Whats the best way to pay for college tuition

[yeahdisney]

Runwad. I made HUGE mistake.
I read kid's book DD prob freshman year high school.
I typed it out twice but the disboard reloads as I post reply.

The gist, I did not put ER money into IRA for spouse I chose to keep it in plain brokage account. I was looking at the future with both spouses working, DH was offered very early retirement from job number one and took it. He was funded at work for retirement not thru an IRA.

This September the college DS was accepted to last Friday announced in September if you had less than .... In savings a FULL RIDE.

I expect them to ask for finical records I could of pulled a lot cash out prior to FAFSA Oct 1 but it was not worth the possibility of penalties to me or student. And what I could put into one year IRA would not cut it, but I could of maybe made it if I started moving that money 6 years ago.

DD is in same college, 50 females accepted for male predominate field. She received no school aid her freshman. She basically had same profile as DS but her junior year she spearheaded earning $50000 for the school greenhouse as FFA president.


DS has high ACT, good grades, activities, leadership role, and volunteered since middle school. I except no aid. He could of have a full ride, I could of turned in the state funds to pay for room and board.

We started the day the kids were born our states college plan, we used $20 bday gifts, we both put a set amount in each paycheck, we still do. We used any tax refunds, the 26th paycheck of the year, we had them funded before they hit kindergarden because it was cheaper. Heck our tax account did not think it was a good idea, I was how only client doing it, he has changed his tune. We are still working on room and board for the kids.

 

[Mome Rath]

As a former college instructor, I'd add that the student, once in high school, should be the one going to the advisors/counselors and asking about financial aid, scholarships, dual credit classes, etc... Yes, the parent can be with them early on, but make sure the student is the one pursuing this and talking to adults. It's not just for the kid to learn, but those people will be much more impressed and willing to help if it is the student going after things under their own steam.

As others have said; Community College is the way to go, and if your child is a good student they can almost always finish their Associate's early, esp with dual credits. Fill out the FAFSA no matter what your income. Also, work study is one of the most underrated ways of getting money and tuition reimbursement, shop around at different colleges to see what is paid out by work study programs (my husband and I both got graduate degrees this way, him a PhD and me a Masters, we never paid tuition), with work study they will work around a college kid's schedule unlike other places of employment, plus the kids get to know college staff.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Do assume you'll pay $1000-$1500/year for books and incidentals for your college student. A freshman year Chemistry book is $360. Yes, really. Sure, you can buy used, but it's still going to be $225.

Please DON’T assume this. At DD’s college, at orientation BEFORE classes started, they encouraged students to email professors and ask what books they actually needed. Most of my DD’s professors encouraged students to RENT textbooks. A few said you may want to purchase this book because you will likely use it later but most said to RENT and for a semester, renting books cost about $100-$150. The school bookstore could rent some and the rest were rented online.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Please DON’T assume this. At DD’s college, at orientation BEFORE classes started, they encouraged students to email professors and ask what books they actually needed. Most of my DD’s professors encouraged students to RENT textbooks. A few said you may want to purchase this book because you will likely use it later but most said to RENT and for a semester, renting books cost about $100-$150. The school bookstore could rent some and the rest were rented online.

I have 2 in college now. I budget $500 per semester for each kid. Sometimes I’ve been pleasantly surprised; and sometimes I’ve been gobsmacked. The lowest cost was $200 when DD only took 4 classes and only needed books for two of them. One was online with no textbook, and the prof provided all the reading material for another. The worst was DS’s 3rd year. He attends a top rated undergrad business program. Most of the books are specially made for his school/program and are only available at the bookstore. That semester books cost $1000. A couple were used the whole year, so the following semester wasn’t as bad. Unfortunately between the two kids, we’ve only been able to rent books for one class this whole time, so renting doesn’t work for everyone.

 

[Southernmiss]

And I have no idea how much my kid's books run.

They handle it.

I do know they wait to see what the professor will actually use, order some on line, some are electronic, some are books, some are purchased from friends, many are not books but codes to books/info on line, etc.

