All Affordability & Cost of College Articles

how much does college cost
affordability & college cost

Don’t Wait to Figure Out The Cost of College

As recently as 3 or 4 years ago, financial aid had a season. It was limited and finite, but much like Christmas music that begins to play before Thanksgiving or Valentine’s Day decorations that spring up January 2nd, financial aid season has also been affected by seasonal “creep”. It used to be that you couldn’t …
Cornell University campus building on a sunny day.
affordability & college cost

These 10 “Expensive” Colleges Have Free College Tuition or Full-Ride Scholarships for Middle-Class Families

When many families think of college, they think “expensive”. With rising price tags on many schools now easily exceeding $60,000 per year, it’s no wonder that many students and parents are worried about how they will possibly afford the cost of college. If you’ve done your homework, then you will know that many colleges–especially the most …
Students walking at the University of Maryland.
affordability & college cost

The Costs of Transferring Colleges

Students can transfer schools for all sorts of reasons –another college has a better program, they weren’t clicking with the environment, etc.– but whatever the cause, all transfer students face similar challenges with their move. Whether it’s financial or academic — what’s the real cost of transferring colleges? The benefits of transferring colleges: Given the …
Graphic shows that a college's net price is calculated by subtracting gift aid - scholarships and grants - from the total stick price. College costs add up.
affordability & college cost

College Costs: Net Price vs. Sticker Price

Someone once accurately explained college pricing and financial aid with this anecdote: You live in the Northeast quadrant of the United States. The temperature outside could be displayed on one hand on any given day in January. Your little brother just dumped a quart of yellow paint on your winter coat—meaning you need to buy …
college cost per year
affordability & college cost

College Costs: The 4 Parts of College Costs

How much does college cost? This seems like it should be a reasonably simple question with a straight forward answer. However, that is not nearly the case. In fact, there are at least 4 answers to this question about college costs. Understanding them is important in being a good consumer. 1. Tuition and Fees The …
affordability & college cost

The Price of State Colleges vs. Private Colleges

One of the biggest myths for high school students and their families is that state schools are always cheaper — generally a lot cheaper — than comparable smaller, private colleges. Is it true? Not really. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons we created MyCollegePrice in the first place. In many cases, attending a …
affordability & college cost

The True Price of Private Colleges: Why Sticker Price Doesn’t Matter

One of the most important reasons we created MyCollegePrice was to help people discover new affordable options for college. Students might discover new schools that they hadn’t even heard of simply by looking at their list of college matches. But, students and their families may also be overlooking great potential colleges that they know about but think are …

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