Are We Crazy for Questioning a $250k US Degree and looking abroad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids are taking off outside of the US to study. It makes economic and political sense. There is a surge going to the UK, Spain, and Canada.US colleges and universities are unaffordable and you have to jump through so many hoops to prove this or that. It’s exhausting. We personally don’t want to play the game anymore. Put DD is going to Spain. It’s a better country to be in anyway vs the US.

Yeah sure, Spain in great with the youth unemployment at 30% compared to US at 9%.

Yet they have universal health care, no school shootings and great food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we are seriously considering UofT (Toronto St. George campus) for DD. As dual Canadian-US citizens, tuition will be around $10K US atu UofT versus $45K US for a similar oos public uni.

No brainer. Our kid trying to decide between Edi and StA, both over USC which was his best admit in the US, but no merit.

No financial aid at USC? Average yearly cost of attendance is $[b]41k.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/university-of-southern-california/tuition-and-costs

I get that most of these examples are made up, but either you have the money and it doesn’t make sense to scrape the barrel for good deals overseas, or you need financial aid and US universities will give you some.

Also 8 APs will be enough for one year of general education credits, if you need to graduate early.

No, USC is one of the most expensive SLACs in the U.S. at $99,918 a year but purposefully allows in that figure only $414 for travel so it won’t go over the critical $100k mark. DCUM readers will all go over $100k a year to attend. Here’s the actual admissions site: https://financialaid.usc.edu/undergraduate-financial-aid/cost-of-attendance/

You seem uneducated about college cost in US. [b]That’s the cost of attendance with full tuition price. Not everyone pays that, at USC 66% of the students get financial aid and 20% get merit aid.


Quite well educated actually. Everyone here speaks of total COA, which every college supplies. Most readers here will not get financial aid and only a few will get merit if they are willing to drop down in the ratings and if their kid has something salable that the private wants. Otherwise, like me, they will pay full freight - for all three kids.

As I said, you’re probably lying about your kids USC admission, or you have a lot of money and you don’t need financial aid. In that case it’s sort of dumb to go for Durham instead of USC.

Also note that the PP who said USC at $41,000 specifically said “cost of attendance”. That is wrong COA is $100k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we are seriously considering UofT (Toronto St. George campus) for DD. As dual Canadian-US citizens, tuition will be around $10K US atu UofT versus $45K US for a similar oos public uni.

No brainer. Our kid trying to decide between Edi and StA, both over USC which was his best admit in the US, but no merit.

No financial aid at USC? Average yearly cost of attendance is $41k.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/university-of-southern-california/tuition-and-costs

I get that most of these examples are made up, but either you have the money and it doesn’t make sense to scrape the barrel for good deals overseas, or you need financial aid and US universities will give you some.

Also 8 APs will be enough for one year of general education credits, if you need to graduate early.

this is a really old way of thinking. plenty of people have a couple million dollars and don't get FA -- but paying 800k for two kids seems ridic.

St Andrews and Kings were on the table for my kid. Would have taken those over a lot of other 90k options, like Georgetown or BC. Got into HYP so decided it was worth it. 60k is a lot cheaper than 90k.

I was just talking about this last night with some mom friends - taking Wisconsin over Michigan bcs the price is a lot different. This feels like the same thing. Is MI a "better" school? I guess. Will your outcomes be actually different, probably not. And, say, giving the kid a paid off car at college graduation, 2k a month for rent for 3 years, and moving that 35k from 529 to Roth in early 20s would both meaningfully make a kids life better. OR paying for grad school.

Everyone has their own financial priorities. If $60k is your budget run a net price calculator and don’t apply to USC, and BC if they are over that line. Quoting the sticker price tuition to compare is silly when so many students get a discount, but it will be dependent on family finances.

What people consistently say here is that a US Public College is similarly priced if not cheaper that a UK Public University. I’d take UVA, UMD, MI, Wisconsin, Delaware, Florida, U Texas, UNC, Georgia, UMass, UDub, SUNY, UIUC, UCs, UC Boulder, Minnesota, etc over Durham any day if I’m in state. Most states, especially the populous ones, have a flagship that’s decent, and cover more than 80% of the US population.

Save the money for grad school if that’s your thing.

I'd say more people on this forum than not pay the sticker price.

for top 25 schools, fully half pay sticker. and it's not that hard to be in that half if you're a two income professional couple. at all. You apply to BC etc because you dont know what your final choices will be. USC might be the best you get. Would I rather pay 95k to Yale than BC? Sure. But I dont know that going in. what I know is I'm paying sticker at these schools that have very little merit. To get merit, you need to go down the rungs a bit. Which is smart to do too

Most here are too wealthy to receive help from
FAFSA, and therefore will receive only the federal unsubsidized loans, which are capped at a low point. Most here also wont get merit unless they purposefully chase it. Schools aren’t going to give merit unless they have to, which why there is so little merit at the top. Accordingly, we received nothing - which is why the first question any college counselor will ask you is”what is your budget”? Because you don’t want to dangle schools in front of your kids only to have later say “well, you got in but we can’t afford it”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids are taking off outside of the US to study. It makes economic and political sense. There is a surge going to the UK, Spain, and Canada.US colleges and universities are unaffordable and you have to jump through so many hoops to prove this or that. It’s exhausting. We personally don’t want to play the game anymore. Put DD is going to Spain. It’s a better country to be in anyway vs the US.

Yeah sure, Spain in great with the youth unemployment at 30% compared to US at 9%.

Yet they have universal health care, no school shootings and great food.

They also need to live with their parents well into their forties because they can’t afford an independent life but at least mom’s food is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No we are seriously considering UofT (Toronto St. George campus) for DD. As dual Canadian-US citizens, tuition will be around $10K US atu UofT versus $45K US for a similar oos public uni.

No brainer. Our kid trying to decide between Edi and StA, both over USC which was his best admit in the US, but no merit.

No financial aid at USC? Average yearly cost of attendance is $[b]41k.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/university-of-southern-california/tuition-and-costs

I get that most of these examples are made up, but either you have the money and it doesn’t make sense to scrape the barrel for good deals overseas, or you need financial aid and US universities will give you some.

Also 8 APs will be enough for one year of general education credits, if you need to graduate early.

No, USC is one of the most expensive SLACs in the U.S. at $99,918 a year but purposefully allows in that figure only $414 for travel so it won’t go over the critical $100k mark. DCUM readers will all go over $100k a year to attend. Here’s the actual admissions site: https://financialaid.usc.edu/undergraduate-financial-aid/cost-of-attendance/

You seem uneducated about college cost in US. [b]That’s the cost of attendance with full tuition price. Not everyone pays that, at USC 66% of the students get financial aid and 20% get merit aid.


Quite well educated actually. Everyone here speaks of total COA, which every college supplies. Most readers here will not get financial aid and only a few will get merit if they are willing to drop down in the ratings and if their kid has something salable that the private wants. Otherwise, like me, they will pay full freight - for all three kids.

As I said, you’re probably lying about your kids USC admission, or you have a lot of money and you don’t need financial aid. In that case it’s sort of dumb to go for Durham instead of USC.

Also note that the PP who said USC at $41,000 specifically said “cost of attendance”. That is wrong COA is $100k

Read the link, they define net price ($41k) as cost of attendance minus scholarships and grants.

Others define cost of attendance as including room and board and other expenses. Regardless, in this context $41k is the tuition the average student pays, which is a far cry from $71k the previous posters referenced.