Truly varies with so many changing variables.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This is a good book to read to get ideas:

https://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980

 

[kymom99]

Please DON’T assume this. At DD’s college, at orientation BEFORE classes started, they encouraged students to email professors and ask what books they actually needed. Most of my DD’s professors encouraged students to RENT textbooks. A few said you may want to purchase this book because you will likely use it later but most said to RENT and for a semester, renting books cost about $100-$150. The school bookstore could rent some and the rest were rented online.

My son just finished chemistry. His book was no where near that. I don’t think he has yet to pay that much total for books. He rents his whenever possible. Also when he took bio, his professor listed a book of a certain edition but said as far back as x edition would be ok. I think he found one on amazon for like $10. You have to do your research and certainly some majors are worse than others. But textbooks for gen ed classes don’t have to be that expensive.

I will add that if a teacher requires an online book with a code, there is no way to save on those that I have found. But the 2 he has had to buy were maybe $150.

 

[Hikergirl]

DD is a Jr. and has averaged about $350 a semester for books, but she prefers owning to renting because she wants to have them for reference through her college years. We've tried to find used but sometimes the price between new and used isn't a significant savings so since she was planning on keeping them we'd get new.
When she was taking gen ed classes there were a few that had school specific books without a used option- and yes those were pricey (for what they were, mostly workbook or loose papers for binders).

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Third kid is in college now. I've been buying textbooks for many years. Yes, I buy them, not the college kid, because I have the ability to find the best prices. Shopping begins as soon as the required books are posted online, which means I sometimes have to check back daily.

I start with the school bookstore online to establish base prices for used and new, rental and purchase, as available. Then I check prices on amazon for the same. In the past I looked at other used textbook sites but found in the past few years that the almost all the books were the same across all sites. I only purchase used textbooks with clear descriptions of the quality because my kids didn't/don't like to inherit others' highlighting and side notes yet they don't mind a dinged-up cover. I do buy new paperback books for literature classes because they are just so inexpensive. I will rent books when the purchase prices are high, which usually happens with brand-new textbooks.

Some semesters I am able to buy all used books in very good or excellent condition. Some semesters I purchase half new books and half used books. Some semesters are equally split between used, new, and rentals. Some rentals are new and some rentals are used.

The most expensive textbook was a made-for-the-course calculus book that had to be purchased new (no rental). I think that was $215. The rest of her books that semester cost a total of $135.

 

[MrsPete]

My son just finished chemistry. His book was no where near that.

That's what my daughter's Chemistry book cost ... in her first semester, which was fall of 2015. We didn't pay it though: her university charges $105/semester as a book fee and hands out books to students without cost. We only know the cost because she had to sign saying she understood she'd pay that if she didn't return the book.

Most of my two children's books have not cost that much, but a few have topped $200, and not all are available for rent.

 

[_19disnA]

Not sure the cost of textbooks has anything to do with choosing a college or the best way to pay for tuition which is what the OP was originally asking. All colleges use textbooks and once you are there you can figure out buying/renting/online.....etc based on the specific classes. I would expect all college students need to plan for various expenses besides tuition.

 

[Hikergirl]

Not sure the cost of textbooks has anything to do with choosing a college or the best way to pay for tuition which is what the OP was originally asking. All colleges use textbooks and once you are there you can figure out buying/renting/online.....etc based on the specific classes. I would expect all college students need to plan for various expenses besides tuition.

And parents who have purchased textbooks are just sharing the amount one can expect to pay. It certainly is relevant when discussing the costs associated with college.

 

[clori]

I have a daughter who is a college freshman. I told her we needed to find one school that would work for us financially without aid beyond the freshman loan so basically a state school. Beyond that I said she could apply anywhere but she would need to wait for all financial aid so we could compare final costs to figure out which choices were okay or ruled out. She did two years of full time dual enrollment in high school which was completely free including book rentals though I bought a lab book she could write in for about $20. When you do dual enrollment, IB, or AP there is no guarantee what will transfer and we found that colleges will not do any formal evaluation until after matriculation but some will give you some guidelines or if you look under transfer students list classes that have transferred in from specific schools in the past. However not all schools will give credit for college level classes taken in high school so if that is important look up policies for each individual college.

