How much does your child spend a smester at college?

[MOpGrad2013]

DS just started his first week so we won't know. There have been quite a few consts that surprised us both, but it will all come out in the end.

He has a tablet and school access to computer lab, but for a class he just transferred to , they really need a laptop in class. So, we bought one and we are making flex pay of $85 for 5 months. Also had to come out of pocket for a new textbook. The school supplier can't get it in for 30 days, so we paid for the ebook.

He will have his truck in about a month so he will pay for the gas on it (we pay the insurance), but he won't need to go that many places.

He has his own credit card (limit $500) and he's on the 21 meal plan along with campus cash of $150 (this is semester...used to be $50 a month).
The campus provides 70 channels cable in each room, wired internet in each room, wifi in community areas and most dorm rooms are able to access it. Laundry is free (provide your soaps). They also have FREE resident activities--including off campus events. There are a few that require a nonperishable food donation.

Our family is very fortunate, though, DH was able to transfer Veteran's Benefits to take care of this first year. DS is eligible for $1000 a month as long as he remains full time student. DS plans to save that money as best as he can. He'll pay off his credit card monthly (collecting rewards). His roommate shops at Goodwill so I can't imagine a whole lot of spending. Oh! Wait, there is a Tassimo coffee habit, but the dorm floor is donating to that.

I figure $300-500 a month is the max. But I also know that he would survive just fine on $150-200 a month. He is also looking for a job.

 

[anelson81993]

Just wondering what your child spends a semester at college? This is our first year of having a child in college and not really knowing what to expect with some of the extras. DS is on a meal plan.

I started my third year in college this week. Last two years, I lived in the dorms (with meal plan) and paid tuition. This year I'm commuting from home, since I've arranged all 6 of my classes on just two days.

When I lived on campus, with a meal plan, my total ended up around $9000/semester. About $3200 of that was tuition and fees. Another $5300 for my single and meal plan. I had an 8 meals/week plan, plus $300 in "Dining Dollars" that I could use to buy food anywhere on campus. The remaining $500 was textbooks, gas money, and extra money.

This year, since I'm not living on campus, I'm only spending that $3200 for tuition and fees, about $300 for books, which were more expensive for me this time around, plus about $35/week in gas money. Since I was already spending about $15/week in gas money, that brings my school spending to $4060, without including any other extras.

 

[Bob NC]

I don't know. We pay for tuition, dorm and meal plan (books are included in tuition). Beyond that, it's her responsibility. She's doing great, and she has never once asked for money.

This is also what we did, except the kids paid for their own books too.

Their spending money was their responsibility.

One just graduated in June, the other is a freshman now.

Neither has ever asked for spending money.

 

[verleniahall]

I was on the meal plan for part of my freshman year, and was on the point system the second half. Both ways, I spent about $100 a month extra, but that was mostly entertainment. BUT, I had a job at the church on campus helping with childcare and made $20 a week. Sometimes, my parents would send me gift cards or cash, but that was rare. They DID tend to stock me up on things when they came to visit. We didn't have to buy a computer, because the college furnishes them and an ipod or iphone. (don't all colleges do this?)

 

[mom2rtk]

We didn't have to buy a computer, because the college furnishes them and an ipod or iphone. (don't all colleges do this?)

No.

 

[SamSam]

Wow I must be the cheap mom! We pay our kids' tuition and food plan and they must pay for their own entertainment expenses. They both have on-campus jobs, and we feel it does them good to learn to budget and prioritize what they want to use their money for. Plus they also have summer jobs which they save for when they go back to school.

This is exactly what we did when our son and then our daughter were in college. We paid tuition, dorm room, and dining plan. They worked summers and usually had a college job for their spending money. Our son's senior year of undergraduate he wanted to share an apartment with a good friend, we gave him what we would have spent on room and board if he had stayed in the dorm.
It worked well for us, we had discussed it well in advance and they knew we wouldn't waiver.

