I was looking into New Mexico State University and transferring to Curry. But how do these students usually pay for room and board. Is it really that expensive per semester? My Uncle’s friend was saying how the school he went to had room and board fee’s in the thousands. Do loans pay for that? Or do you come out of pocket?
this thread is digressing.
At this point, you have a 21 ACT score, and a sub 3.0 GPA. And you are a Michigan resident.
Frankly, you should be looking at either a community college in Michigan with the option of completing your bachelors at an instate public…or maybe one of the Michigan directional public universities.
@romanigypsyeyes your thoughts?
Re: loans. You can use Loans to pay for any of your college costs.
For the life of me…I can’t figire out why you would want to start at New Mexico State…and transfer to Curry.
New Mexico State costs $36,000 plus for out of state students per year. How will you pay that. I don’t think your current ACT or GPA will get you any merit aid at New Mexico. @WayOutWestMom
Curry is over $55,000 a year. How are you planning to find that? And why Curry??
OP, are you a Michigan resident?
OP, you may be helped by googling. It’s 27k total, over 4 years.
And 45-75% interest rate?? No way. That would be usury.
We are firmly saying don’t take more than the 27k via the federal student loan program. If your parents choose the parent plus loan, they also have to pay it back. Just not wise for folks without a large college budget to take on large loans. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. There’s no magic in going into steep debt. Instead, choose colleges you can afford. As i said, run the NPCs.
You need some correct understanding. Google finaid.org and get a copy if How to Pay for College Without Going Broke or Finaid for Dummies. You’ve got to build your understanding.
These are steps we all took.
And to learn what colleges cost, you just read up on that college’s web site. Don’t go by what your uncle’s friend said. Look it up yourself. That’s how we learn.
Like anything you buy, there’s a cost. Tuition covers academics, room/board is dorm and food, plus other fees.
What about tuition reimbursement?
Yes.
What about it? What applies to you?
Does that knock out a good portion of debt? Do you do that after college, or during college?
You do it by getting a job where your employer says they’ll pay you to go to college while you work. It does nothing for prior expenses.
See, again you miss the basic understanding.
Please Google tuition remission, then tell us if that opportunity does apply for you.
This thread is tiresome. You’re a Michigan resident and you have a budget of 10 to 15 K a year from your parents. You can borrow $5500 as a freshman. So find a school that will cost you about $20,000 a year. Can you commute to in Michigan school?
Aren’t community colleges and Junior colleges the same?
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Aren't community colleges and Junior colleges the same?<<
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Junior Colleges do not just take all comers, and often have more of a campus feel, and sports teams, than community colleges. I think the old California jr colleges became community colleges, and some do have sports teams, but in some states the community colleges are more like office parks with just buildings and parking. It just depends. Watch Last Chance U on Netflix to see the JUCO sports league in full force.
Community colleges usually are 2 year public institutions. Some offer 4 year degrees in particular high-need fields. Some otherwise community-type publics only offer 2 year programs, but just call themselves colleges, and some call themselves junior colleges. The CC in my home town was a JC until fairly recently, and the CC where I live now is just a C.
Other junior colleges are private usually 2 year institutions. Some private 2 year institutions just call themselves colleges.
Comm colleges are primarily 2 year programs. But not all 2 year schools are community or public colleges, supported by tax dollars, nor as inexpensive. Many junior colleges are private.
Most people aren’t borrowing their way through college. People who attend residential college, especially OOS residential colleges, have parents who can pay, earn merit aid, have high enough stats that they get into a school that offers great need based aid, or some combination of the above. If your parents have to co-sign those kind of loans for you, the school is too expensive for your family. Are your parents even willing to borrow $120k for you? Why should they take on such enormous debt just so you can go to an OOS residential college? Why would you want to graduate with over $150k in debt even if you could?
You have to work within your budget. Find a school you can pay for with your parents’ contribution, the federal student loan, and summer work earnings. If you don’t have a summer job yet, go get one. Spend some time studying for the ACT to try to increase your 21 to a 29 and figure out how to get your 2.5 GPA above a 3.0. If you increase your stats, you’ll have more options.
Do you have siblings? If so, what did they do for college?
What is your question here? You are hopping all over the place. Are you trying to figure out a way to afford a college that costs more than $20,000 a year?
You have a couple of challenges.
- Does your family qualify for need based aid? You say they can “afford” $10k-$15k”....but the schools will calculate what they CAN pay based on income and assets.
- Currently your ACT is 21 and you have a below 3.0 GPA which will likely NOT position you for merit aid. It will also not position you to get accepted to colleges that guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students.
- @romanigypsyeyes yes, this student is a Michigan resident. What options are there in that state that might work for this student?
- How will you pay for colleges that cost in excess of $50,000 a year (like Curry...and what is the draw to Curry??), or OOS publics like NM State that cost in the mid $30,000s. And what is the reason for NEEDING to go to these schools.
- Have you even LOOKED at your Michigan instate options. You probably aren’t well positioned for admission to U Mich or Mich State, but the state also had directional colleges where you would have a better chance of acceptance. In addition, if there is one within commuting distance of your home, it might actually be affordable. @romanigypsyeyes can list out the Michigan schools and costs.
- It sounds like you want to go to a more costly school than your parent budget. Are they willing to take out a Parent Plus Loan or a private loan for you? Will they co-sign Loans?
- What is your intended major?
- Do you plan to retake the ACT or take the SAT...and how will your grades be this year?
I can answer the question about how students afford to live on campus. At Curry, a significant percentage do not live on campus - they are commuter students. Many of them live at home with their parents because they cannot afford room and board. Also realize the graduation rate is on the low side, which could indicate students having difficulty financing their entire education.
While Curry is a perfectly fine school, it seems an odd choice for someone to want to travel so far to attend unless they had a significant academic scholarship. It’s really more of a local/regional school. I can’t imagine there aren’t schools closer to the OP that are of the same caliber.
With an ACT of 21, that’s right on the average for Curry students, making any significant merit aid unlikely.
How do people pay for their education?
- Parents who have saved for years to pay for college
- Parents who make/have enough money to be able to afford to pay out of pocket
- Parents who are willing and able to go into debt or take from their retirement
- Living in a state with affordable state universities and state subsidy programs
- Winning national scholarship contests
- Being eligible for significant need-based aid from the govt and the schools
- Earning merit money from the college
- Being a scholarship athlete
- Tuition remission, where you work full-time and your employer agrees to pay for all or part of your education
- Being the child of a faculty member at certain universities that allow children to attend an no or reduced cost
- Being the child of a faculty member at certain universities that participate in dependent tuition exchange programs
- Having some outstandingly unique feature that makes schools want you on their campus
- Working while attending school
- Living with parents and commuting
- Convincing parents or others to take out/cosign loans they can’t afford
- Attending a school they can afford rather than going to a school they can’t afford and have to drop out of
A significant number of students never live on campus. And many take far more than 4 years due to the need to work. One of the biggest problems with student debt is the number of students who have taken out loans - and still not been able to afford completing their degree. It’s hard to pay off student debt, but even harder if you never completed the degree program.
Right. A student needs to make a wise decision: you want an education, are willing to commute to a less expensive starter (cc) and live at home? Or you have pie in the sky dreams about colleges you…cannot…afford.