Hello all! I have been admitted to UC Berkeley as a Bio major in the class of 2023. I am currently deciding between UC Berkeley and Pitt, my in state option. Pitt will cost $25,000/year (I received a small merit scholarship) while Berkeley will cost full OOS tuition, $65,000. Is Berkeley worth the extra money? My parents are willing to pay roughly $42,000/year so I will be left with $23,000/year to cover on my own, totaling $92,000 over my four years of undergrad. If if were to go to Berkeley, I would like to work a part time job to help mitigate the debt I would accumulate. Would it be reasonable to work part time while also keeping up with course work? Ideally I would also like to get some lab experience as an undergrad as I would like to go into research. Would it be possible to juggle a part time job, school, and also volunteering in a lab? I have always dreamed of going to Berkeley, however I am not sure it would be reasonable considering the finances. Also, if I were to decide against working a part time job but instead decided just to pay off the debt after college, how long would $92,000 take to pay off? I hope to work in academia. Thanks!
That’s far too much debt for a bachelors degree. I would say no, it’s not worth taking out that much debt. The most you can take out is $27k for an entire degree. Anything over that has to co-signed over to you from your parents. You’re in a good place with Pitt and you have a chance of graduating debt free. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later!
$90K in debt (even if you could get the financing) is back-breaking, and Pitt is actually a genuinely good option. No, the ‘prestige’ of the name is not worth it here.
Debt is an especially bad idea for somebody who wants a career in the theater or academia- both of which are careers in which the vast majority of people end up with massive job insecurity and low pay.
To work in academia you will need a PhD. Those, as you probably know, are stipended - but the interest on your undergrad loans continues to accumulate. After the PhD comes the (low paid) Post-Doc. How low-paid? My 2 years out of university collegekid will be making more than you with your hard won PhD. Still, you have to service that debt. Then you start the rounds of applying for Assistant Prof jobs. You are very likely to pick up adjunct work in the mean time ($40-$80/hour or $2000-4000/course, but no benefits and no control over how many courses / when you teach). Still paying interest on that loan. If you finally land that Asst Prof job it is likely to be in the $50-60K range, for a take home of ~$3500-$4000/month. Your loan payments could be ~$900, leaving you $2600-$3100 for rent, utilities, transportation, food, insurance (health & car) for 10+ years.
Berkeley is not affordable for you. You cannot cover $23k through part-time work and you will not be able to get $ 92k in loans. Go to Pitt and make the most of your opportunity there.
Is Berkeley worth OOS tuition?
No. Too large a gap in cost between Berkeley and Pitt. Since finances seem to be an issue , you are better off going to your less expensive option. Good luck with the decision.
Is Berkeley worth OOS tuition?
It depends on what you want to be professionally later. For example if you plan to pursuit a medical degree after undergrad,I would say, your undergrad college brand is not so important. I would keep it simple and save money for Graduate school. If you plan to work right after graduating at Berkeley, the brand really helps you to be ahead in the job search.Berkeley brand value and knowledge you acquire will definitely will help you to stand out from other candidates.Just my $.02
@fl3xb0i
Please note: My above update is for generic question which is “Is Berkeley worth OOS tuition?”
I just read your post fully. If I have a dream I would protect that, college loans are difficult but not impossible.
How the loans work should be consulted with financial advise and discussed with parents also for their inputs. don;t hesitate to call school or have your parents call. You must have gotten provision letter which explains your options. UC Berkeley has excellent teaching faculty. Best of the best actually.
In my situation: my son is considering UCLA, their provision letter says 5k student loan per year. Interest will accrue after graduation. another un-subsidized loan 2k per year is available for him, interest will accrue as soon as it is paid. 3K scholarship per year with work study program. We got parent direct loan offer, it will be paid quarterly directly to college, but interest will accrue as soon as it is paid to school. They told us All the loans can be paid after graduation (but except 4 x 5 k = 20k students loan others will accrue interest. He is debating between state college and UCLA similar situation like yours. Oh by the way one more thing, , I just heard at UCLA, if he plans well it is possible to complete undergrad in 3 years, based on APs he did. Berkeley also may have that kind of options. It saves money. You should call school and discuss your options. Time is running out I suggest to work with school directly,ask questions , if you cannot get hold of them, send emails.
I cannot comment about how much free time you will have, to be able to work part-time as Berkeley education is intense. But all I can say is: where there is a “will”, there is a “way”.
Good luck with your College dream, wherever you are you will be successful !!
@icantgiveup, the OP is looking at $92,000 in debt- vs no debt. Your son is looking at $28,000. A lot, but a small fraction of what the OP would be committing to. You may not have heard of Pitt, but it is a very strong school, and particularly strong in the biological sciences. Employers and grad schools will know it.
