College Costs – 5 Things You Need to Know
I was one of the lucky ones. My parents paid for my entire college education and that of my five other siblings. I wish I’d been able to pay it forward to my own kids, but we just couldn’t make it happen. According to a recent survey by Discover Student Loans, 48% of parents expect their student to pay for all or most of their college education.
Because we had to dive into the world of student loans, anticipating the true cost of college was paramount, as we didn’t want to borrow anything more or less than what we needed. It’s the Goldilocks-style method of paying for college… just right.
To help you manage finances as you transition from high school to college, I’ve worked with Discover Student Loans to share 5 things you need to know as you prepare.
1. Understand the true cost to determine funding need: Beyond tuition, room and board, include the costs of textbooks, social gatherings, lab fees, personal expenses (laundry, cell phone, toiletries, cleaning supplies) and transportation when preparing a budget.
2. Maximize free money first: Be sure to consider using grants, scholarships, personal savings and work study programs before looking into student loans.
3. Compare student loan options. Compare federal and private student loans and choose the loans that best fit your needs. Discover Student Loans offers helpful advice for students and parents, including student loan calculators and tips on paying for school.
4. Take advantage of student discounts: Once you receive your student ID at orientation, be sure to take it with you as many businesses and entertainment venues near campus offer student discounts.
5. Find deals on textbooks: Purchasing textbooks through your school isn’t always the best value. Look into other options such as used books, renting books, digital versions and sharing books, if possible.
Check out additional helpful resources and loan offerings from Discover Student Loans.
*according to a recent survey commissioned by Discover Student Loans.
When I went to university I had to take a gap year and work because my parents couldn’t afford to send me to school. I worked for a year but that was not enough. Higher education is so hard to fun these days especially if you don’t have rich folks or funding.
That “find deal on textbooks” is such a clever tip. Thanks for these.
These are awesome tips. I always bought used textbooks in college and this was a great way to save some money.
Finding deals on textbooks was SO helpful with cutting down on my college costs. That…and having a roommate! 🙂 Just paid my student loan off within the last few years, which was a big sigh of relief!
Definitely maximizing the grants is so important before you get any loans. I really need to sit down and plan better. My husband and I were just talking about that.
This is a great advice my nephew was incoming college, I need this to keep in my mind
I could have done with this before I started uni. Some great tips here.
Definitely maximizing the grants is super important before you get any loans. I really need to sit down and plan for my boys.
Looks like our generation got a great education Debt Free and yet we are very much burdening our Children with it. Most parents cant help it…Or cant they?
MOst adults today arent willing to push that lil bit harder, work two more jobs, do some home based business, whatever it takes so they can create the extra income to pay for the education. Our Parents did pay for our education with so much less! Whats our excuse? None…there shouldnt be!
I’m still paying for my student load which sucks! Feels like I will never get done paying for it.
There are so many expenses when it comes to college. I don’t know how people afford in nowadays.
I am dreading my children getting to this stage it’s even more expensive then going to school and I am sure my husband and i will foot the bills.
Its all so expensive, in a way I am glad I didnt go to be honest x
I was one of the lucky ones as well since my parents also paid for my college education. I can only hope my hubby and I can do the same for my daughter since my hubby wasn’t as lucky as me and we will forever be paying his school stuff off! School is definitely expensive
These are such great tips to save money for college students. I always looked for used books but I’d have to be one of the first few in line at the college to get them. When I couldn’t get them from the school, I used eBay.
I got the full amount of loans and grants and still wouldn’t have survived without my 2 jobs at Uni. Expensive with hidden fees. My advice is save as much as you can but also enjoy it. Without a doivt the best 3 years of my life.
These are some great tips. We know there are so many offers, discounts and scholarships for students its better to check out. Especially when the college fees are so high
Great tips! Finding deals on textbooks was biggest thing for me to save some money in college!
My nephew is starting college in the Fall. I’ll be sure to forward this to him. Great tips!
College costs are going to be so expensive for sure & you need to have better financial plans to make what you need. Discover Student Loans sounds like a great service & these are some wonderful tips to plan better.
We live in scary times – I hate to think how many students don’t get to uni because their families simply cannot afford it. We are exploring various scholarship opportunities for our eldest.
Though ita inspiring to read new books, i like your tip on looking into renting books instead. Or during my college years, i photocopy my classmate’s book and have it bookbind. The cost is still cheaper than a brand new.
I have a daughter in University at the moment and the costs are astronomical! We try and do it as cheaply as we can, but she will come out of it with around £45,000 of debt.
