What percentage of people pay cash for college?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They can enroll online,

If that's the way they can truly learn. If you don't learn well with an online platform wouldn't make sense.

go to a Community College,

Yeah..did that for a few classes. Keep in mind credits transferring and that community colleges are often 2 year degrees, a lot of jobs want 4 year degrees.

work and take evening classes, etc..

What about the people who work jobs that are in the evenings and weekends or up and down schedules where it's whatever they are scheduled. Night school is very advantageous for those it works out in but often people take a long time to complete a degree for the reason that they are severely limited on time with other things usually work. Not to mention you really do have to be careful and find a reputable school and the watch the tuition it can be a killer.

It can be done. But people don’t necessarily want to take that route and therein lies the student debt crisis.

Nope, not the reason the student debt crisis exist.

You've got some good points but your comments come off like blame and that if you don't do these things it's just cuz you're being stubborn and just don't want to take this no brainer route. As well traditional college we may think of it's just options out there. You still have to consider what works for each individual.

 

[VandVsmama]

Well, I feel like a total loser, reading this thread. DH and I didn't have the income to put away money for college for DD regularly, and although she should have qualified for a merit scholarship, her guidance counselor didn't get her transcript submitted in time, so no money for her; that cost us about $16K. She went to our state university, flagship campus. Every semester she got "small" scholarships (think <$3K), we paid some, sometimes DH taught on campus so there was a 25% tuition waiver, she paid some OOP, she borrowed some. She graduated in 4 years, summa cum laude, with about $25K in debt (lived on campus 3 years, in an apartment senior year). DH and I have been making those loan payments; we couldn't afford to save much "back in the day" but can afford to make the payments now. Unfortunately she just took a $15K loan for grad school. It's defeating, it's unsubsidized, and... whatever. She just got an assistantship that will cover her tuition and pay a stipend for the rest of her program (4 more semesters) so we are just moving forward.

This is definitely not in a “loser” category by any means. You helped manage the situation and minimized the debt that your DD had to take on. That’s a good thing!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

the government entity i retired from was so desperate for certain classifications of staff that they would pay a salary in addition to all school costs for pursuing specific degrees. the staff member had to sign a contract agreeing to accept a job in that classification and remain within it for so many years upon completion of the degree program otherwise they had to repay the full cost of both the salary and the schooling. we had local hospitals at the time that had similar programs to attract rn's (get hired as an entry level clerk-finish you 6 month probation and go into the rn program. it was a pretty sweet deal).

One of my friends in nursing school did one of these programs - the VA paid four years of her RN tuition, and in return, she had to give them four years of work back. She was older and divorced with young kids so it was the best way she found to get her through school without worrying about how she was going to pay for it. Well, long story short, working conditions there were absolutely horrible, and her mental health took a toll. I actually worked at the same place initially and wound up getting out of there, but she couldn’t leave. Eventually she had a nervous breakdown, things got so bad. Working conditions for nurses can be really bad in some places, so I’m not sure, based on seeing what my friend went through, I’d recommend being tied down to something like that - especially today where most hospitals are in dire straits with poor staffing and nurses run ragged. It may be ok in other fields, idk.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

If that's the way they can truly learn. If you don't learn well with an online platform wouldn't make sense.
Yeah..did that for a few classes. Keep in mind credits transferring and that community colleges are often 2 year degrees, a lot of jobs want 4 year degrees.
What about the people who work jobs that are in the evenings and weekends or up and down schedules where it's whatever they are scheduled. Night school is very advantageous for those it works out in but often people take a long time to complete a degree for the reason that they are severely limited on time with other things usually work. Not to mention you really do have to be careful and find a reputable school and the watch the tuition it can be a killer.

Nope, not the reason the student debt crisis exist.

You've got some good points but your comments come off like blame and that if you don't do these things it's just cuz you're being stubborn and just don't want to take this no brainer route. As well traditional college we may think of it's just options out there. You still have to consider what works for each individual.

