"Earning a college diploma has never been more expensive, but the cost can vary widely.
According to the College Board’s 2018 Trends in College Pricing Report, the reported tuition at private non-profit four-year schools is an average $35,830. However, the average net price of tuition and fees at these schools — after scholarships and grants are taken into account — is closer to $14,610.
And exactly how much an individual student will spend on a college degree depends on the school and what income bracket their family fits into. This complex cost structure holds true at some of the most prestigious schools in the U.S., including the Ivy League.
During the 2019 - 2020 school year, the total cost to attend Princeton is $73,450 — but many students end up paying far less." …
I agree. The endowment made Princeton affordable even though our family did not qualify for any aid under FAFSA we received about 30K through the Princeton grant
Absolutely ridiculous that Princeton University has set the bar at $65,000 per year of income for full financial aid. It should be at least $125,000 per year. This is a prime example of why the Endowment Tax has so much support.
Fuuny how so many write articles about the small amounts people pay. And at the sane time, there are very few to mo articles about those paying quite a bit relative to income. Or what about those who pay yes, gulp, swallow more than a million dollars with several kids at top schools paying full freight because the earn a lot. As a full scholarship recipient who will pay full fare, I have mixed feelings. Perhaps, its time to look at a % of incone rather than free rides up to a point. Also location matters. One could actually live quite well on many if these salaries in certain states.
The system is very close to breaking.
$65k or lower would include about half of US households, but probably only about a sixth of those with Princeton students. $125k or lower would include around four out of five US households, but probably still significantly fewer than half of those with Princeton students.
I wish it was this simple. How financial aid is calculated at Princeton is a mystery to me - with my single parent income of $85k our aid package falls well short of the tuition and none of the living costs etc. Should’ve gone to Yale.
I find these kinds of articles to be incredibly misleading. The cost is whatever the school tells you your EFC is up to the full COA, not an average cost of $X. As a typical donut hole family, that means the whole $73k plus to us. It’s crazy!