Yes, if you are in UVA, by all means do the community college route. Have kids stay at home and commute if at all possible (we pay more in room and board than we do for tuition for GMU). Make sure your students takes the requisite courses and get the requisite GPA then transfer to UVA. It's a terrific option; I don't know why more families jump fast into the $65K a year mess. Also, if your kids can handle it both during school year and during summer, they can take nondegree courses at both GMU and UVA which will cut back on the no. of classes (you pay be the credit hour) at the community college.

I suggest in-state options. If you have good ones, that's your best bet. And urge your kids to do as well as they can in high school, participate in sports, extra-curriculars, music, whatever interests them. Accomplishment in one area is more important than mere participation in many. Colleges do need a flute player, or a kid interested in sculpture or physical therapy, whatever.

A kid with good grades and a hook is more likely to get merit aid, even in state. Our DD got merit money from our state flagship because of her grades and test scores, mostly. So it's probably almost as cheap to send her there as to send her to community college, which is an option, but not by any means the only one for OP if her kids do well in school.

OOS public colleges will have lower tuition and many offer merit aid, FA, free rides, which will not include loans.

Put money into a 529 if you can, OP. It's a good option, as is a Roth, which will shield your savings so you qualify for more FA.

The cost of college is totally ridiculous. It's returning to the way it was when my grandfather went to college -- only the rich or super-bright who got scholarships went to college back then (at the beginning of the 20th century.) My grandfather was from a blue collar background, but he got a full scholarship, otherwise he'd never have gone to college.

It's great you're thinking about this now, OP. It does take knowledge and planning. You don't want to be saddled with loans, nor do you want your children saddled with loans. Stay far, far away from college loans -- they are a scam that will burden you and your kids for years!!

DC 1 and 2 went to private colleges financed by a mixture of:

-our money (loans, savings in 529s and investments)
-their loans and savings
-grant aid offered for economic need (varied between $0 to $30k depending on what the CSS and FAFSA showed each year -- we got more when two kids were simultaneously attending).

DC 3 will be starting college in a year, and we expect no financial aid this time. We will be eligible for tuition reimbursement of about $20k/yr through my higher education job. One of the best decisions I ever made was moving my work to a college for this benefit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 kids

DC1 - almost full ride, merit scholarship

DC2 - full tuition, merit scholarship

DC3 - full ride, merit

529 money will be used for post college education. No FA. 300HHI.

You're very lucky in many ways, but how is this helpful to OP?

I agree but how can anyone be helpful? OP hasn't provided anything specific on her situation other than the fact she has 4 kids and not enough saved.

Anonymous wrote:If you have a college ner you, consider commuting. Room and board can eat up $10-12,000 per year. Giant wasted of money over 4 years if you need some student loans. Look into ROTC- every college is different and it is a process, but can give you a free education for 4 years of service.

I disagree that room and board is a waste of money. Living away from home can be a huge learning experience. Yes, it costs money, but not that much at an in-state college. Tuition is the killer at private and OOS schools.

Anonymous wrote:3 kids

DC1 - almost full ride, merit scholarship

DC2 - full tuition, merit scholarship

DC3 - full ride, merit

529 money will be used for post college education. No FA. 300HHI.

You're very lucky in many ways, but how is this helpful to OP?

Anonymous wrote:Community college first. I don't know how people pay $20-$40k for first 2 years of 4 year program. It's like high school all over again.

DC got credits from his AP for that first year. It isn't a repeat. Plus, some majors don't do well with community college.

If you have a college ner you, consider commuting. Room and board can eat up $10-12,000 per year. Giant wasted of money over 4 years if you need some student loans. Look into ROTC- every college is different and it is a process, but can give you a free education for 4 years of service.

3 kids

DC1 - almost full ride, merit scholarship

DC2 - full tuition, merit scholarship

DC3 - full ride, merit

529 money will be used for post college education. No FA. 300HHI.

My fourth and last child is about to start college.

Child #1 went to a private college and had a combination of sports scholarships (swimming), academic scholarships, work-study during college, summer jobs, our money, and her loans.

Child #2 earned a full ride...yay!

Child #3 went to a state school and had a combination of academic scholarships, summer jobs, and our money (no loans).

Child #4 has nine acceptances with a variety of academic scholarships. She's leaning toward our state school with the same payment options as Child #3.

Our income is too high for any financial aid.

I've been happy that my kids have worked during school breaks, because otherwise that's a lot of downtime.

Oh yeah, kids also all had internships to assist with job options. I agree with the PP to check out College Confidential. Good luck!

OP really hasn't provided any specifics. I don't see how anyone can provide useful suggestions without knowing specifics.

This is why the average family in the US has 2 kids, or spaces them 4+ years apart. Part of the problem is that the price of tuition has risen much faster than the purchasing power of minimum wage. When I was in college, tuition for a year at a state university was $1600. Kids who "worked their way through" were largely paying living expenses. It's much more difficult for kids to replace their parent contributions by working now.

In addition to the solid advice above (have kids borrow up to 30K, first two years at community college), I would encourage kids to look into campus jobs that pay room and board, like being a resident advisor in a dorm. They can also do this for high school kids in summer school so that they can sock away all of their summer earnings.

If your kid is at all inclined toward computers, I would have them get some network administrator certificates (Microsoft etc.). They can earn a relatively high hourly wage fresh out of high school.

Anonymous wrote:We also have four kids. We considered college when talking about having them.

Chances are OPs kids are too big to stuff back in. Anything more helpful to add?

Anonymous wrote:Community college first. I don't know how people pay $20-$40k for first 2 years of 4 year program. It's like high school all over again.

I think this depends very much on the college and the student.

Community college first. I don't know how people pay $20-$40k for first 2 years of 4 year program. It's like high school all over again.