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Iowa is extremely cheap for out of state (not $15k cheap, but still cheap). Many students from Illinois actually go to University of Iowa because University of Iowa out-of-state tuition and fees is cheaper than Illinois in-state tuition and fees.
Minnesota and Wisconsin also have fairly low out of state tuition, though not as cheap as Iowa.
Even if you moved to Iowa City and worked for 12 months before applying so you could be a resident, you would still be looking at about $5k in rent per year (off campus, legal maximum roommates) and $8k in tuition and fees plus another $1k for books and probably at least $3k for food. That is still $17k per year; and unfortunately you will not even find a full time job there without a degree that pays that much after taxes. (And Iowa City is one of the lowest unemployment metros in the country.)
Your best case scenario would be to do something like that and maybe earn the max pull grant ($5.5k) and find a full time job paying around $12k per year after taxes. That combined with a full year of savings could get you through without loans.
Note: the cheaper the state school, the less likely you are to be offered any additional grant in aid or work study.
First off, you just compared tuition to tuition and fees, and you covered only one year. Add $1,662 in fees for Illinois.
Times four years = $53,192.
Iowa is one of the few states that allows a student to obtain residency after enrolling.
$26,279 + 3x $8057 = $50,450.
That is where the idea comes from that Iowa is less than $15k out of state. It is, if you start there. If you are transferring, it will still be over $17k/year for two years (and you will be a lot less likely to get residency if you are transferring, though I was able to do it).
**The low end of the tuition range indicates the base rate for students initially enrolled after May 2012. Students enrolled in the Colleges of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences; Business; Engineering; Fine and Applied Arts; or the biochemistry, biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, computer science, integrative biology, mathematics, molecular/cellular biology, physics, and statistics programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; or the advertising and journalism programs in the College of Media may be assessed a higher tuition rate and/or additional fees up to the high end of the range shown.
Even at the high end, it is still cheaper to go to the U of IL as an in-state student than to go to Iowa as an out-of-state student by several thousand dollars.
As for becoming an in-state student during your college time, go for it! You can do that at the U of CO if you are an adult, or "emancipated". Lots of people do so in grad school.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 12-09-2012 at 09:43 AM..
Look for a job that pays tuition, even if the take-home pay is less money. I have 2 family member, where their companies paid for their degrees. I have met some successful people that worked their way from the mail room to management levels with degrees paid by their companies.
I'm not completely anti student loans but just understand if you take them out there yours until they are paid off. Federal loans are a bit more flexible then private loans on repayment and such. However just keep in mind you can't discharge them in bankruptcy(that's a whole other discussion lol).
Universities are required by law to have a "net cost calculator" on their website which shows you the (estimated) cost for you to attend, including taking into account your eligibility for grants and loans. Sometimes they are not easy to find by going through the college's homepage, so I suggest you Search Google with "[college name] net cost calculator".
As other have said, as long as you are 24 and make under a certain amount of income each year, you will be eligible for a ~$5k Pell Grant. In addition, some states have a similar grant given by the state. For example NY has "TAP" which gives another ~$5k, and NJ has "TAG" which is I believe $3k-5k. Also SEOG (google it)
You pay for school without loans by having rich family and friends or by having your parents start up a college fund for you from the time you were born until you turn 18. Face it, for most of the population who come from average working class families student loans are a way of life.
Save some cash by knocking out two years at a community for less than $10k for two years. I completed 2 years of community at $500 tuition and around $2000 books....beat that, then went on to finish up my undergraduate at Thomas Edison State College. I was still able to get accepted to a few respectable graduate programs..Syracuse, Temple. I did an undergrad degree for less than $8k. If money is a concern, then 2 years at community college is the way to go....get a strong foundation and then grind hard a respectable 4 year and still become alumni and get the sheepskin with their name attached.
There is some reciprocation agreement between several midwest states....(some schools participate, not all)....the agreement is .....if student is out-of-state but from another participating midwest state, that student pays 1.5x of state tuition(public school) instead of out-of-state tuition (10% off for private school).
The states are IN, IL, MO, MN, WI, NE, KS, ND, MI. (Maybe I missed a state or added an extra by mistake). It's called MSEP MHEC : MSEP Description (328). I think IA, SD, and OH are part of the initial plan, but I dont think they participate. the above web site should have links to which schools participate.
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