Just calculated projected college costs for my kid and almost vomited

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That seems awfully high. The most expensive colleges we’ve seen are $70K a year so $280 for four years currently. Even 15 years out that seems high.

No, the most expensive schools are now in the $80k range. Prices are rising FAST.

When my oldest started at Tufts in the fall of 2012, cost of attendance (tuition, room, board, fees) was $56k and we thought that was absurdly expensive and sometimes couldn’t believe we were paying that much. Now, for the upcoming school year, that $56k doesn’t even cover tuition at Tufts! Tuition is now $59,500, r&b is $15,500, and fees are $1300. It’s crazy.

Except no kid NEEDS to go to Tufts. Or a Nescac. The Ivies at least are the most generous schools in the country. If you are rich enough to not get FA at a top private you can surely afford a state flagship without loans, which not everyone can do. Count your blessings!

I never said they did. I am grateful we could afford it but would’ve had no problem sending her to a state school if we couldn’t have. The point of the post was not that, but to respond to Pp’s assertion that the estimates seem high and her doubts that private colleges would be that expensive in 15 years. She might not believe it, but it’s true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WHY ARE WE accepting this?????

It’s complete bullshit. Next on agenda: college reform. It’s absolutely immoral.

Them we can't accept the rich getting richer either, which by and large we do. Mostly because we benefit or think we do from that. We would also not accept any benefits of inflated housing prices. I agree with you on reform, but it would take systemic economic and social reform. Are you ready for that?

There is a lot of dead wood jobs on college campuses. I have a number of friends who work on college campuses who are not professors and have nothing to do with students but fly around and go to meetings.

+1

The first that need to go are the people who have been there forever, delegate (so they can have a fluff "supervisory" title) their work to others, and barely contribute. When you are on campus, you can see certain employees on the phone, instead of helping people - and there is always a few people who get stuck with all the work, but get no accolades. Total BS.

Not to mention, do the higher ups really need to make about a half mil per year? And who is going to use all those shiny new buildings during quarantine, which is our new normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WHY ARE WE accepting this?????

It’s complete bullshit. Next on agenda: college reform. It’s absolutely immoral.

Them we can't accept the rich getting richer either, which by and large we do. Mostly because we benefit or think we do from that. We would also not accept any benefits of inflated housing prices. I agree with you on reform, but it would take systemic economic and social reform. Are you ready for that?

There is a lot of dead wood jobs on college campuses. I have a number of friends who work on college campuses who are not professors and have nothing to do with students but fly around and go to meetings.

+1

The first that need to go are the people who have been there forever, delegate (so they can have a fluff "supervisory" title) their work to others, and barely contribute. When you are on campus, you can see certain employees on the phone, instead of helping people - and there is always a few people who get stuck with all the work, but get no accolades. Total BS.

Not to mention, do the higher ups really need to make about a half mil per year? And who is going to use all those shiny new buildings during quarantine, which is our new normal?

you sound bitter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

Republican governors aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Back when our now seventeen-year-old was that age, they told us $1,600 a month in order to be able to pay for private by the time she went to college. We had the same reaction as you, because at the time, that was more than our mortgage. We have saved enough in the 529 to pay for four years at the State College, and there will be some leftover (toward grad school?).

We've had honest conversations, this past year, saying we will pay up to xx amount per year for college. Some from the 529, some from cash as our salaries have gone up in the past 15 years, but not the $70,000 per year sticker price at private full pay Tier 1 colleges.

She is hoping for some merit money at her first and second choice schools, and if not she has the choice of applying for outside scholarships, or choosing a less expensive college. We will not allow her to go into crazy debt for college. Especially not undergrad.

[Anonymous]

I graduated college 15 years ago and my state school's tuition is about 20% more than I paid. The state school numbers sound absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated college 15 years ago and my state school's tuition is about 20% more than I paid. The state school numbers sound absurd.

Sadly, that's what both Vanguard and the College Board calculators produced as estimates. They assume about a 5% increase each year.

[Anonymous]

It is crazy. I remember projecting on one of those calculators, when my son was little, that tuition could be $65/yr at a private school when he got to college. I thought, that’s outrageous. But he’s only a high school sophomore now and it is already higher than that some places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's 3. I used the Vanguard calculator and it came out with the following projected tuition costs:

Public in state: $196,681
Public out of state: $343,454
Less expensive private: $446,837
More expensive private (so the ones that now cost around $60K/year): $539,392

We make a good living and have one kid, but how the hell are we supposed to be able to afford these tuition costs?! To get to the public in-state option, and assuming no appreciation from investment options, we'd have to put away roughly $1100/month starting now. Well, we pay for preschool and have a mortgage, so that isn't happening at all easily. Saving for the most expensive private universities would require putting away $3000/month starting now.

Someone tell me how the hell people do this.

20-25 years ago the predictors said $100k for in state and $250k for private no scholarship for my children and they were correct. I am not surprised in them doubling in 20 years. Inflation takes care of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

Republican governors aren’t.

How about some Dems then? Name a couple who've made this a campaign pledge.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, all. I know lots of people make it work, and we will too. It just feels so daunting right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

Republican governors aren’t.

How about some Dems then? Name a couple who've made this a campaign pledge.

I live in Florida and our state universities are already very cheap to begin with (under $20k for everything — room, board, tuition) but we also have a program called Bright Futures which allows students with certain credentials to go to state Us virtually free of cost. Georgia also has a program where high achieving students can go for an extremely low price. Amazing!!!! How about those good Democratic states of California or New Jersey? 😅

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

Republican governors aren’t.

How about some Dems then? Name a couple who've made this a campaign pledge.

I live in Florida and our state universities are already very cheap to begin with (under $20k for everything — room, board, tuition) but we also have a program called Bright Futures which allows students with certain credentials to go to state Us virtually free of cost. Georgia also has a program where high achieving students can go for an extremely low price. Amazing!!!! How about those good Democratic states of California or New Jersey? 😅

I'm a PA resident now and I'm pretty jealous of this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember that when you VOTE!

?? Who is going to lower the costs? Serious question.

Republican governors aren’t.

How about some Dems then? Name a couple who've made this a campaign pledge.

I live in Florida and our state universities are already very cheap to begin with (under $20k for everything — room, board, tuition) but we also have a program called Bright Futures which allows students with certain credentials to go to state Us virtually free of cost. Georgia also has a program where high achieving students can go for an extremely low price. Amazing!!!! How about those good Democratic states of California or New Jersey? 😅

Um, you might want to look up In-state tuition at UCs and CSUs before you start comparing to California. I don’t know much about NJ, but Rutgers is like $11,500 a year. You look like an idiot.