Paying for an expensive college in 2024

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She applied and I have said ā€œNOā€ many times. I warned her about tuition, and now it has set in. We could dig deep into savings and retirement (we have the funds), and the house is paid off. However, I will not entertain spending all this extra money for education, when there are great schools in NJ, or even out of state for affordable amounts. She was accepted to UDEL and 2 NJ schools. Both NJ schools offered her money for academics. One school is in the low $20,000’s because of her grades, etc.

She will now sit and decide on her next move. We will only entertain reasonable schools. She has not committed to any school, and has only received offers. Graduating high school in 3 weeks. Heading to college in the fall if she chooses one that is affordable. She will go somewhere once she comes to terms that she can not go to UDEL.

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Thank you.

I know when she gets to college, she will love it. It does not matter whether you pay $25K or $50K, the experience is similar. Delaware has 25,000 students and is a big party school. This one all she does is want to study, so it may hurt her. A good balance is best.

Graduating in 3 weeks. College in the fall. I am standing firm on my decision. I locked the credit card (Just in case), but doubt she would use it for tuition. I also have put away the keys to the car. Everyone in this house feels the same way.

I still can not understand why she is so steadfast on heading only to one college. Maybe there are other reasons, but for now I am holding my ground. Once I make a decision, I do not break away from it, no matter what the circumstances over.

She will deal with this and get over it. A good learning lesson. You can’t always get your way. Colleges have become criminlaistic, and its out of control.

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Well, all of my kids have worked since 14, full time summers. I think having jobs helps get other jobs. Dd21 just put in a full week at a garden center (7 years) because she was bored, starts her internship Monday ($35 at hour). Ds21 worked all year in an office while going to school, is a lifeguard, a soccer ref, works at a professional soccer stadium, and at the college rec center. Dd19 pays her rent and food in Boston by bartending (started as a cashier in undergrad, got some waitressing experience, and then bartending experience, it’s very lucrative, her loans are large due to her DPT program, it’s expensive and clinicals aren’t paid). My 2 oldest live on their own and have paid back most of their loans (thanks to COVID, they lived rent free for a couple years). Server jobs can really bring in decent money.

I did explain to her the maximum amount. Unfortunately, she did not listen. Now, it is setting in.

I’m confused. You first said she has her heart set on a private school. Then you said she will come to terms with not going to Udel (which is not a private school).
Which of the two statements is correct?

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Does she still have time - meaning haven’t deadlines passed? Or June 1?

Is there a significant other involved?

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Sorry, I meant out of State. Very expensive. She had applied to others.

To be fair, if the field she’s interested in is ChemE, UDel is world class for that field.
Otherwise I’m not sure what field UDel would be that much stronger at than Rutgers.

Also, some colleges DO help with career prospects, with careful offerings and scaffolded support starting freshman year, job fairs, alumni networking, etc.
So, not all colleges are the same and if that’s a concern you can look into it.

That being said, UDel is not better than Rutgers on that front (but better than Stockton or Ramapo; I know NJIT was majorly lacking on that front and has been working on it).

What does she want to major in?

Did your daughter get into Honors at her Nj options (I assume she got into Tcnj and Rutgers)?

If she’s brainy (ā€œall she wants is studyā€) would she entertain applying to a few colleges with that vibe that may still have places? In addition, this would offer her a way out of the ā€œNJ or nothingā€ conundrum.
I’m thinking Wooster, Drew… Colleges with benefits a typical NJ public wouldn’t have (great career support at Drew, undergraduate research with thesis at Wooster.)
I can look into the NACAC list if you wish.

Am I correct to think your budget is 35k/year?
Ie., 20k from the 529 + 5.5k federal loans +3.5k work study + some amount from your monthly income?

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Yes, she agrees with me, the wife. June 1st is the deadline for submission, but she still has time. It will just limit her class schedule, maybe her roommate, etc. She has her prom today and is leaving for a few days with her friends. They all go in groups these days (no more dates) smh … This is a good thing because she has time on her own to think and understand what she needs to do next.

She is a brain. We discussed Rutgers (not sure) as she does not say too much. But I can not see $200K for Bio-Chemistry as there is no guarantee of future job placement. We do not live too far from the Rutgers campuses and she could stay with in-laws or my parents, and she would be 20-30 minutes away. So maybe the first year may be Rutgers if she allows this to fall through.

She had a budget and decided to veer off of it, and it will not work out unless she changes her mind quickly and moves quickly. I will look at Wooster and Drew. Thank you.

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I know she mentioned both schools, and I know I paid for TCNJ and probably was accepted, but nothing came in the mail. I do not know if she applied to Rutgers because they all have fees to apply, etc. She did not like Rutgers. TCNJ may be another option. We will be revisiting this next week. And she still has about 30 more days before everything falls apart. I have spoken to some schools and they have extensions. She was accepted to Montclair and Rowan.

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Was she accepted to Rowan honors ?
It’s MUCH better than Montclair for science.
If she finds Rutgers too big, TCNJ may be the right size. It’s a sort of smaller honors college for NJ - no big sports - and may suit her. But they’re no longer taking apps AFAIK. So, if she didn’t apply already she’s out of luck. If she did, it’s worth revisiting.

Biochem major+ statistics or data science minor is very much in demand professionally. You can check whether potential colleges offer that option and discuss that option with her.

What does she want to do with biochem? Research/PHD? Med school? Patent law? Biochem data analysis/forensics?

What colleges was she admitted to that she liked? We may be able to find colleges similar to those on the NACAC list of colleges that miscalculated yield (or, this year got rolled by the FAFSA fiasco.)

For instance, Wooster is full of kids who want to do research.
Drew, with its internships and professional partnerships in NYC, has kids who are smart&ambitious but also want professional applications to what they’re learning.
Neither has big sports nor is a party school.

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Is the following correct?

  • $80k (total to degree) budget before loans.
  • NJ resident.
  • Biochemistry major.
  • University of Delaware is the expensive school ($210+k for four years).
  • Rowan and Montclair also admitted. What net prices after financial aid and scholarships?
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She cannot get loans (to fill that large a gap).

Only you can.

So in the end, if this happens or not, it’s based on you.

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I’m not sure what this means. If she misses the enrollment deposit deadline the school does not have to honor her admission later. Has she asked for extensions? If so does she have that in writing?

If she looks on common app, there are over 600 schools still accepting apps. As myos1634 said, we can help find other options if necessary.

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The challenge is that an 18 year old has no concept of what debt means to you and especially to her. She’s likely never had debt let alone had to pay it off. My opinion was that any money I had to borrow for my children’s education was my debt and therefore I had the right to determine what I was comfortable with. Tears now is much better than financial terror later. Good luck.

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My daughter went here but she got $17,000 in merit a year, otherwise she wouldn’t. The school she turned down was Villanova. OOS public’s are pricy without scholarships, our deal with our kids was it had to come down close to in state. It seems like you did your part, a few oos schools came off of the list because offers were just too low.

ETA, after more reading, if she doesn’t like Rutgers, it’s not a good fit. My husband and one daughter are graduates, loved it, my UD daughter didn’t even apply (she liked to go there for parties). I also have one that crashed and burned at Rutgers (his issues, no fault of Rutgers). He’s now a rising junior at Montclair. I’m not sure I feel about the school, he commutes, I never see him doing homework, he has a 3.8. He’s bright, but my other kids had way more work. I have a TCNJ graduate, he says the honors program isn’t great. He had a job offer before graduation (finance), and his girlfriend just graduated and just landed a local teaching job.

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