I think what @HeatherC was trying to say is that there’s a lot of pressure on kids to go the traditional route, including going away to school to get “the college experience” (which I’m not sure even really exists these days when kids aren’t supposed to leave their dorms or go into town for things other than essentials, for instance) and to go to a popular school where their friends are going, regardless of the cost or whether it‘s really a good fit, etc. I remember my kids telling me when they were in HS one day they were on a school bus going somewhere with their class when they drove by a community college and a lot of the kids started yelling out making fun of the school. I also thought it strange that community colleges never seemed to be represented at college fairs at school - they seemed to want the kids to go to four year schools (maybe because it made them look better or because more money was involved, not totally sure). I told my kids don’t worry some of them will be going there, and we went to their Open House exploring all our options, too - why not. Point being that some won’t even consider it, or things like commuting or night classes while working, because they’re not mainstream. I spent a lot of time in night classes, myself. It can actually be a good way to transition into a school you might not otherwise get into because sometimes there is no acceptance requirement at night, you just sign up and go! (At least that’s how it worked for me!) Even as a young person I liked being in classes with older people, but I also worked a couple of jobs during the daytime having rent to pay and bills, etc. Like a pp said, it’s really what works for each individual. But thinking outside the box can be a good thing when it comes to getting that degree!

 

[mefordis]

I know a couple of those:
-- One was convinced from a young age that their son would be getting a full-ride athletic scholarship until it became painfully obvious that he wouldn't be. (Multiple people tried to tell them that sports scholarships are more rare than you'd suppose, but they didn't believe it. This is a family member -- and she had a very skewed vision of her student's athletic talent, I think. He didn't make varsity till senior year, and wasn't a starter then... and this was in a program that had no cuts for the sport. They were always convinced that he had stupid coaches who didn't recognize his talent and were unfair to him -- to the point that they tried to get both the JV and varsity coaches fired, unsuccessfully. I'm sure the AD is really glad he graduated.) They have a daughter who's currently a high school sophomore -- and they're convinced she's going to get a full-ride academic scholarship. She's a good student but has neither the grades, test scores, nor course rigor, that mine had...and while mine have been offered decent academic scholarships, neither has been offered anything close to full-ride.
-- A number of others just do not think that college tuition falls under a parents' duty to pay. And quite a few of these are parents who probably could have afforded to save. But, "Nobody paid my tuition and I did it just fine, so my kid will, too." Or "there's no way I can pay that much... he'll have to take out loans, and what's a little bigger loan?"
-- A lot of people didn't keep up with the changing cost of a college education. I found my college ID not too long ago (from the mid-1990s). It has my "fees paid" sticker on the back. My son's costs are about 6 times what mine cost (and that's after his scholarship). I think a lot of parents start saving, but don't realize HOW MUCH they need to save. They're still basing their savings on what they paid 25+ years ago, and have sticker shock when they start looking at schools for their student.

In the early 90's my out of state tuition, big 10 school, was 10k a year. Today that same school is 38k a year.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think what @HeatherC was trying to say is that there’s a lot of pressure on kids to go the traditional route, including going away to school to get “the college experience” (which I’m not sure even really exists these days when kids aren’t supposed to leave their dorms or go into town for things other than essentials, for instance) and to go to a popular school where their friends are going, regardless of the cost or whether it‘s really a good fit, etc. I remember my kids telling me when they were in HS one day they were on a school bus going somewhere with their class when they drove by a community college and a lot of the kids started yelling out making fun of the school. I also thought it strange that community colleges never seemed to be represented at college fairs at school - they seemed to want the kids to go to four year schools (maybe because it made them look better or because more money was involved, not totally sure). I told my kids don’t worry some of them will be going there, and we went to their Open House exploring all our options, too - why not. Point being that some won’t even consider it, or things like commuting or night classes while working, because they’re not mainstream. I spent a lot of time in night classes, myself. It can actually be a good way to transition into a school you might not otherwise get into because sometimes there is no acceptance requirement at night, you just sign up and go! (At least that’s how it worked for me!) Even as a young person I liked being in classes with older people, but I also worked a couple of jobs during the daytime having rent to pay and bills, etc. Like a pp said, it’s really what works for each individual. But thinking outside the box can be a good thing when it comes to getting that degree!

I understood where the poster was coming from and it's why I said it's all just part of the options. However the tone of the post changes when it was added "It can be done. But people don’t necessarily want to take that route and therein lies the student debt crisis."

All anything is is options. No one should be pressured to do the traditional route any more than they should to do online, night school or community college. Options should be considered in their entirety and our student debt crisis is not caused by people who are willfully not doing what the poster mentioned. That's assigning blame to entirely to the wrong group of people. When you're talking the large amount of national student debt it's not caused because Sally didn't go to community college or Johnny didn't sign up for an online university.

