Why is out of state college so much more?

[eliza61]

So my second born kid is a Jr and we're starting the college thing all over again. He's naturally out going and gregarious so it wasn't a big shock when he said he wanted to go across state for school. Well, actually the kid wants to leave the country but that's a whole other thread.

Anyway we were researching University of Texas. In state tuition is ~10K. out of state tuition is 31K. I was just trying to figure why the 3X price difference. If I'm reading the website correctly it's not room and board, that's an additional 10K.

Does the professor know who is out of state and who's not? Does the chair? I know it sounds silly but why does a kid from NJ cost more to educate than a kid from Houston?

 

[NHdisneylover]

It is because YOUR state taxes are not supporting the school in Texas, but a kid from Huston's family's taxes are.

 

[punkin]

State schools are subsidized to varying degrees by residents' taxes. Their mission is to educate in-state students.

 

[msmayor]

The previous posters are correct...state schools supported by state money are biased toward the residents who pay the taxes, and thereby more affordable for them.

Think of it just like the public school in your town - your kids get to go for free because your taxes are supporting the schools. If anyone from outside your town wanted to attend, they'd have to pay tuition.

As you research these out of state schools, bear in mind that they also tend to be stingy to out-of-staters with institutional financial aid. It goes to the in-state residents first.

 

[allison443]

I agree with what the other posters said...OP I am in NJ like you and have had two kids go to out of state public flagships.
When my oldest was looking at colleges about five years ago, there were a number of out of state publics that were just about comparable to Rutgers' in-state cost for us. However, I think that is less common now as many states have raised their out of state tuition as an easy source of revenue.


I believe the SUNY system in NY is one that is still relatively affordable for out of state students.

Edited to add, my dd got a better scholarship from her out of state school than she did from our instate school, Rutgers. That of course varies in every situation.

 

[Virgderon]

You will get the most financial aid from schools that are looking to boost their student population, or boost the academic stats of the school. If your child is way above average academically, there are many schools that will offer scholarships for the difference between in state and out of state tuition.

The problem is that these may not be the high profile, name schools that many kids want to go to.

My daughter goes to Grand Valley State in Michigan, and she got the difference between in state and out of state in scholarships, plus some. The problem is that outside of the state of Michigan, not a lot of people know that school. That may hurt her applying for jobs outside of Michigan.

 

[kalliyan1]

We are in the SAME boat right now. We live in NC and our Sr. first born is wanting to go, and has applied to University of Michigan. Instate fees, total room, board, etc, etc, is about 24,000 out of state is ~ $48,000
Our high school has a great guidance counselor and she told us about many schools offering an out of state tuition waiver. Not all do it(of course UofM doesn't) but it cant hurt to ask. If I'm not mistaken, if they offer it, it would be in the form of some grant.
The other thing we found out about UofM is when they are figuring financial aid, they do it based on INSTATE costs. No matter how we look at it, it ain't pretty for us. He's also applied to Johns Hopkins which is rated a better school. It's private and costs the same as Uof M. We also learned kids have a better chance of getting money from private schools vs. state schools because they have more money available to fund grants and awards.

 

[Marionnette]

So my second born kid is a Jr and we're starting the college thing all over again. He's naturally out going and gregarious so it wasn't a big shock when he said he wanted to go across state for school. Well, actually the kid wants to leave the country but that's a whole other thread.

Anyway we were researching University of Texas. In state tuition is ~10K. out of state tuition is 31K. I was just trying to figure why the 3X price difference. If I'm reading the website correctly it's not room and board, that's an additional 10K.

Does the professor know who is out of state and who's not? Does the chair? I know it sounds silly but why does a kid from NJ cost more to educate than a kid from Houston?

Did you even research in state vs out of state tuition for your own state universities? Yes, jersey charges more for people who are non residents too. Its not just a texas thing. They all do it. Its b/c your state tax money is subsidizing those schools. Your son could certainly attend a state school n jersey that is on the other side of the state and take advantage of that. Otherwise take a look at private schools. They generally do not charge a different rate based on residency.

