Hidden college costs?

[kawing123]

The college my child has chosen to attend had up until recently a page with costs. Now that the time is near there is nearly a couple thousand dollars of fees not course fees other fees that were not disclosed previously. It is not as if I have not thourghly checked out everything. Even the financial aid page listing the cost of attendance did not include these fees. I was a little taken back by this. She did get a partial scholarship to this college it is a good school buy not as good of school as the school I would like her to attend. Now it looks like the better more prominent university would actually be cheaper than this college not to mention it is less than one hour from home but this school is not situated where communting is easy parking is sky high. I am going to try to talk to her about attending the more well know top ten university which is known world wide versus this small school located ten hours from home. I just do not know if we can swing this extra few thousand every year. She also has a full academic ride to a local university but with the commute and the need to purchase a car I would just as soon let her live away? Has anyone else ever experienced this? She is also set to play a varsity sport but it seems to me like it is no different than high schools that have pay to play. At this college, you must have 3 credit hours of PE for a degree. If she wants tennis to count we still must pay for the three credit hours she just would play tennis coupled with 500.00 of tickets we must sell I am be blindsided by both. I may just tell her she cannot go here her degree from the well renowned university would go a long way. She loves the other school dearly but sometimes choices are hard especially fiscal ones.

 

[dhardawa]

I would send her to the school she has the full scholarship to. For less money, she could get a small apartment closer and commute in. I have found that once you're out of college, unless you went to Harvard, companies don't really look at where you went to school as long as you have a degree and the school was accredited.

 

[kawing123]

The school I would like her to attend is close to Harvard but not considered Ivy League U of M

 

[msmayor]

Can you describe these extra fees you say were not disclosed?

 

[kawing123]

They are not course fees, Fees that you pay every semester one fee alone is 235 per semester. Life's curve balls sad though they were not posted on the financial page as cost of attendance.

 

[msmayor]

They are not course fees, Fees that you pay every semester one fee alone is 235 per semester. Life's curve balls sad though they were not posted on the financial page as cost of attendance.

But what are the fees called? There has to be a name for them...not just "fees".

Lab fees?
Computer Service fees?

Often, fees like this are only dependent on the student's course of study and would NOT necessarily be part of the Cost of Attendance.

My daughter attends an art college. There was a generic "supplies" number provided as an estimate, but it by no means reflects the actual and only supply costs she had. It was all driven by the individual professor and the projects required.

What school is this?

 

[kawing123]

Every student pays these fees and if you are an engineering student there is an additional 1220.00 a year tagged on as well.

 

[msmayor]

Well don't be surprised if the school that offered her a full scholarship no longer has that money available.

There are deadlines to accept admission and scholarship money. If she did not accept at the "full scholarship" school, its entirely possible that they gave the money set aside for her to someone else.

 

[kawing123]

She accepted it but does not want to attend. It is a university some may refer to as in the inner city but that really does not bother me.

 

[msmayor]

She accepted it but does not want to attend. It is a university some may refer to as in the inner city but that really does not bother me.

So she has acceptanced admittance at two different colleges?

 

[Kriii]

I guess my thought is that she is a young adult and should be able to pick the college she wants (although certainly mom can explain her reasons for the other school). Of course, if mom and dad can't afford the full cost of the dd's preferred school, dd should have to make up the difference in cost. Please let the college that offered the full scholarship know asap if dd isn't attending though. Others could be given the chance at that scholarship.

 

[kawing123]

The scholarship cannot be offered to anyone else because there were many requirements to be filled and it is not that type of situation. There is no way even with a student loan that she would be able to make up the difference. No way, rural college few jobs etc... I personally have always thought she should atten the full scholarship college for at least two years and than transfer if she needs to but again when you add the commuting costs, parking gas etc it all adds up also.

 

[msmayor]

The scholarship cannot be offered to anyone else because there were many requirements to be filled and it is not that type of situation. There is no way even with a student loan that she would be able to make up the difference. No way, rural college few jobs etc... I personally have always thought she should atten the full scholarship college for at least two years and than transfer if she needs to but again when you add the commuting costs, parking gas etc it all adds up also.

