Unbelievable.
We have $200 orientation fee. Along with activity fees, health services fee (separate from health insurance), recreation fees, and another one that slips my mind.
All in, it is less than $1k in fees so I shrug and accept that they could have rolled those fees into overall tuition and I wouldnât have thought twice as that wouldnât have appreciably raised the overall tuition cost by that much. So I choose to instead applaud the transparency of where that particular thousand dollars is going.
Welcome to residential college in the US!
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Wow. Never paid orientation fee at Dukeâthey must have been included with regular tuition/fees but nothing specific to orientation. Looks like Penn has it as part of the general fees.
Yeah, that sounds about standard. I remember paying $300 something for Cal Poly slo for my daughter and Berkeley is $380 for my son.
I believe Penn has an Orientation Fee. I remember the overall fees at Penn being really high though I believe the tuition+fees being pretty standard.
I donât think zero week will cost more. By zero week at UCLA you are already moved in. The 1-day cost for UCSDâs orientation did seem like a lot but we made sure to pick the last one on the Friday so that assuming move-in is over the weekend, we wonât have to pay for more nights of hotel (or early dorm move-in).
An orientation fee is a relatively new development. I went back and looked at the tuition bill from C19âs first year and there was no separate orientation fee assessed. However, we did have to pay a $400 enrollment deposit which could have been applied to orientation. Looks like the orientation fee last year was $395. Hmph! Penn should just cover the cost.
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Exactly. Some schools just bundle everything into âfeesâ. Others separate out orientation and other costs.
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Yikes to all the orientation fees! DDâs school has a freshman orientation 3 day trip. I have not seen any fees yet, or any bills or break downs. She just got her email set up, and there was a parent link I quickly looked at that was about health insurance, which I think we will be able to decline.
This orientation fee kerfuffle reminds me a bit of the schools we toured that touted âfree laundryâ versus the schools whose laundry facilities would cost students âout of pocketâ - usually $1.50 per wash and $1.50 per dry.
We rolled our eyes a bit at âfree laundryâ - it became a running joke between DH and I with one of us saying to the other âActually looks like laundry here runs about $70-75k per yearâ when it came up.
But laundry is going to cost money, whether the cost has been rolled into the more general COA or if a student has to pay per load. Same with orientation. The activities, food, time on campus costs money. Either the school rolls that cost into the COA without breaking it out, or they show you the break out in fees.
I just donât see the issue here.
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There can be a pretty significant issue for families who are budgeting based on the costs they are aware of and for whom $400 here and $500 there just isnât in the budget.
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I donât have an issue with orientation fees, (you replied to me)âŠâŠ
Someone else brought it up, I had never thought about it. However , now that I am thinking about it Iâd rather it just be rolled into the overall cost so as not to have to pay separately.
I bet some will have an issue with the $2,500 extra for required health insurance though, that isnât mentioned on any of the schoolâs budgeting/costs pages. It can be waived though with proof of insurance.
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Just a thought-- the schools are aware that some students may attend orientation, then back out and not actually enroll come August, when the tuition bill must be paid.
So this may just be part of the larger yield protection game. As so many have said, itâs just business, after all.
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And also those fees add up and are a way to derive extra income earlier rather than later.
In other words, if a University bundles it into the overall cost that amount is spread out over time vs being collected before Freshman classes start.
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All these fees are included in the Cost of Attendance lists. It is one of the reasons I shudder when I see parents and students trying to âjustâ look at tuition or âjustâ look at tuition + R/B. Or, even worse, try to convince themselves that the Cost of Attendance canât possibly be as high as it is listed - because surely there is a way to make it cheaper.
Yes, the health insurance can be as high as $4800/yr (thatâs the UChicago cost this year). Again, this is one of those costs that is actually listed in Cost of Attendance, usually with an asterisk/link. And yes, it can definitely catch families unaware, especially if they havenât dug deep into the Cost of Attendance section to realize that many, maybe most schools require students to either show proof of health insurance that covers the student at the college or they must buy the insurance the college offers.
For example, the health insurance issue is listed on Hamiltonâs Cost of Attendance page, but it is a separate link that takes you to a page that gives you the price.
2023-24 Direct Costs
Tuition: $65,090
Housing: $9,120
Food: $7,570
Student Activity Fee: $650
Total Comprehensive Fee: $82,430
Additionally, all students are required to carry adequate health insurance, and costs may be incurred for some families.
2023-24 Estimated Costs
Books and Supplies: $800
Miscellaneous Personal Expense: up to $1,000
Travel Allocation: up to $1,800
The link to the health insurance gives families this information:
Hamilton is pleased to offer a comprehensive student health insurance plan that is designed to meet the healthcare needs that may be encountered by students while studying at Hamilton College. The plan carrier is MVP, and the broker is Haylor, Freyer & Coon.
What does the plan feature?
- Affordable, comprehensive insurance benefits
- Access to MVPâs nationwide network of health care professionals, including primary care, specialists and mental health at www.mvphealthcare.com
- Emergency Medical Evacuation and Travel Assistance Services are included
- Visit www.mvphealthcare.com to download a copy of your ID card, access to providers, claims, deductibles & limits and member details or through the myMVP Mobile App, available on the App Store or Google Pay.
If you have any additional insurance-related questions you may contact Haylor, Freyer & Coon service at 866-535-0456.
Coverage & Cost
Hamilton College requires that all enrolled students carry valid health insurance coverage. Students who enroll at Hamilton will be billed an annual premium of $2483.76 (MVP Insurance Carrier Rate - $2388.24 + Broker Fee - $95.52); Fall only premium is $1034.90 (MVP Insurance Carrier Rate - $995.10 + Broker Fee - $39.80); Spring only premium is $1448.86 (MVP Insurance Carrier Rate - $1393.14 + Broker Fee - $55.72) for 2023-24 unless the student completes the online waiver and provides proof of meaningful alternate coverage. Please complete the waiver to avoid being AUTO ENROLLED and receiving unnecessary charges. The waiver process must be completed annually.
Eligible financial aid students who have been billed the student health insurance premium may receive an additional grant to offset a portion of the student health insurance premium. The Financial Aid Office will notify students directly regarding their insurance grant eligibility; no action is required by the student. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for a student health insurance grant, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 1-800-859-4413.
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As I said I am not concerned. And I never clicked that link because I know our insurance will be available.
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FIRE program is a way to find out about research at UMD. At UMD many majors have some path for grad schoool, but student has to seek.
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The orientation fee is included in UCBâs Cost of Attendance (thatâs where I learned about it), while the health insurance (that can be waived) isnât included in the standard COA. This is the breakdown in my kidâs portal:
| Standard Budget | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition and Fees | |
| * UC Systemwide Tuition & Fees - Cohort 24 | $ 13,752 |
| * Campus Fees & Class Pass | $ 1,692 |
| Housing and Food | |
| * Housing - Res Hall (this includes basic meal plan) | $ 20,576 |
| * Food - Res Hall | $ 1,826 |
| * Housing and Meals Fee - Golden Bear Orientation | $ 380 |
| Books and Supplies | $ 1,508 |
| Transportation | $ 704 |
| Personal Expenses | $ 2,092 |
| Loan Fees | $ 56 |
| STANDARD BUDGET TOTAL | $ 42,586 |
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Glad you donât need the insurance, but your choice not to even click on the link during research pushed all the buttons of my âcompletistâ mind. 
I am a âclick every linkâ kind of researcher, especially when it comes to things that might have a direct effect on my money. This has been a good reminder that not everyone else does that.
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yikes - on that housing rate at UCB! thatâs the highest iâve seen ever
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