I dont even need a car and live with my parents, i thought the only thing you had to paid regarding transportation are transportation fees. help im so confused, this is how it looks like thank you!
Cost of Attendance
Tuition & Standard Fees
$8,754.00
Room and Board
$7,828.00
Books and Supplies
$1,200.00
Transportation
$2,205.00
Misc. Personal
$3,552.00
Loan Fees
$96.00
Total:
$23,635.00
Many colleges (UF, UMich, you name it) have free bus passes for students not only on campus, but within the local municipality, so that probably explains the transportation cost. I would say take advantage of it, since you are paying for it.
Those personal costs and transportation costs are included in cost of attendance. It doesn’t mean you have to SPEND that much. It’s just a guesstimate on how much this migh cost on average. Remember…some kids live a plane ride away.
You do not have to spend $2200 on transportation. If all you need is a free bus pass from your school…your cost for this item would be $0.
@pineapplesSFL I think you are a little confused about this. The student isn’t paying for anything…this is an estimated amount the student MIGHT pay.
One reason the colleges give the estimates (and high estimates at that) for transportation and living expenses is that some kids are getting scholarships that cover the entire cost of attendance, so those students benefit.
Another reason is that athletes in some conferences now get a stipend to cover those extra expenses. A football player at Alabama or a woman gymnast at Georgia is getting a check to pay for those things. Many schools up’d those COAs a few years ago when the stipends were allowed and Nick Sabin found out a recruit going to Penn State was going to get $6000 and his players were only going to get about $3000. Suddenly it cost more (on paper) to go to Alabama.
My own kids came no where close to spending that amount on books, travel, or toothpaste.
You will only be billed by the school for tuition, fees, room and board. If you take the student loans, you will be billed that $96 as an origination fee. The school doesn’t want you to be surprised that when you get to school you need to buy books, you need to get home for holidays, that you need to buy some shampoo and toothpaste. There are costs besides tuition.
Its just a guesstimate of living expenses so families aren’t surprised by how much books might be. You won’t actually be billed for for things like transportation (outside a parking pass if you drive) and “misc personal.” If you are living at home you will be only be billed the tuition and the loan fees (if you take a loan.) most people spend well under the estimates.
Those expenses are included because schools are allowed to award aid up to the cost of attendance - and the COA can include those expenses, which are real costs associated with a student’s education. COA is comprised of actual and estimated expenses. Students who are frugal can keep their costs to a minimum, of course.
Transportation and Miscellaneous Personal Expenses are, as others have said, only estimates of what they think that it might cost the average student. They don’t want students to be stuck when they need something and don’t have the money.
These costs will depend upon many details including where you are from, where you are studying, and personal habits. If you are from Florida and studying at U.Michigan, then you will need to pay for flights to get to and from home at least at Christmas and the beginning and end of the year, and you are going to need winter gear (which could be close to $1,000 if you start with nothing and are studying in a cold climate). If you are from Ann Arbor and are attending Michigan, transportation might go to nearly nothing and you will already have most of the winter gear (but might want a bit more since college students are outside so much).
Yes, if you live so close to school that you can live with your parents, then that will save you quite a bit of money. You might come out quite a bit below the $23,000 estimate, which is a pretty good deal given what university costs for so many right now in the US.