I think you're kidding yourself if you really believe that the school can't give the money to someone else. How about the next person in line behind your child? I'm sure more than one student met the requirements to receive the money.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

My DD is also attending a small, expensive private college this fall to play lacrosse. Please keep in mind that forcing her to attend a school she has no desire to be at can be a recipe for disaster. Kids who are happy tend to get much better grades. I can tell you that the financial aid office at the school my daughter is attending really worked with us on grants and scholarships and offered loans where we would only have to out of pocket books if we wished at this time. Of course she has two older brothers who are also in college which may have also factored in. Any way, my first suggestion is to contact financial aid at the school and tell them them due to unexpected costs you are having trouble meeting your financial obligations. Perhaps they can find some grants or work study. Worst case student loans and then your daughter can decide if it is worth it or not to attend if she graduates in debt.

 

[maggiew]

I think all schools have some sort of extra fees. I went to several schools (for advanced degrees) and they all had extra fees. I now teach at a college and I know there are fees here too.

They are things like:
Rec Center fee (gym)
Insurance fee (if you live on campus)
Transit pass fee (probably just at this school I am at - its an urban school and you get a train pass for the year)
Student activity fee
new student orientation fee
athletic fee (not sure what this is for)

Although, I don't think they add up to extra thousands? Maybe a few hundred.

There are also class fees that are separate if you take a lab class.
Maggie

 

[msmayor]

The simple fact for everyone...not just the OP...to realize is that the Cost of Attendance a school posts on its website is really only an average. Its a ballpark estimate that will fluctuate based on your personal situation and the choices your student makes on

Major
Course Selection
Living Arrangements
Travel methods to/from campus
Meal Plan choices
New or Used books

and a HOST of other things.

If it is true that the OP's child has accepted an admission offer from two schools and has yet to decide which one she is attending, then its wrong. If one of those schools had a waiting list, she effectively took a spot away from another student due to indecision.

In addition, the OP's daughter is playing a dangerous game. Many schools do not take kindly to being a party to a double-depositor. Acceptance to a school CAN be rescinded, and if the school decides they do not appreciate what the student has done by taking a space and scholarship money from someone else because they remain "on the fence" about whether or not they will really attend at this late date (most schools require an acceptance by May 1) they will make the decision for them and yank the spot away.

 

[kawing123]

I do realize this is her first choice, the aid office did not help. My viewpoint is all through her senior year she yearned to be a doctor. She said I would never ever be an engineer. This is basically an engineering school with a small pre med dept. She loves the campus. She is unsure of whether she wants to be a doctor now and say I will just be an engineer. Loving the campus is not a reason to attend. I am really torn I which way to guide her if she does not accept the full ride to the local university it is gone forever, if she goes where she would like to for a year and hates it she would need to go to the university which she turned down the full ride or try and hope and I mean hope that she could be a transfer student to the top university she should go to. I am torn because I think she is only going to this university because the campus is small and it is pretty. She knows there is no other degree programs besides engineering there and she said I mean fiercely throughout high school she would never ever become and engineer never. Since she is rethining her doctor career, I am wondering if she is just saying this because she wants to go to school there.

 

[kawing123]

Many students are wait listed at schools and accept many many spots in colleges and do not make decisions until August. Fairly commom.

 

[msmayor]

Many students are wait listed at schools and accept many many spots in colleges and do not make decisions until August. Fairly commom.

I challenge that.

Schools often require non-refundable deposits to hold your spot, generally in the neighborhood of $500 each. I would never believe that there are students with that much money to burn that they can afford to deposit at "many" schools and kiss all that money goodbye just so they can have more time to decide.

Students who are waitlisted are NOT required to deposit at the school. They only need to deposit once offered an official spot.

 

[kimara3]

My DD is also attending a small, expensive private college this fall to play lacrosse. Please keep in mind that forcing her to attend a school she has no desire to be at can be a recipe for disaster. Kids who are happy tend to get much better grades. I can tell you that the financial aid office at the school my daughter is attending really worked with us on grants and scholarships and offered loans where we would only have to out of pocket books if we wished at this time. Of course she has two older brothers who are also in college which may have also factored in. Any way, my first suggestion is to contact financial aid at the school and tell them them due to unexpected costs you are having trouble meeting your financial obligations. Perhaps they can find some grants or work study. Worst case student loans and then your daughter can decide if it is worth it or not to attend if she graduates in debt.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. My daughter will be heading off for her sophomore year in a few weeks. She was offered a scholarship last year to a school that she really did not want to attend. I felt that her education at this point is really her decision and her responsibility, and I would not force her to go somewhere just because of the money.

I am a single parent, and her father is not contributing to her college education. She went into this knowing that she may incur more student loan debt, and that she would need to work summers, work study, etc. to go where she wanted to go.

In the long run, I feel that she will be more successful because she is happy where she is. It also has taught her the life lesson that sometimes you have to sacrifice and work harder to have something you really want.