We also took 'supplies' when we would go visit...toilet paper, food, etc. but not overboard. lol

 

[burnurcomputer]

I was on the meal plan for part of my freshman year, and was on the point system the second half. Both ways, I spent about $100 a month extra, but that was mostly entertainment. BUT, I had a job at the church on campus helping with childcare and made $20 a week. Sometimes, my parents would send me gift cards or cash, but that was rare. They DID tend to stock me up on things when they came to visit. We didn't have to buy a computer, because the college furnishes them and an ipod or iphone. (don't all colleges do this?)

Where exactly did you go to school at?

 

[MinMouse]

This is also what we did, except the kids paid for their own books too.

Their spending money was their responsibility.

One just graduated in June, the other is a freshman now.

Neither has ever asked for spending money.

Our first DD just started college. This is our deal with her as well! She has worked as a lifeguard since she was 15 and always saved half the money (honestly it was a forced savings plan that DH and I insisted on). She is very glad to now how this stash of cash! She found the best deal on books for herself. She is also very fortunate that her grandparents are giving her $100 a month. She is the oldest grandchild and they've told the rest that the deal will stand for them as well when they are in college.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have no actual set amt per month. My ds is 2nd year on campus, full ride so no cost there. Books are typically online access and its been a few hundred opp per semester. He has a car on campus since freshman year ( he went in with almost 2 years under his belt from AP credits) I pay insurance and gas. The meal plan is credits worth about 1400. Per semester and he has had about $50 leftover the last two semesters. He said the lids that drink starbucks every day always run out. He has pretty much been a saver and mostly uses his own money for weekend entertainment, eating out and such. We often just provide xtra cash as needed. We stock him up each semester with all toiletries, clothes food etc. he has had a credit card since HS and uses it if/when needed but is very responsible. I generally pay that as well. I guess each month it's about $300-400. Blessed to be able to do it. And very thankful his hard work paid off to not be paying for his 4 years nor walking out with loans. Very Blessed indeed.

 

[mbf]

Youngest DD is off campus this year. We pay of her tuition what her scholarships/Govt Loans do not cover (about $6K a semester) plus her rent/utilities ($625/mo - she lives in a major city so that is a steal), and I also give her $200/mo for food. Sounds like a lot but she is transferring out this year and we are saving about $6K this year just by having her live off campus. Had she stayed at one of our State schools our OOP would have been about the same since they are notoriously stingy with scholarships for her major at the schools that have her major. Luckily, DD has only had to buy 1 book ($22) so far. Her school believes in doing most classes via online materials.

Oldest DD had enough in merit scholarship money (at a State school but she also graduated near the top of her HS class and had 97th percentile SAT's) plus outside scholarships (including one from our State Dept of Education) and Govt loans that she had an overage each semester. She never had to take a part time job until her Senior year. This year she is in a fully funded Assistantship in Graduate school which covers tuition/fees plus a living stipend. I would send her money from time to time. She lived on campus with a meal plan until her Senior year.

Our theory is that our kids should not have to take out private loans to fund their education. Oldest DD excelled in HS and college and benefited from that (and as such, we also have gifted her with two used cars). She did not have to work to pay for "fun" money because she had an overage. Youngest DD has been working (and has been fortunate enough to get some good waitressing jobs) since February of her freshman year. She was a good (top 20%) student in HS but in her major (Dance) and the schools she applied to grades and SAT's were not going to make a huge difference in Scholarship money. All of the schools she needed to apply to either were State schools offering little in the way of scholarships unless you were in the top 5% of applicants, pricey private schools (where she ended up), or State schools in different States whose out of State resident costs pretty much matched those of the pricey private schools. I should add that in our State school system there were 3 schools that offered a BFA in Dance. Two of the three do not offer a Commercially focused Dance program and the one that does is at a State U that also has large schools of business, engineering, and medicine. In short, she was not on par to compete with the other applicants to that school for the small amount of merit money the school offered out. My friend's DD is a dance major at the same school. She is paying full freight for her education there (more than our OOP at the private school) despite being a stellar student at one of the most competitive schools in our State.