College: It Costs Less Than You Think

Actually, college is less expensive than most people believe. In fact, it is far less expensive. Here is proof, drawn from a scientific poll conducted by the sociology department of a large Midwestern university.

In a scientific survey, a large public university in the Midwestern United States found that people were very badly misinformed about the annual cost of higher education. In fact, people overestimated the cost of a year of college study by about seventeen thousand five hundred dollars.

The survey group did realize that public colleges and universities are far less expensive than their private counterparts, but very few members of the group had any idea how relatively inexpensive online degree programs are. In case you do not know either, it costs much less to attend an online college than it does to attend a comparably based traditional institution of higher education.

How is it that people know so little about college costs? To begin with, colleges do a very poor job of making their costs clear. Although colleges produce beautiful publications for prospective students and their parents, few are specific about costs. Similarly, college costs are often hard to find on most college and university websites. In addition, the media seems to focus on our nation’s most selective and highest price colleges while paying far less attention to cheaper alternatives.

Some families do have a good understanding of actual college costs but little or no understanding of the fact that there are funds available to greatly reduce their actual expenditures.

As you investigate higher education for yourself or a family member, get the facts for yourself. Do not believe everything you hear about the cost of higher education or the availability of financial aid as there is a good deal of misinformation out there.

Whatever you do, do not assume that college is out of reach for you. There is a lot of financial aid available to students who need it and many college admissions and financial aid counselors willing to guide them through the financial aid process.

Jim Evans is an educational counselor who guides students wishing to earn an online degree or a traditional college degree.

Tagged with: college • College Admission • College Costs • Financial Aid • higher education • Scholarships • tuition