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> As the price of college he lists the sticker price, not the price after whatever deal is worked out (it is often quite significantly less). I’m not sure to w

> As the price of college he lists the sticker price, not the price after whatever deal is worked out (it is often quite significantly less). I’m not sure to which “deals” you are referring. When I went to college I paid the sticker price for tuition and then some (for housing, books, administrative fees, etc.). I feel like this is another harmful myth that scholarships and grants significantly lower the cost of college when, in reality, for most students they don’t.

rbcgerard 9y ago
I think the OP’s point is that the money a college spends per student does not equal the tuition sticker price (it may be higher or lower), and the average price incurred (cash tuition + debt incurred) for the student is often less then the sticker price...
- jimhefferon 9y ago
  Yes, thanks. I know that the pricing situation is nuts, everyone knows it is nuts (I'm a prof, but not at all involved in admissions or financial aid). The model is to list a large sticker price and give a lot of that back. My college's web site is an example. https://www.smcvt.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-tuition/tuition-resources.aspx https://www.smcvt.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-tuition/t... (I understand that all schools in the US have to have such a page.) It lists the bottom-line summary of the sticker price and then gives you a link to a calculator that you use to figure what it will really cost you, which is typically much less. For example, overall we give back more than half and I assume that our peer institutions do also. (And, yes, a loan is different than a grant, which is different than work study. My only point is that the end price is often much less than the sticker price.) All this is not to say that the point of the article is wrong. It is not wrong. I said it was a nit, and I meant that.
  - protomyth 9y ago
    All accredited colleges in the US are required to provide tuition information - we had to put a ‘Net Price Calculator’ on our website. There are actually a bunch of student notices required by the government and accreditation groups.
LanceH 9y ago
Are you sure you didn't have a $500 something in there, so they could claim 95% receive financial aid? I did. Of course sticker price takes into account that they're granting virtually everyone $500. This was the game in the early 90's; I'm sure it has grown since then.
- readams 9y ago
  Loans count as financial aid in their view

rbcgerard 9y ago

I think the OP’s point is that the money a college spends per student does not equal the tuition sticker price (it may be higher or lower), and the average price incurred (cash tuition + debt incurred) for the student is often less then the sticker price...

jimhefferon 9y ago
Yes, thanks. I know that the pricing situation is nuts, everyone knows it is nuts (I'm a prof, but not at all involved in admissions or financial aid). The model is to list a large sticker price and give a lot of that back. My college's web site is an example. https://www.smcvt.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-tuition/tuition-resources.aspx https://www.smcvt.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-tuition/t... (I understand that all schools in the US have to have such a page.) It lists the bottom-line summary of the sticker price and then gives you a link to a calculator that you use to figure what it will really cost you, which is typically much less. For example, overall we give back more than half and I assume that our peer institutions do also. (And, yes, a loan is different than a grant, which is different than work study. My only point is that the end price is often much less than the sticker price.) All this is not to say that the point of the article is wrong. It is not wrong. I said it was a nit, and I meant that.
- protomyth 9y ago
  All accredited colleges in the US are required to provide tuition information - we had to put a ‘Net Price Calculator’ on our website. There are actually a bunch of student notices required by the government and accreditation groups.

LanceH 9y ago

Are you sure you didn't have a $500 something in there, so they could claim 95% receive financial aid? I did. Of course sticker price takes into account that they're granting virtually everyone $500. This was the game in the early 90's; I'm sure it has grown since then.

readams 9y ago
Loans count as financial aid in their view