It is unlikely that he can borrow that much, but even if he could an undergraduate biology degree is just not worth that much debt- especially when there is a very strong alternative. Biology undergrads are 10 a penny these days, and the jobs where you can earn enough to pay off that amount of debt require further qualifications. That much debt will be a significant limitation on what options the OP has.
Berkeley is an excellent school, but so is Pitt, and for undergrad bio the difference of nearly $100K is absolutely too much debt.
It depends and I generally say ‘yes’, but in case you are looking forward to med school, then I think it’s one of the few cases that it is not worth it. Not just financially, but a bit of grade deflation that isn’t good for med school application even with a Berkeley degree.
@collegemom3717 I think I was not clear about the numbers. If my son chooses UCLA I can’t even pay as much as @fl3xb0i 's parents paying, but planning to support with parent direct loan, which he can pay back later.
I personally don;t discourage anyone in fulfilling their dreams.
AMOF my son is also going through same phase in choosing between UF with scholarship and UCLA with loans.
UF is also very strong school, but I let him choose.
These kids worked really hard to get here, why should education be so expensive… makes me sad.
Borrowing $93k does not mean OP is going to owe that amount. There is that thing called interest and it is capitalized. No idea if any of the loans are subsidized ( meaning no interest accrual wile student in school). The majority of the loans will require the parents to sign. Better they take the PLUS instead of co-signing and both student and parent contractually be liable.
Yes, you can find work in The Oakland area, around Berkeley. But not enough to make that much of a dent. Housing is not cheap in that area either.
You have a great affordable alternative with Pitt. Yes, you’ll have research opportunities there. It has full fledge graduate programs in just about every discipline. The sky is the limit on how high you can go up that academic ladder. And the Oakland area of Pittsburgh is filled with student digs, job opportunities and cheap living right near the university.
If you can strike a deal with your parents for some of the cost differential, and work/save while at Pitt, you’ll be in great financial shape whereas you’ll likely barely be scraping by after paying the costs at Berkeley
Bear in mind that the expenses do not end when you finish school. In addition to those loans you are going to have to repay, you need to move on with job search, security deposits, travel costs, new job expenses, maybe a car etc etc. Launching one’s career can be very expensive. If you are considering grad or professional school, additional education, being strapped with loans from your undergrad past is definitely a load you won’t want to have, or have as light as possible.
@UpMagic I totally agree with you, for Med school admission low GPA (no matter how great is the school) can still pose a problem.
I want to add that, yes, it is possible to scrape it together, especially with parental help. But the cost will be an issue for both you and your parents for a long time thereafter. So unnecessary when you have an excellent affordable option in hand.
No, it is not worth it.
All of our children are kicking butt to get good grades, EC’s test scores, and everything else!
Your child can achieve his/her dreams at ANY other good school.
There are so many variables and I can’t believe there are actually parents recommending huge debt!
Berkeley is known for grade deflation. The kids there can get really depressed.
Medical school is very, very expensive. There are no guarantees.
Parents: what happens if there is a major health issue or another HUGE expense? It happens in aging parents. You don’t plan for it; it just happens. The UC’s with medical schools are impacted and your child will not get priority admission, especially as a non-resident.
Recommending incurring debt is just ill-advised and irresponsible. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2137519-i-m-gonna-have-debt-anyways-so-the-amount-doesn-t-matter-ack-p1.html
@icantgiveup, Why would you saddle your kid with enormous loans? They aren’t necessary. They aren’t actually his loans anyway, they’re yours. If he can’t pay, the lenders will be pursuing you for payment, not him.
With 2 in-state kids committed to Berkeley in the fall, it is an easy decision for the OP. Pitt all the way. Great school and ACC football! Save your money for grad school. I had a similar decision to make as one of my kids was accepted to Vanderbilt but offered no merit or financial aid. Couldn’t see spending more than double on Vandy for an undergraduate degree.
If you hope to work in academia as a biology major, $92,000 of undergraduate debt plus interest may take a very long time to pay off on graduate student and post-doc stipends and adjunct pay.
Go to Pitt. If anyone gives you are hard time about not going to Cal, just tell them it didn’t pencil out for you. D met someone freshman year who picked Cal because she was in-state - Harvard was just too much money. Not one person thought she made the wrong choice. Money is money, and you do NOT want to saddle yourself with undergrad debt on top of any debt you may incur moving beyond.
@austinmshauri We are not expecting him to pay me back. even though he plans to pay back :-). it’s not conditional support.
@“aunt bea” I agree with your caution flags and they are very helpful.
I just want to clarify, I am not recommending any thing specific here. Like many of you, I am also sharing thoughts and options to consider.
In our case, we didn’t know about 3 year track possibility until my son called UCLA and went over his APs with them for his intended major’s graduation requirement. Even though he may or may not choose UCLA, this information can help to save up to 65K for people with similar path. These are the things universities won;t share proactively. Each school is different in crediting APs and allowing “Preset credits” at college level, So I always encourage students to communicate with school and also discus with parents for their inputs.