My daughter is going to a private college for less than the cost of a state school after merit which accepted all of her dual enrollment credits. However a few of the credits are free electives which honestly don't do much of anything. If my daughter decides to simply do a straight major she could graduate in 2 -2 1/2 years. However she is planning to do a double major - due to internships, study abroad, taking graduate classes during undergrad, extra classes needed for honors graduation etc she doesn't know how long she will end up needing but we anticipate 3 years.

For books I recommend using a textbook comparison site such as bigwords.com, checking amazon, ebay etc. This semester my daughter needed 1 book for a general ed music class that was new on Amazon for $8.98 which came with 1 day free prime shipping. Her other book cost about $16 to rent through amazon. None of her other classes needed books. This coming semester it looks like about $70 for all but one class which hasn't posted book requirements yet. Even rental prices are much higher on campus than renting elsewhere. However if a book has a code that is needed often it cost full price. I don't anticipate books always being cheap but it is nice when it is. Students can email professors to see if the code is needed, to ask if an older edition is okay, if they need a physical copy of the book or if an online book is okay etc.

Colleges usually have a net price calculator to check estimated cost. Often it includes merit amounts. It is probably too soon now since they work best with test scores and gpa but it might give you an idea for now. For outside scholarships schools usually have several local scholarships to apply for senior year. One big thing we noticed is some kids don't bother to apply. At senior night some parents were disappointed to find out that while there kids won academic awards from school (basically a book and/or certificate) they didn't win any scholarship money. At least 3 I personally know found out afterwards that their kids never filled out any applications. Also there are many scholarships that don't go to the top students academically. My daughter did fill out many online scholarship applications and amazingly won one. Some parents have jobs that have scholarships and students/families may belong to group that gives scholarships. Some places of worship have scholarships etc. Most outside scholarships tend to be for one year only but they help for that one year.

 

[_19disnA]

It certainly is relevant when discussing the costs associated with college.

But still not relevant to choosing college X over college Y. College students will have a variety of other expenses, many of which will be roughly the same regardless of where you go.

 

[indimom]

DD21 followed a lot of the advice here. We told her to spread her net wide because she was our first and we really didn't know what to expect. She had a 3.98 gpa, top ten in her class of 200, with solid (but not fantastic) test scores. She received some sort of scholarship offer from all the schools; in addition to one community scholarship.

She received about $12,000 a year in scholarships from the school she chose. We split the remaining $10-12,000 per year 50/50. We provide the car and insurance. She pays for her supplies, groceries, etc. Overall, it hasn't been that terrible or painful.

I did just ask her what her books are running and she said she usually rents, and it's about $400 a semester for 5-6 science courses/labs.

She works 20 hours a week on campus, tutoring chemistry, which is ideal because she still gets her holidays off, and they work around her schedule.

 

[manning]

I have a 23 & a 21 year old - here's what we'd recommend:

The value of community college can't be dismissed.
Dual enrollment for high school students -
Time in the ARMY/NAVY/AIR FORCE/MARINES or National Guard My youngest took a break after first year of school to join National Guard, you wouldn't believe the education benefits and opportunities been able to take advantage of and/or will have access to.
Trade schools - a great alternative to traditional colleges for those kids who aren't interested in college but are interested in a career.
Anything you can do in order to avoid your kids being saddled with huge amounts of debt.
Eldest has a bit of debt leftover from school, and it's what is standing between him & being able to buy a house. Luckily he's decided to try to get it down as aggressively as possible, which he's doing by living at home vs. paying rent somewhere - well, he pays us a bit of rents, but nothing near what he'd be paying elsewhere.
Good luck! I see the amounts some kids are taking on and think it's just a sin they've been sold on the need for the most expensive version of the schooling they needed but are without the means to get out from under it anytime soon.

A trade pays more than you think. Some in 6 figures.