 

[okeydokey]

True, anyone who has ever gone to a state or public university has had their tuition subsidized by the taxpayers so it is more affordable for state residents.

This is why I always get a chuckle out of friends of ours who are always complaining about having to pay taxes and how terrible the government is, but they and their kids have all taken advantage of public universities.

 

[Pigeon]

I work for a university. Part of it is that you aren't paying state taxes, but the instate kid is.

Part of it is also because we can. We have way, way more applicants now than when the economy is good, both instate and out of state. The higher tuition charged out of state students helps fund the university. We charge international students even more.

 

[tar heel]

Not only are the in-state taxpayes subsidizing tuition and fees, they also paid for having all those buildings constructed and equipped. North Carolina universities' out-of-state tuition used to be abnormally low and on par with in-state tuition in some states. It's been raised the past few years but needs to go up some more.

 

[Green Tea]

Private colleges charge the same for local or out of state kids. If your child particularly likes Texas, privates like Trinity University and Texas Christian offer Texas for a similar price to out of state tuition.

 

[Michelle and crew]

Actually it is the opposite. There is a huge discount for those who live in that state. Itis expensive to run a university. It has to be paid for somehow.

 

[Green Tea]

Actually it is the opposite. There is a huge discount for those who live in that state. Itis expensive to run a university. It has to be paid for somehow.

Private colleges and universities charge all students the same price, whether they live in the state or not.

Public universities are just as the OP said....far more expensive for an out of state student.

 

[Michelle and crew]

Private colleges and universities charge all students the same price, whether they live in the state or not.

Public universities are just as the OP said....far more expensive for an out of state student.

Merely rephrasing. Public institutions give a discount to those living instate.

As for private schools, many if them have a discount for locals, too. I work for a prominent la school, and locals are guaranteed $5000 savings in tuition.

 

[crisi]

Some states will have a reciprocity program - Minnesota has one with Wisconsin and North and South Dakota. It allows you to pay in state tuition to one of the other state's schools.

Also, some state schools are affordable even if tuition is out of state. It doesn't tend to be the flagship state university though. But you can go to a variety of colleges throughout the U.S. for very little money.

 

[Sadie22]

It's important to find an affordable college, whether that be in-state, out-of-state, public or private. Private colleges may have more funds to give to deserving students, to meet additional financial need, to provide a more diverse student population, because they have no tuba players, etc. Some colleges offer so much off tuition to every member of the National Honor Society. Some offer so much to Eagle Scouts, and so on and so forth.

If your son excels academically he might be invited to apply for full scholarships such as the Dupont at University at Delaware. It pays to check out every avenue such as corporate scholarships and private scholarships through different universities. Encourage your son to explore a variety of schools.

 

[eliza61]

If your son excels academically he might be invited to apply for full scholarships such as the Dupont at University at Delaware. It pays to check out every avenue such as corporate scholarships and private scholarships through different universities. Encourage your son to explore a variety of schools.

I work at the Experimental Station in Wilmington.

Did you even research in state vs out of state tuition for your own state universities? Yes, jersey charges more for people who are non residents too. Its not just a texas thing. They all do it. Its b/c your state tax money is subsidizing those schools. Your son could certainly attend a state school n jersey that is on the other side of the state and take advantage of that. Otherwise take a look at private schools. They generally do not charge a different rate based on residency.

Actually we're pretty well versed in NJ colleges as my oldest son wanted to stay home locally.

I was just surprised at the large gap between in state and out of state at the University of Texas. My oldest attends Marshall University in West Virginia and there wasn't such a big gap. the difference between in state and out of state was 6K. the difference between the two at University of Texas was 22K.

 

[Green Tea]

OP, If he can get into UT as an out of state student, he is destined for big merit scholarships. It has become really competitive for OOS kids there; one of the harder public schools to get into in the country.

 

[descovy]

Shoot, it's almost impossible to get into UT as an IN STATE student too! Unless you are in the top 8-10% of your class, UT is out of reach for many Texas students too!