I’m a junior in high school and starting to think about where I want to go to college. My goal is a masters degree, so I’ll most likely need to go to two colleges. I don’t know how much money my parents have saved up. I do want to leave my state but I want to have enough money for a graduate school. My question is, should I go to undergraduate school in state for the lower tuition, and then graduate school out of state? Or will it not matter?
There are universities that offer attractive scholarships for OOS students above a certain GPA/test score. Here is a list.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
In some cases, going OOS can be cheaper. Also if you have high financial need, some private colleges can be more generous than public ones.
I’m thinking of the same thing. A lot depends on what state you’re in. My state doesn’t have very many colleges, and some types of majors are not available, so my brother & sister went out of state on scholarships. If you are going to get a master’s degree, then that’s the most important degree. Also, you can get your master’s degree paid for if it is in the right major, so a lot depends on that, too. My brother teaches labs and it pays for his master’s degree.
Sounds to me that your first step is to have that money talk with your parents.
And keep in mind that sometimes private schools or at times even an OOS public school can end up cheaper than your public school if you can qualify for a significant merit scholarship.
Also, some schools have combined BS/MS programs which take 5 years, giving you double credit in your senior year. . If you are thinking about a Ph.D. , many are funded so money is less of a concern.
Consider out of state. It’s what you want and may not be more expensive, particularly if you are a good student.
OK, some levity. In most cases, attending an in-state public university will be cheaper than attending an out-of-state school of any flavor.
People here are commenting from the perspective of the average CC poster - who is typically an above-average student either considering some of the small handful of colleges that offer to meet 100% of a student’s financial need should they be admitted OR who has the stats to get a large scholarship at a public university that offers them, like University of Alabama. If you are high-stats, then those are options for you, and definitely take a look at them.
But the vast majority of private colleges in the country do not offer to meet 100% of a student’s financial need. If you are an average or only slightly-above average student - without the stats to get into the top colleges or to get big merit at a public university that offers it - it is very likely that your most affordable option will be an in-state public university.
I’m not saying this to completely discourage you from looking at, and applying to, out of state colleges (particularly private ones). It is true that some of them are generous with financial aid, and even if they don’t pledge to meet 100% of every student’s need they might actually meet or exceed it anyway depending on their resources and the year. Or you might get a big merit scholarship at a small college that is working to attract high-caliber students that would attend the next tier up without the lure of money. Or you might get a scholarship that is big enough to make it work for you.
I’m saying it because I think your original post is actually quite realistic: I do think you should seriously consider staying in-state if that is your most affordable option (cross-referenced with quality and differences in cost, of course. Paying nothing at UF vs. $120K at Harvard is a different cost proposition from paying nothing at UF vs. $30K at Harvard).
Also, while there are some options to get your master’s funded - and you should definitely think about those - do note that most students pay for master’s degrees with personal resources (aka loans). Keep in mind that it’s also hard to predict what you’re actually going to do when you’re a junior in high school. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer then.
STEM subjects, especially those that have labs or breakout recitation sessions typically offer their grad students a paid teaching or research assistantship plus full tuition scholarship.
- How much do your parents have saved?
- Can you look at colleges that have 3-2 Master’s Programs so you get a Master’s in 5 years?
- What major are you thinking about? Is a Master’s the right thing or is a PhD or do you even need one?
E.g., for Engineering a Bachelor’s is fine, but for Physics you would need a PhD, but for social work a Master’s in Social work would be the thing.