ETA: I know this past November the Community College here for candidates for the Board tuition increases came about because they are needing more money. The candidates seems mostly on the same page that ideally a raise in tuition would not do the best but it could be done. Our Community College is def. inexpensive and the raise in tuition about $30ish or so more than when I was considered a student about 15 years ago (I was dual enrolled in high school for french and then took a math, bio lab and bio class there summer before freshman year at college and summer before sophomore year at college) BUT that is largely due to....property taxes from homeowners like me (67% of the Community College's budget comes from straight up property tax). It all comes from somewhere that's for sure.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I know one person that paid cash for their child’s tuition. They could easily afford the 35k a year.
I know a mom that returned to work several years before her daughter went to college with the sole purpose of avoiding debt for her daughter. Her salary was Only for schooling.

most I know have used fed loans where there is both Good and Bad points. Good, in that the loan rates/payments have been halted through two admins. While the economy is ..doing its thing in the current situations. Held till 5/22, so far. They can also be paid back, income based.
the bad is that the loan rates are quite Higher than personal loans ( as far as grad loans go ..)
With a distribution fee of 4 percent Atop the 4.4-7percent range depending on the percent/rate set by the govt. at the time.

perhaps if the rates were locked in at a Reasonable rate there would be less, walk aways, defaults and More, consistent paybacks. Regardless, one knows going in What the rates are and sometimes, it’s the Only option.

it took me about 3 years to pay back higher education loans however that’s was years back and nothing like the debt many I know have .. 150k and above.

 

[barkley]

swiping cards to pay for their child's tuition

the ONLY time i ever swiped a card at my kid's college was when i went to pay off the perkins loan. i offered to pay it off in full for cash b/c i had read that some institutions will offer a discount for payment in full prior to commencement of the repayment period but they would'nt offer any discount so i said 'fine, i'll pay with my highest points earning credit card and end up with a net savings of several hundred dollars'. administrator said 'well, um we really prefer if people don't pay with a credit card b/c of the fees the university has to pay' to which i replied 'well i prefer to get a cash discount so i guess we're both disappointed'. swiped it for about $8500, got about $500 in cashback rewards, turned around and paid the card off the next day.

One of my friends in nursing school did one of these programs - the VA paid four years of her RN tuition, and in return, she had to give them four years of work back. She was older and divorced with young kids so it was the best way she found to get her through school without worrying about how she was going to pay for it. Well, long story short, working conditions there were absolutely horrible, and her mental health took a toll. I actually worked at the same place initially and wound up getting out of there, but she couldn’t leave. Eventually she had a nervous breakdown, things got so bad. Working conditions for nurses can be really bad in some places, so I’m not sure, based on seeing what my friend went through, I’d recommend being tied down to something like that - especially today where most hospitals are in dire straits with poor staffing and nurses run ragged. It may be ok in other fields, idk.

i'm so sorry to hear that. in the case of my former employer the classification was treated with kid gloves b/c there was only about a 10% retention rate. be it through the employer paid program or freshly graduated new hires-they only worked the minimum number of months they were either obligated to or be able to put it on a resume b/c they could make MASSIVELY more hanging a shingle and working in the private sector. there were almost none over 30 or under mid 50's-it was either a fresh out of grad school job or a true calling to which you dedicated your heart and career.

 

[mefordis]

Can you pay tuition with a credit card without paying a cc usage fee?

 

[tvguy]

Can you pay tuition with a credit card without paying a cc usage fee?

I can't say no for every college, but none of the colleges my kids attended would take a credit card for tuition.

 

[design_mom]

Can you pay tuition with a credit card without paying a cc usage fee?

My son's college accepts credit card payments but they pass the credit card usage fee on to the student/parent. (You can also pay with electronic check without a fee... or they offer payment plans. I think the payment plans also have a fee, but less than credit card fees.) His is a public university and my niece's [different] public university is similar. I'm not sure if private colleges work differently though.

 

[antmaril]

My son has two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree. No debt at any time. My late husband and I and saved from the time he was a baby in order to make it happen. We paid for his first bachelor’s degree and half of his second bachelor’s degree (he paid the other half). He also paid for his master’s degree.

