The Real Cost of UIUC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I recently looked at my financial aid info for UIUC... and let's just say it's nothing too exciting. However, I am wondering... is attending UIUC perhaps less horribly expensive than it seems? I mean, of course tuition is high, but I've heard a lot of things from some alumni of my high school that the cost of living is low, and that there are a lot of opportunities for juniors and seniors to reduce their tuition... do any current students (or anyone else with a lot of info) have some insight and want to share?</p>

2

<p>I have same quetion as above.</p>

3

<p>I have the same question too.</p>

4

<p>lol, it seems no one wants to answer this question
i have the same question too :]</p>

5

<p>Can someone please help us out? :(</p>

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<p>no one on this board is enough of an expert to judge how you will live your life on campus. wherever you go in life, college or not, you can choose to live lavishly or frugally. it all depends where you choose to live, how many roommates, how you choose your meal plans, etc etc… this isnt something that cc posters can really help you with. as for juniors and seniors having opportunities to reduce costs, all that probably means is that they have the opportunity to win departmental scholarships that freshman and sophomores dont really have much of a chance at. they also arent required to stay in university housing or private certified housing like freshmen are, so if they wanted they could live in the cheapest possible living situation.</p>

<p>im an incoming freshman too and i would love if someone could answer this question for me, but how could they? its just how you live your life.</p>

7

<p>yeah you’re right. I don’t think UIUC offers alot of work study program because it is a big school. But, good look at UIUC it has a good engineering program and there is this scholarships for males in UIUC I don’t know the name of it but you can google it.</p>

8

<p>the cost of attendence given here are actually pretty accurate (actually, i think they underestimate it):
[University</a> of Illinois Financial Aid: Undergraduate Resident 2010-2011 Cost](<a href=“http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu/cost/undergrad/res_1011.html]University”>http://www.osfa.uiuc.edu/cost/undergrad/res_1011.html)</p>

<p>the “other expenses” category is the one you can control the most, obviously.</p>

<p>out of all the costs and fees, i think that housing is the most ridiculous… the rate is about $10,000 for a double for two semesters and the smallest meal plan… they break that down into 1/2 for the actual room, and 1/2 for food… that’s $500/month for food alone! even more if you go into private housing. if you can live without the convenience of computer labs and mass cooked meals, rent an apartment after freshman year… that will save a lot of money.</p>

<p>as for books, don’t buy them from the bookstore… buy them online and sell them to friends. i have actually made profits from my books that way… unfortunately, there are course packets and consumables that you can’t resell, so i saved about $500 this way</p>

<p>and there is actually a lot of work-study on campus, especially if you work with the school. the best jobs are at the front desk/libraries since you can just do you homework most of the time. but even other jobs like working in the dining hall and at the recreation centers have benefits because they offer freebies to their employees, thus saving you money while paying you at the same time. i know freshman that have research positions too, so that’s not impossible. basically, there are a lot of jobs available as long as you aren’t too picky and you are willing to go and find one. i have two work study jobs myself and both are within the dorm i’m currently living in, so it’s convenient and it saves me traveling time…</p>

<p>and i did get an opportunity to apply for a partial tuition waiver this year (i’m a freshman,) so from my experience, there are chances to reduce your tuition after freshman year, though i don’t know how many are available and i dont know the specifics for each college</p>

<p>basically, don’t expect to reduce your cost dramatically… in fact, expect to pay more your freshman year to buy all the stuff you need for your dorm and supplies like laptops… but after that, maybe you can save a few thousand on housing. again, nothing dramatic, but it’s still a few thousand less in loans you’ll have to pay.</p>