Okay, so I just filled out the net price calculator to the best of my abilities. My parents are open with me about their financial situation because it is what colleges go by when calculating need-based aid and I am in college. That being said, I was shocked to see that I would receive absolutely no need-based aid and I have no idea how in the h*** that is possible.
I understand that this is an estimate and I may not have my numbers entirely correct AND it is a “net price calculator” so that may not exactly be the best resource, but oh-my-god. My parents make ~$100,000 a year. MSU thinks that my parents can pay the full amount, which is almost $50,000 a year? Uh, that is HALF OF THEIR ANNUAL EARNINGS!
My guess is that they are dipping into my parents’ savings and they think that should be used for tuition. The only savings they have is what is in their 401k; that is for retirement.
I just wanna go to a big state school but there is no way I am taking on that much money. Is that even worth it?
PS: This is not a personal attack at MSU; ALL OOS tuition rates are ridiculous. Why would someone even bother going to a college out of state?
One may ask, why should the taxpayers of Michigan (is it?) pay tuition for OOS students? Private OOS don’t usually “discriminate”. Perhaps you should look there, or look to your own state.
Some OOS publics will encourage talented students to come to their school through $$, but you’ve usually got to be a very attractive candidate.
“I just wanna go to a big state school”
Now that you have discovered the realities of OOS funding, you will have to adjust your goals .
OOS state U’s are funded by the citizens who live in that state for the education of their own children. Those taxpapers dont owe a lower cost education to children whose parents pay taxes in another state, sorry.
why dont you tell us your stats, GPA, test scores, interests, etc etc.
There are lots of colleges out there that your parents can afford to send you to.
They just aren’t going to be big OOS state U’s [ unless you are a NMF]
They can’t afford to give you sufficient aid when there are students who’s families make half of what yours does who really need aid. Plus you’re an OOS, so instant lower priority. They don’t expect you to graduate debt free, they assume you won’t be paying 50,000 a year. Probably only part of that then take the rest as loans is what they expect.
Also is MSU worth 50,000 a year? Heck no.
@SUNYJMM. Wealthy Chinese and other Asian parents send their kids in large numbers to MSU and other large public universities. They don’t even blink at the tuition. You might check out Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, and Arizona State, schools that we have considered for our three sons. Also under $30,000, Louisiana State, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arizona to name a few.
What do you want to study? Would you be eligible for any merit scholarships? GPA? Test scores? Try out the ASU Scholarship calculator: https://scholarships.asu.edu/estimator
" Why would someone even bother going to a college out of state?"
Sometimes people like me feel more comfortable. When I visited Penn State it felt like home and told my parents they would do anything for me to attend there.
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I understand that this is an estimate and I may not have my numbers entirely correct AND it is a “net price calculator” so that may not exactly be the best resource, but oh-my-god. My parents make ~$100,000 a year. MSU thinks that my parents can pay the full amount, which is almost $50,000 a year? Uh, that is HALF OF THEIR ANNUAL EARNINGS!
My guess is that they are dipping into my parents’ savings and they think that should be used for tuition. The only savings they have is what is in their 401k; that is for retirement.
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I doubt that the NPC cares about what your parents have in savings, 401k or not.
The school isn’t “expecting” your parents to pay anything. They have a price for OOS students and that’s it, pretty much regardless of the income.
If you wandered onto a Mercedes Benz dealership and asked about their pretty red convertible, they’ll tell you the price. It may be 4 times your income. Doesn’t matter. That’s the cost.
Some OOS publics will give merit scholarships for high stats.
What are your test scores and GPA? (include SAT breakdown - don’t superscore))
How much will your parents pay each year? Ask them, please don’t guess.
I should have given a few more details, sorry guys.
Right now, I am an accounting major/business administration minor in my senior year at a SUNY school. My school has a pretty reputable program for accounting in my state; as far as outside of NY, I am not so sure. I am definitely attending graduate school to get an MS in accounting and then I want to take the CPA exam.
I am expecting to graduate with a GPA of about 3.5, however, there is still a year left and that GPA could either go up or down. I plan on it going up though
So this would be for graduate school. Honestly, one of the big things about checking out OOS publics is graduate housing. Where am I supposed to live during this time? There is only one SUNY school that offers graduate housing (UBuffalo), and I commute to my current SUNY (Albany). I want to keep my options open though in case I don’t get into either UB or UA for grad school.
Also, I do not want to live in NY after I graduate. I hate the snow and I want to live somewhere with beach access within less of a 30 min drive. I thought a bigger, “more prestigious” college would help me find a job outside of NY. For instance: People in Cali may not have heard of UAlbany, but they most likely heard of MSU. If they had a UA candidate and a MSU candidate of equal stats, would they choose the “better” school?
Btw, I will not have any debt after my undergrad.
@Beaudreau that is yearly tuition rates, correct? I would love to go to any of those schools! I am just so sick of NY:(
I met someone who went to Michigan State University who transferred to the University at Albany – SUNY (my school) and they are also an accounting major. UAlbany did not think MSU’s accounting courses were sufficient enough (the intro classes), and they didn’t want to accept his credits from MSU at first. He had to fight for them to take his credits! He failed out of the program though at UAlbany.
Maybe UAlbany was being stingy and wanted to get more money from him, idk
MSU is not saying your parent can pay the full cost of attendance. It is up to you to decide whether you can pay. Most schools do not meet need anyway.
Most masters programs are paid for by either parents, companies or by students taking out loans and paying them back. Very few offer FA.
I suggest you first go to work after graduation, hopefully for a large company that offers and pays for outstanding employees to go to graduate school, and wait until it is more affordable for you.
@SUNYJMM If you are sick of cold gray skies and want to live near the beach, why would you consider MSU? I went to MSU and loved the school. But winters are very cold and gray with significant snowfall. The lake beaches are great, but the water is only warm enough for swimming three months of the year. (But the ice fishing is great!)
@GMTplus7 If you read carefully, the OP is looking for a Masters program. He/she seems to be unaware that FinAid for post grad degrees is very very different. OP needs to adhere to the advice given in post #11
Some states schools waive OOS tuition costs in certain situations. Texas A & M will waive the out of state tuition even if you get a relatively small departmental scholarship. I think all the schools that give large National Merit scholarships waive OOS tuition. Some states have deals that bordering states don’t need to pay OOS fees. It really depends on the situation. FSU will waive OOS tuition for graduate school in my D’s major but not for undergraduate.
I didn’t want to attend MSU for the weather… When I say I want to live near a beach, I am talking about after college.
I’m thinking about MSU cause it’s nationally known and their business school is very, very good. My thoughts are that if I wanted to live in Cali, people from there probably would have heard of MSU, but not UAlbany. Like my last post said, if it came down to two equal candidates for a job, I thought that maybe the MSU grad would be favored over a SUNY grad, but that could be totally wrong.
I’m bringing MSU up because of it’s good business school rep that people from all over the country know of
