,000 is pocket change to your parents, who wouldn’t take that?