A number of years back I heard a college professor who teaches at an ivy league school and graduated from same. He said his kids will go to community college and then to a college of their choice. he would not rule out any college. Also said tuitions are outrages at big name schools. If they were smart enough they will have just as good education

There are several types of education. Elementary , high school, college and college of hard knocks. You graduate from the last one on the day you die. That's when you quit learning.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

My wife runs a bookstore at a University and the book business is changing. One reason why books are often more expensive at the school bookstore, is that the professors fail to provide their book lists to the bookstore in a timely manner. If the bookstore knows what inventory they need, they will order early and save $$ which is passed on to the student. New vs Used vs renting is a personal preference. Used and rentals will save you money, but it is not going to be significant differences. Also, many professors write their own text books. Not only do they have the material they want for class in a book, but they also get a royalty payment for each book sold. That is the worst case for a student as there are not options to find these books outside of the school bookstores and they are usually more costly than another book which is being used all over the country. The publishers do save money for students when they can publish a book in bulk. Many books now come with an online code that is a single use code. Students can get the book cheaply or used off Amazon, but they will still need to buy the code from the bookstore. As much as it is all evolving, some things just don't change. My wife has proposed to her university that they include a "fee" to all students for the costs of books associated with their regular student fees. With this, all books would be provided to the students every semester by the bookstore at no additional costs. The university has squawked at this, even thought it would save students a lot of $$$ and students would all have all course materials. BTW, not all universities are equal when it comes to any of this (regarding how books are sold to students).

 

[siren0119]

So this is my experience as a recent college student in terms of books.

Rentals online (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) are generally MUCH cheaper than rentals through the college bookstore.

If a class requires an online code (with a textbook or e-text), you can purchase or rent the textbook used and then buy the code directly from the online provider. Pearson and Cengage will allow you to use the online/code access portion of class materials for 2 weeks before requiring payment - which is a great option if you have any doubts about whether you will keep or drop the course during the add/drop period. you do NOT have to buy the codes from the bookstore unless it's proprietary text.

MOST professors (in my experience at two different schools for myself and one for my husband) will allow you to use older editions of textbooks, which are cheaper to purchase or rent than the new edition. It NEVER hurts to email the prof ahead of time and ask if an older edition can be used. the worst they can say is no, best case they tell you that you don't even need the textbook but they had to put something down for the bookstore to order. I've had both happen, but in most cases I was told I could use an older edition and some even told me how far back in editions I could go.

There are numerous ways to get around the high book cost, I think i spent a grand total of $1000 for four semesters worth of materials including textbooks and online resources when I was completing the first two years of my degree. It's HIGHLY dependent on the type of degree being pursued, and whether the school has proprietary textbooks that you just can't find outside of the bookstore, but i think that's the exception rather than the rule.

 

[barkley]

another means of saving on textbooks-check and see if the college crowd at your university have set up a facebook or other social media site to sell textbooks. we always rented for dd unless it was a text she absolutely knew she wanted to keep but in the case where there were no rentals available she always checked the sites she and her classmates put used textbooks up on. they would see how much the going rate to buy a new or used was as well as what they could get to sell their copies back-then undercut it to make it advantageous for the buyer and seller. granted, this didn't work for the ones w/codes but the majority of books in her major didn't use codes so it was a great savings. getting to know people in you major a semester or quarter ahead of you is a way to save as well-if it's a major like dd's where it's a specific class track and everyone has to take specific classes, specific quarters then you might find someone who has the entire set of books you need from when they took those classes.

 

[ClapYourHands]

The best way to pay is going to depend on what you're buying.

College is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some people it's the education only, with a predetermined career as an end point. For others it's a time between childhood and full adulthood, a relatively safe transition space. For some it's a tremendously expensive party they spend years paying off.

I've done the self-expression/maturation phase at a private college, emerging with relatively little debt thanks to merit scholarships, summer jobs, and 2/12 years as an RA. I've also done the career switch in my 30s where I took very specific prerequisite classes at my local CCs for cheap, and did an accelerated program at a state university. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other, but they are each suited for different types of students.