 

[HeatherC]

If that's the way they can truly learn. If you don't learn well with an online platform wouldn't make sense.
Yeah..did that for a few classes. Keep in mind credits transferring and that community colleges are often 2 year degrees, a lot of jobs want 4 year degrees.
What about the people who work jobs that are in the evenings and weekends or up and down schedules where it's whatever they are scheduled. Night school is very advantageous for those it works out in but often people take a long time to complete a degree for the reason that they are severely limited on time with other things usually work. Not to mention you really do have to be careful and find a reputable school and the watch the tuition it can be a killer.

Nope, not the reason the student debt crisis exist.

You've got some good points but your comments come off like blame and that if you don't do these things it's just cuz you're being stubborn and just don't want to take this no brainer route. As well traditional college we may think of it's just options out there. You still have to consider what works for each individual.

My point was simply that there ARE other options but many don’t want to consider them for whatever reason. As far as the student debt crisis, I do believe a lot of it (not all) is due to the fact that people…(kids and parents) didn’t want to consider other options. I am not blaming anyone…everyone makes their own decisions in life. But I know countless families who felt they “absolutely” had to send their kids away to college and are now having to deal with huge loans.
We have so many friends who at the time wouldn’t even consider alternatives and are now complaining their kids owe over $100,000 in loans. Yes, college is expensive. My point is there are ways to get a degree without coming out owing a fortune.

 

[Seahorse17]

Never really thought about it.
I went to a private University and paid as I went way back in 1975-79.
My oldest went to the same private University 2005-10 and 80% of his tuition had been paid when he was done, the remaining 20% was paid off 3 years later.
My youngest went to a State University and her tuition was paid in full when she was done.
But College tuition and WHO should pay for it, the parents or the child has been the subject of some controversy of DIS.
I'm in the parents pay camp My parents paid for my college, my wife and I paid for our kids college. And it wasn't like we didn't have 18 years to save something towards their kids college.
What really surprises me is how much College debt some students pile up. I know some of my kids friends have debt that HAS to be more than their tuition and room and board totaled. And the other thing I have notice is how many YEARS some students take. They drop classes, fail classes change majors repeatedly, or change colleges repeatedly and lose classes that don't transfer*.. Both my kids were in college 5 years. My youngest's best friend, same age, graduated from High School the same year is in her 12th year in college, and is attending her 5th college. Her mother is not offering any financial help, and I have no idea how much debt she has piled up

*Regarding classes that don't transfer. I can understand different Colleges have different standards, but my youngest transferred from one California State University campus to another, and some classes did not transfer. Not sure how THAT is even possible.

 

[Seahorse17]

I can't say no for every college, but none of the colleges my kids attended would take a credit card for tuition.

my granddaughters got 4 yrs free college due to Bright Futures sc

Never really thought about it.
I went to a private University and paid as I went way back in 1975-79.
My oldest went to the same private University 2005-10 and 80% of his tuition had been paid when he was done, the remaining 20% was paid off 3 years later.
My youngest went to a State University and her tuition was paid in full when she was done.
But College tuition and WHO should pay for it, the parents or the child has been the subject of some controversy of DIS.
I'm in the parents pay camp My parents paid for my college, my wife and I paid for our kids college. And it wasn't like we didn't have 18 years to save something towards their kids college.
What really surprises me is how much College debt some students pile up. I know some of my kids friends have debt that HAS to be more than their tuition and room and board totaled. And the other thing I have notice is how many YEARS some students take. They drop classes, fail classes change majors repeatedly, or change colleges repeatedly and lose classes that don't transfer*.. Both my kids were in college 5 years. My youngest's best friend, same age, graduated from High School the same year is in her 12th year in college, and is attending her 5th college. Her mother is not offering any financial help, and I have no idea how much debt she has piled up

*Regarding classes that don't transfer. I can understand different Colleges have different standards, but my youngest transferred from one California State University campus to another, and some classes did not transfer. Not sure how THAT is even possible.

 

[barkley]

Can you pay tuition with a credit card without paying a cc usage fee?

i just checked the place mine attended-they now charge a 2.85% convenience fee so depending on the rewards program an individual cc offers it could still work out in a person's favor.

