"legacy" tuition programs

[Ladybug]

It's obscene. Where is all this money going? Has anyone justified the exponential rise in college costs?

[Auspicious]

NPR has done a bunch of stories on it (probably others, too)--if you google "npr rising costs of college" you'll see a whole list. It seems to be one of those things that has no one single cause.

[scarlett09]

It's obscene. Where is all this money going? Has anyone justified the exponential rise in college costs?

Varies from state to state, just talking about public institutions here. In our state, rise in tuition is directly correlated to less support from the state. $10K difference between my last year of tuition, room & board in 04-05 and my sister's current first year of the same. It's crazy.

Another reason in many places is the rise in services and expectations that the consumer has in their college, which aligns with the shift back to the view of the college's role as in loco parentis. Plus you could also argue for downturns in endowments and philanthropic giving by alumni, corporations, etc. as a reason for increases in tuition. While my direct alma mater has a high rate of giving, the overall university giving rate is abysmal.


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[mommax3]

I have most often heard that the it is due to less support from the state as well. My oldest goes to a private school (out of state). He qualified for a substantial amount of merit scholarships there, which brought the total cost to equal the cost of an in-state public school. He would (probably) not have received any merit scholarships from the in-state schools, because they have higher requirements and more students vying for the funds. In our state, it is commonly known that only the very top students can get into IU or Purdue, because those schools would rather make some extra $$ from top students paying out-of-state tuition. I understand why they are doing it, but it definitely wasn't that way when I graduated from high school (in Purdue's "backyard"). State schools were pretty much a sure thing...both getting in and affording the costs. Not so today!
We will only have one year when we have two kids in college at the same time ('16-'17), and we are already bracing for it....we will probably pay out my entire salary in college costs that year. We've committed to paying for our kids' undergraduate educations, and I will most likely work for nine more years to make that happen. I wouldn't mind if my youngest found a full ride somewhere, though!

[houseelf]

I have read that it is a confluence of factors. Less public money, newer top-of-the-line facilities, athletics... Quite frankly, they can get away with it partly because of subsidized student loans. They will charge what the market will bear.

Our neighbors attended Michigan and University of Dayton (private) undergrads. They took their very accomplished high school senior there and realized that they could not afford to send their kid to their alma mater. WTF?

I recently returned to my alma mater and couldn't believe it. Very nice sorority houses are being torn down so that huge, state-of-the-art facilities can be made in a new Greek village. The new dorms are MUCH nicer. THe food court has Chick-Fil-A and sushi options. Pardon me shaking my cane, when I start to reminisce, "Back in my day, we didn't eat no Chick-Fil-A!"

It is not a sustainable trajectory. No one can afford to go to college but no one can afford NOT to go to college.

ETA: We have told our kids that they get 4 years of in state tuition and they should plan accordingly. No blowing off their senior year with cheesy courses. If they can get Calculus for free, they should. If they can take courses at the local community college and transfer credit, they should. I am just being realistic about what we can afford. I know that if *we* feel like we can't afford it, who the hell can?

[PrincessFiona]

How would I google this to find out if UF or UNT have these programs? I tried legacy and alumni but no dice.

[Pollyanna]

Interesting note: if you graduate from a high school in TN you can go to a juco or trade school for two years for FREE. DS18 won't be taking advantage because he already has full tuition scholarships at Alabama and UTK but we will for sure keep it in mind for our other kiddos.

[houseelf]

Wow. TN is truly the hidden gem state. No state taxes, low COL, close to coast, mountains, city, country. two years free junior college. Seriously, love me some TN.

[Phoebe]

Wow. TN is truly the hidden gem state. No state taxes, low COL, close to coast, mountains, city, country. two years free junior college. Seriously, love me some TN.

Yes , except my MIL lives there.