<p>Virginia
Tuition: $10,000
Room/Board: $10,000</p>
<p>Virginia Tech
Tuition: $12,000
Room/Board: $8,000</p>
<p>William and Mary
Tuition: $12,500
Room/Board: $10,000</p>
<p>plus a few thousand in fees for UVA and W&M… I think VT fees are included in the tuition.</p>
<p>The Kiplinger list is fine for reference only, The data are from 2-3 years ago although the article is recent.</p>
<p>Thanks for that reply, @PurpleTitan. I guess in my mind there’s a big difference between FA one has to pay back (with interest) and that which is a straight-up gift.</p>
<p>I sure wish we lived in VA!</p>
<p>Even Virginia schools are not cheap though. Still $20,000plus for UVa, Virginia Tech and Wm & Mary, and the majority of aid is need based, not merit based. </p>
<p>Virginia
Estimated total cost of attendance (list price:
Virginia Tech $22k
University of Virginia $27k
College of William & Mary $31k</p>
<p>Flashback - One of my company benefits is Financial Advising sessions. We did our first Merrill Lynch assessment in 1997. I just peeked at the binder… at that time costs of college (tuition + room/board) - CU state flagship $6K. & average private college was $18K. Wow. </p>
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<p>You can look up the break-down of grant v. loan aid in the Common Data Set files (section H) for individual colleges.
Unfortunately, the CDS does not distinguish aid break-downs for in-state v. OOS students at public universities. I think you’d have to run the NPCs on each college that interests you.</p>
<p>I ran an NPC estimate for a hypothetical student from MD to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Assumptions: $30K-$40K family income; married parents; 2 children (1 in college next year). The estimated grant aid (not loans, not work study) was $13,500. Estimated net price: $36,796.00.</p>
<p>Using similar assumptions (family income of $35K), I ran an NPC estimate for a hypothetical student from MD to attend a selective private school in CO (Colorado College). Estimated grant aid: $49,150. Estimated net price: $5,620.</p>
<p>I don’t know about “most kids”, but I would think many kids are offered some grant aid by OOS flagships.
Nevertheless, up to a certain income level, a good student should be able to get a much lower net price at a selective private school (maybe even lower than the in-state flagship cost).</p>
<p>Thanks, @tk21769, that’s very helpful. I really wish this type of information were pinned at the top of every flagship forum here on CC.</p>
<p>That’s the key though “up to a certain income level” in terms of privates being a better deal than your instate schools.</p>
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<p>You mean a link to the net price calculator?</p>
<p>Seems like everyone can say “try the net price calculator” to every student asking “will ___ give me enough financial aid?” and students will keep coming back here asking “will ___ give me enough financial aid?”.</p>
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<p>Only certain privates, mostly highly selective ones with good need-based financial aid, or less selective ones offering big merit scholarships. It also depends on what your in-state schools are – for example, low-to-middle income PA residents tend to find the PA publics less affordable than low-to-middle income CA residents find the CA publics.</p>
<p>University of Washington - Tuition $12,394, R&B $10,833, total COA $27,112. Because of significantly deeper pockets, UW is often much less expensive after FA than the cross-state rival, WSU.</p>
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<p>@ucbalumnus </p>
<p>You’re right that many students refuse to face facts and never let hard numbers get in the way of the pursuit of their “dreams.” But it’s not just students who do this. Read this thread on the Penn State forum, where I was castigated by a parent for having the audacity to emphasize the school’s own published estimates and warning students that Penn State is NOT a school known for generous financial aid in-state or out-.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1703304-cost-of-attendance-p1.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1703304-cost-of-attendance-p1.html</a></p>
<p>How’s this for sage wisdom?</p>
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<p>Apparently I’m a crank with a grudge for encouraging students to run the net price calculator BEFORE they waste an application fee on a school well-known for NOT meeting the EFC of in-state families, let alone out-of-state ones!</p>
<p>Were those numbers I cited on the high end? No doubt, but better to be conservative when estimating this stuff in general. It’s not like this other parent is going to pay the poor kid’s bills if he finds he bit off more than he can chew financially! </p>
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Which is why West Virginia University is the safety school to the nation. </p>
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<p>A bit unbelievable… My last semester’s tuition was over 9K. It looks like it’s $9,135 a semester right now for upper division CoE. It’s possible you do rent and food for 8 months for $5500, but it’s a stretch.</p>
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<p>In fairness, the cost of the application is pretty cheap compared to the cost of going to college. If you pay $1000 to apply to 15 schools to have 99% chance are your best option, it’s conceivably smarter than applying to one school that has an 80% chance of being your best option.</p>
<p>^ She is quoting only LSA lowerclassmen tuition with last year’s boarding cost. You are paying CoE upperclassmen tuition that is over $2100 more per semester. The current CoA for UMich CoE is $28k-$32k. I have already pointed it out in #30.</p>
<p>After checking the NPC, one can prioritize the schools to apply with a budget in mind. If a school is likely not affordable, it should be put at a very low priority if apply at all. A reach school may still have a chance, while a financial reach may not.</p>
<p>UIUC has tiered its tuition, making it very unattractive financially for STEM or biz majors.</p>
<p>Its In-state COA (minus “other expenses”) ranges from a “base rate” of $28,650 all the way up to $32,654 for STEM/Business majors.<br>
For OOS students, that’s $42,276 up to $47,580.
For international students, the range is from $43,090 to $50,128.</p>
<p>Financial aid is pitiful. </p>
<p>At my daughter’s school, some of the top students aren’t even considering UIUC, choosing Iowa and Missouri instead. </p>
<p>I would concur on some of the observations for UIUC, but for in-state engineering, UIUC is still the preferred option.</p>
<p>It should also be noted that at UIUC, tuition is frozen at the same cost as freshman year, when remaining full-time and working towards a degree.</p>
<p>I have another child at WashU and it seems almost to be a badge of honor to raise tuition every year.</p>
<p>@EllieMom The OOS CoA for UIUC Chemical and Biomolecular engineering in LAS was $49,780 for 2014-2015 which is somewhat higher than your range. Their financial aid really sucks, however, they fixed the tuition rate from freshmen to senior. Most other institutes would adjust upward annually and some charge even more for upperclassmen. Nevertheless, if one does not graduate within 4 years at UIUC, the tuition would suddenly jump to the current level. </p>
<p>Our in-state flagship is $20,645 for in-state, including room & board. For out-of-state, it’s higher. We only have our CCs and the flagship, basically, so don’t have the range of Us and colleges that many other states have. Then again, we have a smaller population in our state that some others.</p>