 

[Seahorse17]

My twin granddaughters are over 100,000.00 in debt each for Vet school. Their dad is a mechanic I was widowed twice in my 30‘s. How could we save when Dad made $5.00 a hour. Cost more for daycare than my daughter working. I either feed and give them room and board or save for college. Never dreamed they would be doctors. So please stop putting people down that didn’t save for their kids college. It make me feel like a failure.. I tried the best I could.

 

[GreatLakes]

I never understood going into debt just to have the "ideal college experience". I went to a school I could drive to and would never pay to live away if I had the option to stay home.

When I graduated I moved to another state for a while so I had that experience without having to take on debt to do it.

Like most things in life you can make choices that reduce your debt no differently than any other purchase you make in life.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My point was simply that there ARE other options but many don’t want to consider them for whatever reason. As far as the student debt crisis, I do believe a lot of it (not all) is due to the fact that people…(kids and parents) didn’t want to consider other options. I am not blaming anyone…everyone makes their own decisions in life. But I know countless families who felt they “absolutely” had to send their kids away to college and are now having to deal with huge loans.
We have so many friends who at the time wouldn’t even consider alternatives and are now complaining their kids owe over $100,000 in loans. Yes, college is expensive. My point is there are ways to get a degree without coming out owing a fortune.

The reason why they aren't responsible is because it's not the reason for the costs. If everyone went a traditional route but tuition, books, room and board were in check with the costs you wouldn't have as many people taking on loans or loans in higher amounts. The issue to reducing the student loan debt on a national level isn't just to tell people do some other path because that won't fix the problem. That will only lead to costs increasing more and more for those who do do the traditional path. Like it or not when colleges need money (and that includes community college) they often go to raising tuition. Correcting that part would go a long way. So would a university's reliance on state funding. A main reason the colleges in my state request the Board of Regents to raise tuition is because their funding is cut.

I don't disagree with people can look beyond the traditional path and it should always be a conversation to be had but if you care about the student loan debt situation you can't just tell people go do it a different way and tell them "you just didn't want to consider other options". That doesn't do anything to reduce the national student loan debt.

The people you know would not be in the same position even if they took a traditional path if costs themselves, financial aid calculations and more were different.

Like I said in my other comment the reason why my local Community College is affordable is because it's heavily subsidized by homeowners and their property tax amount. They still need additional funds although most candidates for this past November election agreed the path to getting a more sustained funding was increase enrollment rather than just raise tuition on those going. That's not a common formula. Of course the other way is to raise the mill level and charge property owners more, of which yes they have done.

If your point was just "hey look at all what you can do don't limit yourself" I would wholeheartedly agree with you. But when you bring in the reasons why there's a student loan debt crisis and pin it on people going the traditional route I'll disagree with you there.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I think what @HeatherC was trying to say is that there’s a lot of pressure on kids to go the traditional route, including going away to school to get “the college experience” (which I’m not sure even really exists these days when kids aren’t supposed to leave their dorms or go into town for things other than essentials, for instance) and to go to a popular school where their friends are going, regardless of the cost or whether it‘s really a good fit, etc. I remember my kids telling me when they were in HS one day they were on a school bus going somewhere with their class when they drove by a community college and a lot of the kids started yelling out making fun of the school. I also thought it strange that community colleges never seemed to be represented at college fairs at school - they seemed to want the kids to go to four year schools (maybe because it made them look better or because more money was involved, not totally sure). I told my kids don’t worry some of them will be going there, and we went to their Open House exploring all our options, too - why not. Point being that some won’t even consider it, or things like commuting or night classes while working, because they’re not mainstream. I spent a lot of time in night classes, myself. It can actually be a good way to transition into a school you might not otherwise get into because sometimes there is no acceptance requirement at night, you just sign up and go! (At least that’s how it worked for me!) Even as a young person I liked being in classes with older people, but I also worked a couple of jobs during the daytime having rent to pay and bills, etc. Like a pp said, it’s really what works for each individual. But thinking outside the box can be a good thing when it comes to getting that degree!
[/QUOTE]

This might be the silver lining of Covid...I don't think the "romantic" part of college which gets folks to overspend is gonna seem so romantic to the classes coming up based on the feedback of those there (I know my college magazine took a survey about "happiness" about the school from all its alumni this summer, and the recent 2020/2021 grads grades were separately reported b/c of how low they were)...