My daughter will be going to college in the fall. We are still waiting to hear where she is accepted., West Virginia University is one that said yes, still waiting for Pitt and Penn State, soooo what I want to know, is- do most colleges really cost the full tuition price? How do most people pay for this huge cost? (Besides home equity loans) Any helpful tidbits from anyo college parents out there??

My baby will graduate from Ohio State in March 2007. Luckily my husband and I both work, are professionals, and saved for them as children. We still have to pay. He has a scholarship that covers about 1/2 of his tution. We still pay for an apartment, utilities, food, etc. Probably $250 - $300 a week (every 10 weeks) for everything including books, etc.
This is the third and final one. We have been fortunate to be able to pay for them and none of the three had to take out loans, or did we. Our daughter's work paid for her master's degree.
I wish you well - we cut back on vacations, gifts, etc. to be able to do this and I know many people who are not as fortunate as we are.

P.S. Yes, they do cost the full tuition and more!

They have a loan that parent can take out it's called something like a Stafford Loan you may also check salliemae.com they have some great rates, but College it's expensive I paid $40k only $1,900 more to pay on that loan thank god & MOM

Can you say scholarships!!!! Start applying for all that you can find. If you get one from one college which is not the first choice -- see if the first choice one will match the offer. Division 2 schools offer a good education and are cheaper. She can get her basics out of the way and then transfer if need be.

Have your dd go to her High School Counselor. They are often aware of scholarships, loans or grants. Also, contact the finance/admission office at the colleges she is considering and inquire about financial aid which can come in the form of Work/Study, Loans, Scholarships, Grants etc. Some of the scholarships or grants can be based on financial need, grades or majors. Good Luck!

My college roomate did "work/study". Her family qualified, so they guaranteed her a job at the University, it was Penn State! She worked in a library, and could study when she was not helping someone, so she liked it. Not sure if she had a choice of the job or not. They paid min. wage at the time and her shifts were very short and worked around her class schedule.

Paulette

I put myself through college but wow, prices have really gone up! Crazy!!! My kids are still little so I'm not up on a lot of this but with nieces and nephews all going, I've overheard their parents and learned a little bit that might help.

There is something that you can put money into for kids who are close to graduating called a '529 Plan'.

Maybe check out www.savingforcollege.com They have lots of great resources there... like info on the 529.

Be sure to just take full advantage of student loans (I learned a lot about paying off loans very young with that one!), grants, scholarships, etc., etc., etc.

Yes, the HS Counselor is an excellent resource (in many cases).
Best of luck!

I started saving when the kids were in pre-school with prepaid college tuition credits through the state of OH. The way it works is, you pay for college credits at a very low price based on their age and then when you cash them in, the price per credit is based on today's prices. It is backed by the state of Ohio. I was the purchaser and my sons were the beneficiary. They are then taxed at the beneficiary's tax rate. Since the boys only earn a small amount of money throughout the year (basically it is considered poverty level) it is taxed at their rate. My oldest is a senior at Miami University, OH and the other one just got accepted there for the fall. For Ohio residents that want more info, call 1-800-afford-it or check out the website, www.collegeadvantage.com Good Luck. I figure when they graduate, it will be like winning the lottery for my hubby and me.

our daughter is going to college now and boy is it expensive. not just tutition but the books! thats a huge expense. one of her books last yr was 200.00 and that was just one of many she had to buy. save save save is the best thing I can tell you.

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Wait until you see the price of room & board.

My daughter is a freshman and thankfully got a 4 year all tuition paid scholarship (she was a 4.0 student in high school). We still have to pay for room & board and books. Room & board is $3500 per semester and freshmen HAVE to live on campus.

My plan for my kids is to go to a community college for 2 yrs & they can live at home while they go. I know what you mean about books my dh just graduated last year & I couldnt believe how much they cost. We also have a savings plan for the kids I am sure it wont cover much but at least it will be a start for them.

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mom of 3 greats girls

Try www.half.com for textbooks... often these are used books but usually at a much discounted price and every one that I have ordered for my own community college classes has been in great shape (like they were not used, hah!!!).

Be aware that state schools don't give as many scholarships as do private ones.

Therefore, unless your dd has some quality that the school is especially looking for, those schools may expect you to pay the full price. In state tuition is cheaper than out of state, of course.

Get your FAFSA and f/a application in EARLY, as many public colleges give out the f/a money as they receive applications, not all at once the way some of the private schools do.

You can do the f/a estimator that is at the college board site, which will tell you how much the govt. expects you to pay upfront. The rest will probably be loans and work-study, a Pell grant if you fall into the income range.

It's expensive. My dd has two terrific scholarships, and we're still writing big, big checks. Her tuition, room and board is around $45,000/year.

I haven't found her books to be very expensive, though. She hasn't needed that many actual textbooks, and she has bought almost all of her books used and resold them.

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"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." --Matthew 5:9

My son is entering college this spring, so we are taking the community college route until he figures out what he wants to do. The prices are manageable, the classes are small & he can even opt to take an online course in addition to his regular course load. I will be saving like a mad person for the tuition when he proceeds to a regular college for his bachelor's degree.

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We're off to never never land

If your dd gets in to Penn State you can shop at the Giant stores there and get double $1's! I'm 30 miles from State College.

I went back to school to a private (two year) business school when I was 25. I got some financial aid and the rest I had to take out in loans. It cost me $10,000 a year for this school and I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket while I was going. Of course, I didn't have to pay rent, utilities, etc like your daughter will, though.

There is a loan that parents can take out instead of a home equity. The interest on student loans is lower than most other loans. I pay 3%.

Good luck to your daughter!

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Amy
Mom to Lauren, Eryn, Naysa
and announcing......
Gavin Michael Chase, 9 lbs 10 ozs
and 21 3/4 inches long on 10/13/09!

OK, here's a little something off the beaten track. It takes a very creative and motivated person, but it works. DS set up at craft sales and flea markets, selling *stuff*. He started out with hemp necklaces. I made tote bags for him to sell and he added tapestries and other interesting things he could find and re-sell. I might add that DH and I did pay a decent chunk with monthly payments to the college, and DS worked summers. He is very frugal also. I'm proud to say that he graduated in 3 1/2 years from a state college and doesn't owe a dime.

As a bonus, he learned a lot about business and filing taxes.