So What Is The Cost of Attendance w/BF

<p>Okay, so if DD has 100% Bright Futures, what's the bottom line for me? BF covers tuition and "fees" as I understand it and there's $187/semester for books (or should I say BOOK). But then there is that extra $500/semester "differential" thing that some of the schools initiated. So that's $1000 I'm going to have to pay right there. Now I know room and board are not covered at all, but I also just noticed that the honors dorm (which is a must for DD) is an additional $1500/yr or so over the other dorm prices. What other surprise expenses are there?</p>

<p>I'm weighing offers from other schools that are also providing full tuition plus (depending on the school) $2500-$4000/yr scholarships. I need to compare apples to apples as far as cost-saving.</p>

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just noticed that the honors dorm (which is a must for DD) is an additional $1500/yr or so over the other dorm prices.

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<p>Why? I personally think Hume is overrated. If money is not an issue, then go for it.</p>

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What other surprise expenses are there?

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<p>-Tuition (BF)
-Housing ($1,600-2,800(I think that the highest now, not sure)) Lowest Buckman/Thomas to highest Hume.
-Food ($1,000-1,500) - if she gets the meal plan I recommend that lower ones 10 meals or 150 block. They is also cooking.
-Books -half.com or amazon marketplace, saves you a ton - also many time you dont need to buy the books for class b/c professors test from their powerpoint notes or have note booklets at target copies or OB textbooks. The most I have spent in a semester on books is $150 and that was a waste.
-Laptop-($500-2,000). Depends on how much you want to spend. "I'm a PC" :-)</p>

<p>I admit we have not actually been inside Hume, but I'm thinking it's got to be better than the Broward dungeon she stayed overnight in. Are you saying Hume is a dungeon also?</p>

<p>Hume was built in 2002 it's nice.</p>

<p>Also UF dorms aren't dungeons they are in fact historic.</p>

<p>Check out the link:</p>

<p>University</a> of Florida student housing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>

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Are you saying Hume is a dungeon also?

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<p>No, it's not a dungeon. I just dont think it's worth an extra $1500, if cost is an issue to the person.</p>

<p>Well historic or not, Broward was a dump when we were there in June. I don't know if the hallways and bathrooms are air comnditioned or not, but they were quite hot and sticky. I can't imagine living with the Florida heat in those dorms. The dorms themselves were very depressing. The icky yellow cement blocks just looked dingy. Hot, sticky and dingy. That's how we remember it.</p>

<p>We are also comparing UF with a school that offers a lot of merit aid, plus UF has the $500 per semester (or is it year) already that Bright Futures doesn't cover.</p>

<p>We are also trying to determine actual cost of attendance at each school to figure out if UF is worth the difference to us.</p>

<p>I can look at the meal plans and dorms myself. What other costs does Bright Futures NOT cover at UF?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>The fees that are not covered are things like transportation fee-covers the cost buses. Everyone with a gator 1 card rides free. It is a great service, not perfect but good.
The health fee-covers the cost health clinic on campus. There a few other fees- think one for technology another for gyms.<br>
Also some classes have fees I know Biology 2010 has a lab fee of 118 dollars. </p>

<p>Lets put it this way my S bill has been under $400 per sems. Books are a crap shoot, the best thing is to buy them used via amazon market place. But this semster we had to buy a new bio book because they changed books 8th edition now all the used were 7th. That book was $$$ bought it new at amazon saved $40. Books have run $225 to $380 for the 4 sems. </p>

<p>This is cheap, other child went out of state with merit aid, that changes from year to year. They low ball, the first year is nice cheap the next years it get more expensive. Cost rise aid doesn't. Also GPAs must be keep at a level 3.5 as example to keep aid, have one bad class/teacher and there goes the aid.</p>

<p>I thought the tuition differential was not covered by Bright Futures. Can anyone speak to this? I've looked all over the UF website, and can't find reference to this.</p>

<p>Hume isn't too impressive from a living point of view (having 4 people to a bathroom instead of 40 is about the only perk since other dorms on campus may have a sink and stuff). However, you might like the flavor of student you find in the honors dorm as opposed to the regular. It's a lot more quiet, for one, and the students are decidedly more academic.</p>

<p>BF does not cover the tuition differential. However, if you purchased the pre-paid tuition plan prior to 2007, you are not subject to the differential. My d has both BF and prepaid and her first year, when she lived on campus, I think we paid about 400/semester, once the tuition and housing were billed. </p>

<p>Books can be pricey, but it depends on your major. Math and science books can cost big $$$, and in many of the classes, you have to use the online key that is sold in the textbook bundle to access the the website where you submit homework, etc. If you buy the book used, you won't have the ley, so you will have to purchase the key alone, so you may end up spending as much as you would have from the bookstore. It just depends. My d is an engineering major and her textbooks range from 250-500/semester, depending on the classes she takes. </p>

<p>As far as dorms, I know nothing of Hume (except that d thinks that Hume kids are geeks and she's an engineering major, lol), d lived in Jennings her freshman year and I thought it was a pit, compared to dorms at other universities. I work at USF and the dorms here are nicer overall. She loved the convenience, but couldn't wait to move off campus. I think basically, the dorms are just that, dorms, and pretty much the same. It's just that UF's are old. D's off campus apartment seems like a palace compared to the dorms.</p>

<p>All we have is Bright Futures. Is there anywhere on the UF or Bright Futures website that explains what BF doesn't pay at UF compared to a school that doesn't have the tuition differential?</p>

<p>UF COA (cost of attendence) is the following
Cost</a> of Attendance
This assumes 15 hrs per fall and 15 per summer</p>

<p>The numbers mentioned in #2 post above for food and dorm is per semester not per year.</p>

<p>Per credit hour fees are <a href="http://www.ir.ufl.edu/factbook/vi-05_hist.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ir.ufl.edu/factbook/vi-05_hist.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here is a worksheet for 2008-2009-not yet updated for 2009-2010: Fall</a> 2008 Student Fees - Cashiers - University Financial Services - Finance and Accounting - UF</p>

<p>I believe that the state legislature sets the amount of the Bright Futures award each year based on the base tuition per the Bright Futures site: "The Florida Legislature will annually determine the amount of the college-related expense allotment beginning with students funded during the 2008-09 academic year as determined in the General Appropriations Act." It covers basic tuition before the differential and some of the fees.</p>

<p>Florida</a> Student Scholarship and Grant Programs FLorida legislature updates for Bright Futures for 2008.</p>

<p>Bright Futures does not pay the tuition differential and pays some of the fees but not all.</p>

<p>I agree with mom2three. I need a breakdown of fees that are NOT covered by 100% Bright Futures (and with no FLA pre-paid tuition). Where do we find such a list?</p>

<p>I just found this on the Bright Futures website:</p>

<p>*For 2008-09, fees included in the cost per credit hour unless otherwise prohibited by Florida Statutes: </p>

<p>Access and Transportation
Activity and Service
Athletic
Building
Capital Improvement
Financial Aid
Health
Technology</p>

<p>Looking at the UF local fees totalling $32.82 per credit hour, these are all on the list so would be covered by BF.</p>

<p>I'm going to call the financial aid office tomorrow. I can't find actual numbers regarding the tuition differential anywhere - not the UF website, not the Bright Futures website. I have found news stories stating that Bright Futures doesn't pay the differential.</p>

<p>Based on the list above of covered allowable fees, I would take that to say that the differential is not paid by BF.</p>

<p>I can't believe anyone is actually complaining about the cost of attending UF. It was ranked by Kiplinger as the best value in all of higher education.</p>

<p>No one is complaining. We are trying to find out what the cost is.</p>