The Real Cost of College
Yes, college is expensive. But, it almost certainly costs thousands a year less than you think.
In a survey a few years ago, it was discovered that people frequently overestimate the cost of college by between $10,000 and $20,000 a year. In some instances, they were even more inaccurate than that.
Although the group surveyed was well aware that costs at public colleges and universities are substantially less than those at privates, they badly overestimated fees at both. Similarly, their estimates of the cost of online degree programs were well above the actual costs.
Why are people so inadequately informed about college costs? Perhaps the colleges themselves are partially responsible for not getting their real costs out to the public. The media, however, also bare responsibility for focusing on the costs of institutions like Yale, Harvard, etc. while ignoring the far less modest costs of the majority of institutions.
Even those people who answered accurately on college costs knew little or nothing about the scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid which can substantially reduce them.
There are few subjects about which people make more uninformed statements than education. Investigate costs and financial aid very carefully, and confirm everything that you read or hear before accepting it as fact, much as reporters at major newspapers and magazines do.
What is most critical is that you do not assume that you can not afford higher education. The truth is that if you “shop” carefully for colleges and take advantage of the financial aid for which you are eligible, a higher education is well within reach.
Jim Evans is an educational counselor who guides students wishing to earn an online degree or a traditional college degree.
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Tagged with: college • college admission • college costs • Financial Aid • higher education • scholarships • tuition
Filed under: Financial Aid
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