Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 16:31     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
No.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 16:20     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a ton of DMV families who pay full price for Michigan. Some private, some public. Some are very wealthy, some have $400K saved in college accounts, some are paying out of current earnings and living very, very lean.

Many kids really want to attend Michigan. Parents pay. I get it. Parents do crazy things to make their kids happy and paying for education is among the easiest expenses to rationalize.


No one is arguing that. Objectively, it's not worth it. Subjectively, sure whatever you do you do.


Well then this conversation is dumb. There are no schools that are objectively worth $400k.


MIT is arguably worth $400K (full pay, taking inflation into account) given the expected career projection.

ROI https://sfs.mit.edu/undergraduate-students/the-cost-of-attendance/return-on-investment/

Ironically, MIT is very generous in providing financial aid, with an estimated 60% of its undergrads receiving aid. Free tuition for earners up to $200K and full ride for earners up to $100K. The ROI for these income brackets go through the roof.


Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 11:21     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
My SIL paid about 400k each of her three kids to attend undergrad. They can afford it. We can’t and I don’t care. No way for us. But each person’s situation is different.

Is it “worth it?” That’s up to the buyer to decide.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 11:09     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a ton of DMV families who pay full price for Michigan. Some private, some public. Some are very wealthy, some have $400K saved in college accounts, some are paying out of current earnings and living very, very lean.

Many kids really want to attend Michigan. Parents pay. I get it. Parents do crazy things to make their kids happy and paying for education is among the easiest expenses to rationalize.


No one is arguing that. Objectively, it's not worth it. Subjectively, sure whatever you do you do.


Well then this conversation is dumb. There are no schools that are objectively worth $400k.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 11:05     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Okay but is ANY school worth $400?! It does not matter if it’s public OOS or private. Boston College? NYU? USC? Are they more “worth” it? I don’t think so.

Many families can easily pay it and so there is no great sacrifice happening. 529s are flush, grandparents are sharing the cost, investments are booming, business is thriving.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 11:03     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:I know a ton of DMV families who pay full price for Michigan. Some private, some public. Some are very wealthy, some have $400K saved in college accounts, some are paying out of current earnings and living very, very lean.

Many kids really want to attend Michigan. Parents pay. I get it. Parents do crazy things to make their kids happy and paying for education is among the easiest expenses to rationalize.


No one is arguing that. Objectively, it's not worth it. Subjectively, sure whatever you do you do.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 11:00     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t pay that much for any school.


Maybe, but I would trust your response more if you had written:

"I couldn't pay that much for any school."


lol at you assuming I won't means I can't. Whatever makes you feel better. Spend away.


No, I did not make that assumption, although it is likely based on the style & content of your response.

I know lots of wealthy folks for whom the education & prestige matter more than the money.


lol
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:47     Subject: Re:Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Of course it’s not “worth it” but if DD gets in we are willing to pay it even though she’s pursuing a lower pay career. I’m not ecstatic about the idea of spending that much in it but I think the school would be a good fit and good experience given her preferences and other options and we can afford it without jeopardizing retirement and all that
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:23     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:400K post tax money. So many delusional parents in DCUM.


Not for us. I invested aggressively in our 529 and made $200k+ for UM tax free. In fact, in 2022 and 2023 our gains paid for tuition in full.


lol it's still money and 400,000. No one asked if you had it. The question was is...is it worth it.

Worth is subjective and will depend on your resources and alternatives. We are full pay, and like a PP, aggressively saved in 529s from birth, and how have >400k in a 529 for each kid. If the youngest wants Michigan, and gets in (probably won't), yes, we would pay. It's all about the alternatives and their costs. If we couldn't so easily afford that, the kid would go in-state or to a lower-ranked school that gives merit discounts. But we can, and as much as I think that's uncommon, apparently there are plenty of others who can also easily afford it.


Unless your kid wants to be an engineer, sorry (I think that's a stronger argument base on salaries and career outcomes), this is not subjective. Not worth it. That's different than you wanting to pay for it because your kid wants to go there (that's subjective). Two different things.

All of worth is subjective.

So worth, for you, is ROI. Incidentally, kid happens to be aiming for engineering, tho for ROI I doubt the difference is very significant over other state schools, and is not part of our consideration. We also have a kid at a T10 who originally went for poli sci, now changing to engineering.

Worth, for us, includes my kid wanting it and us having no issue of affordability, no impact of the additional spending over our in-state option.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:20     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
I know a ton of DMV families who pay full price for Michigan. Some private, some public. Some are very wealthy, some have $400K saved in college accounts, some are paying out of current earnings and living very, very lean.

Many kids really want to attend Michigan. Parents pay. I get it. Parents do crazy things to make their kids happy and paying for education is among the easiest expenses to rationalize.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:18     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:Somewhere around half of undergrads are out of state, mostly full pay, probably 15k kids. So, quote few with a different opinion - or different family finances - than those who think it isn't worth it.


And even full-pay OOS isn't 100K a year. It's obviously worth it to 16,558 people. https://umich.edu/facts-figures/
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:15     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:Somewhere around half of undergrads are out of state, mostly full pay, probably 15k kids. So, quote few with a different opinion - or different family finances - than those who think it isn't worth it.

*quite, not quote
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 10:15     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Somewhere around half of undergrads are out of state, mostly full pay, probably 15k kids. So, quote few with a different opinion - or different family finances - than those who think it isn't worth it.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 09:57     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Wow. No, of course not. It's bizarre to me to see anyone saying yes but maybe they just have a million saved for each kid's college fund and can't imagine anywhere else to spend the surplus.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2025 09:54     Subject: Is U Michigan OOS worth $400K?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t pay that much for any school.


Maybe, but I would trust your response more if you had written:

"I couldn't pay that much for any school."


lol at you assuming I won't means I can't. Whatever makes you feel better. Spend away.


No, I did not make that assumption, although it is likely based on the style & content of your response.

I know lots of wealthy folks for whom the education & prestige matter more than the money.