Anonymous wrote:DCTAG is a joke. Unless your child really wants to go to a state school, the out of state tuition minus TAG is still a lot. Most strong students are better off at a private school that gives merit aid.

The extra $5k is insulting after this long - it should have been indexed to the inflation of state college costs, or be set at a fixed percentage.

No question...privates are a better deal!

Ugh. The grant hasn't increase since I was in college 20 years ago! Fingers-crossed they get it together before my oldest starts college in 10 years...

jsteele wrote:Sadly, the version of the DC Appropriations included in the Omnibus spending bill that Congress is expected to approve today does not include the annual or lifetime increases. So, all the excitement of this thread was for nothing.

Good lesson- don't get too excited or scared about any small details in the spending bill until it comes up for a vote. So much behind the scenes horse trading right up until publication.

Dang that’s frustrating.

Sadly, the version of the DC Appropriations included in the Omnibus spending bill that Congress is expected to approve today does not include the annual or lifetime increases. So, all the excitement of this thread was for nothing.

DCTAG is a joke. Unless your child really wants to go to a state school, the out of state tuition minus TAG is still a lot. Most strong students are better off at a private school that gives merit aid.

The extra $5k is insulting after this long - it should have been indexed to the inflation of state college costs, or be set at a fixed percentage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It must be nice. I can’t help but to wonder where this TAG money comes from and if residents in other states are supplementing it. Virginia’s version is only a few thousand dollars.

OK. I'll bite. And you moved to the burbs for the "schools" so your kid wouldn't be in the "urban" environment. Too bad those other kids get a benefit that your privilege didn't give yorus. (Don't worry... your kid will be alright).

Yes, they will be alright. I’m envious of the parents who are getting the financial assistance!

You are getting the same thing from your state school.

Not they’re getting better.

University of MD
Maryland residents pay: $9000
DC residents pay: $37,000 - $15,000 TAG=$22,000

Are the figures above the full cost or just the tuition?

The multi millionaire in California still gets to send her kids to UCLA for in-state tuition. No questions. DC TAG should not be means tested.

Anonymous wrote:DC should only give TAG $ to families making under $200,000.
That way they can increase the yearly amount to $20K per year to be used towards both tuition AND housing costs.

Average American family income is less than $70,000.

A family making 3x the average doesn’t need government help.

This is a well-intentioned fallacy. Means-testing increases burden for the people who most need help. The cost of helping the relatively few wealthy families who send their kids to public school is absolutely worth the increase in lower-income families who will take advantage of the benefit if there are fewer hurdles. And when more families across the income spectrum benefit, it’s harder to take the benefit away; just look at Medicare, which no one will ever touch because wealthy seniors would revolt.

Anonymous wrote:DC should only give TAG $ to families making under $200,000.
That way they can increase the yearly amount to $20K per year to be used towards both tuition AND housing costs.

Average American family income is less than $70,000.

A family making 3x the average doesn’t need government help.

So exacerbate the issue doughnut families have trying to address the issue of covering costs for college?

Anonymous wrote:DC should only give TAG $ to families making under $200,000.
That way they can increase the yearly amount to $20K per year to be used towards both tuition AND housing costs.

Average American family income is less than $70,000.

A family making 3x the average doesn’t need government help.

DC CAP is available to help lower income families.

Average mortgage for a DC family is probably 3x the amount of that of the average American family!

DC should only give TAG $ to families making under $200,000.
That way they can increase the yearly amount to $20K per year to be used towards both tuition AND housing costs.

Average American family income is less than $70,000.

A family making 3x the average doesn’t need government help.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It must be nice. I can’t help but to wonder where this TAG money comes from and if residents in other states are supplementing it. Virginia’s version is only a few thousand dollars.

So UVA in state tuition is 18k. Out of state is 52k. That is just tuition. So even if my kid gets 15k from DCTAG I am still supplementing VA schools.

You're welcome.

This. We are in DC but 15k is far from making up the difference of paying OOS.

Virginia resident here-My child attends Clemson and we pay out of state tuition. I don’t understand how the cost of out of state tuition justifies a $15k credit that other students don’t get.

Because your child had the option to attend any one of the many excellent public universities in Virginia at an in-state rate. Residents of the District have no such option other than UDC, a commuter school that is pretty much a community college. None.

Okay, this makes sense. I hadn’t thought of that. Is GW private? American?

Thank you for being open-minded and appreciating the reason for this provision when presented with the rationale. Most people don't understand that DC does not have a public state school similar to every other state and don't really recognize how daunting it could be to not have any option for in-state tuition.

Absolutely, and I doubt many understand that many of their public state schools were founded using federal money.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrill_Land-Grant_Acts

And even more, that the funds for that came from selling federal land, much of which had essentially been stolen or forcibly seized from Native American tribes.