No way. I went to a college that I really didn't want to go to because it was the most highly regarded of the colleges that accepted me, and my parents pushed me in to it. I was accepted at a few other schools, that I think would have been a better fit ,but were not as prestigious and my parents really pushed the other one. I ended up leaving after first semester--not applying for a transfer to another university--just quitting. I feel strongly that young adults should choose their own university.

Absolutely, and that is our plan. My spouse's university has a reciprocal agreement with dozens of other pretty good schools, so our kids will have a choice. They will also have the option of studying their asses off and getting merit-based scholarships. They will NOT have the option of taking out loans. I know too many people who will be financially crippled well into middle age due to their educational loans. I won't let my kids do that to themselves. Teens make dumb decisions without thinking about the effect on their 30- and 40-year-old selves.

There was a groundskeeper at my undergrad university who was a lawyer. He quit his practice when the oldest of his five kids was in high school and mowed lawns for the university til the youngest graduated from college. He had done the math-- factoring in the pay cut and the lost earnings from having stepped away from his profession for 12 years, he was STILL more than a hundred thousand dollars to the good.

I would encourage them, and explain their other options. Assuming its a decent school, I would hope my kids would understand the value and opt to go the more affordable route as opposed to taking out loans for a different school.

Fwiw, I know a few families who let their kids pass up free rides (scholarships) at one school to attend another school at nearly $50k a year. Absurd if you ask me...I would not have allowed my kids to make such a silly choice. As an example: is $50k a year at Syracuse better than free ride at the honors program at U Md? I think not.

Undergrad is just a stepping stone. It's grad school that really matters. As long as it was a well respected school, is expect them to go for free or get scholarships/loans somewhere else.

What about the service academies? Would you require your child to apply?

My mother did, and I got in to West Point. I refused to go because I had not interest in a military career.

Chose a private university that offered great FA.

No, I wouldn't make my child. My parents encouraged me to but didn't make me. My brother did.

I would have no problem telling my kids that they can either attend this school for free (say, for at least 2 yrs with an option to transfer at that point) or they can pay their own way/ take out loans. That is a huge benefit, not a silly reason IMHO.

Force? No. But college is out of reach now for so many. Anything that reduces the risk of huge loans is an amazing gift.

I agree. I think it's a nice option to have and I think it would even be fair for the parents to say this is the only option they can fund and otherwise college will be funded by the kid. But once your kid is an adult you can't "make" them go to a specific college.

it would only take one child agreeing to do this to make a worthwhile financial decision, IMHO.

A lot of these deals include reciprocal agreements with other colleges. I might also "force" them to at least do the first two years there. College keeps getting more expensive.

I guess it depends. I know kids who went to school at a significantly reduced rate because one of their parents worked there. But these were pretty good schools, with decent rankings in many of their colleges. I also know someone who taught at a good school but her kids went to the public university, which was on par with or better than where she worked. And someone else I know had already picked out the schools and majors of his children while they were in ES. Maybe the deal will be that they get to go to her college for free and if they want to go somewhere else, they have to pay for it themselves. Had a friend who had this deal with his parents. He chose the school they were offering to pay for.

Force? No. But making a (presumably) excellent choice affordable? Sure, why not.

I opted to take advantage of that sort of arrangement, even though my parents DIScouraged me (they suggested it's good to leave home). But I couldn't justify anyone spending at the time $21,000/year when I could go for much, much less than that. As in zero tuition (though I had to pay for housing, which was $$$ enough).

I think some schools offer not just tuition at their own university, but some portion of tuition at any university?

I'd have to think about it more but I might tell the kids they can either go to my school or pay for their own if they don't want to. College is REALLY expensive.

My friend recently switched jobs and took a position at a small university. I was casually asking her about her new position and asked if it was a step up from her previous job and she said "no it was a lateral move and I took an 8 percent pay cut but I am guaranteed free tuition for up to 3 children. Even if they reduce or take away the benefit at a later date I will be grandfathered in." She was very excited about this benefit. I have to wonder though what are the chances her kids will want to attend this small liberal arts college that is 20 minutes away from her house? Her husband makes good money and she makes decent money so it seems like a silly reason to take a paycut and totally change up your career. Her children are all at least 6 years away from college and I just cant help but think it sounds very short cited just to assume this university will automatically fit each childs needs and wants.