Great tips, I’m already thinking about it! My oldest is 15 but is already doing a BSc, so we are kind of already in that phase but at least because he’s at home, we only need to think of the academic costs at the moment.
Great tips here! Uni is crazily expensive – even the textbooks are about £50 each!!
I was just talking to my mom about how we were going to be able to pay for 4 kids’ college educations! I was lucky and was tuition extempt because of my deafness and my sister got scholarships that paid for most of her 4 year education. I hope my kids will be able to go to college debt free.
I have a senior in high school, so this is totally forefront on our minds. She will be getting some automatic scholarships because she is in the top 10% of her class, but every bit helps. I don’t want to be in debt nor her, over this.
Lucky indeed. We started saving soon my son was born and now my daughter. College costs are no jokes. I didn’t have parents to help and neither did my hubby. So we are making sure to have money set aside for them. Great tips by the way.
Oh yeah, I had to deal with this first-hand over the last year since my oldest is off to college in the fall. These tips are great place to get started!
Find deals on textbooks!! YES! That was one of the biggest things that helped me save money in college!
Great tips. My husband went to college, he regrets not going to a local college for the necessary credits before going to a university where he racked up quite a bill!
I am not ready for the college years! Can’t they stay babies forever?!
I just went through this with my daughter only a few weeks ago. It can be really confusing if you don’t know what you are looking for. It takes some time, and I suggest you go over the options carefully. Otherwise you can get in some real hot water with loan companies.
I was also lucky and my parents paid for my college education. But I know we won’t be able to do the same for our kids. These are great tips to keep in mind.
Great tips! Fortunatelly, in my country, you don’t have to pay college tuition, but, since I studied at a university away from my home town, my parents had to pay for my living. It wasn’t easy. If I had to pay for college, I am not sure my family would afford it.
I’m trying to talk my kids into going to college in Germany, where education is free! Tuition costs have gotten way out of hand in the U.S.!
I miss all the discount that I got as a college student! Taking advantage of scholarships is sooooo important. We are already saving for our kids, but I plan to have them bust butt to get scholarships.
Planning ahead before entering college is a good idea. Good thing there’s article like these to help other people by giving tips.
I’m very lucky to have attended uni just before tuition fees were introduced in the UK. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for today’s students and parents. I’m already saving for my kids’ college fund and they’re only 4 and 8!
Great tips on college costs here, which always are rising and at a good rate too.
I think less and less parents are able to take on the full cost of their children’s college education these days.
I need to start saving up for my kids to go to college. I wasn’t able to go to college because of finances.
I’m gonna be in college this fall and I’m really grateful for this post!! Now I know the expenses I’m gonna have 🙂
Going to college is so expensive. My daughter is about to head to college. I told her to do everything possible to avoid massive student loans. I hope she listens. 🙂
Great tips! I was very fortunate as well that my father was able to pay for my entire education. I am also thankful that we moved to Norway and the kids education including college is free here. It is one less thing to have to worry about.
These are some wonderful tips. It can be so costly with college. My husband went to college for a mechanic for about one and a half years and ended up paying over 30,000.
I’m so glad there is 9 years between my two little ones. It will give me a chance to save up again after forking out loads of money for my daughters college education 🙂
Very helpful information, college is really expensive. So many students fall victim to the scams.
The more you know the better the experience.
I used to buy my text books on ebay. The price of books at the bookstore was always too much to stomach
A lot of these are things they definitely don’t teach you! It’s so hard to really be ready!
I am sure the college years are going to sneak up on us! With 3 kids, we are trying to be as prepared as we can be. Thanks for some additional tips!
Options to save for college are so important. I had three kids in college at the same time and it did get expensive. I am so thankful they were able to get scholarships to go. Thanks for the tips!
This is really helpful for students, it is an expensive time!
There’s a lot to learn about college costs and it’s important that you have every option laid out in front of you so you can decide what path to go. This post is so helpful, my daughter is going to college this fall and I’m glad we have everything settled.
My youngest is getting ready to take cosmetology classes and our local college but she’s all paid. There may be some things she needs that’s not covered so I’ll check out your ideas.
Oh, great tips! This is very timely as my sister is going to college very soon.
This is a great post, I don’t think we’re prepared enough for costs
With 3 kids I think higher education is going to cost us dearly! Luckily we do have savings accounts now so keep plugging away until then
This is a nice post. I will share this to my mom as my lil sis will be going to college soon.
I can’t even imagine how much money the college tuition costs. In my country it’s not that bad and you can cover it by splitting it in a few equal payments. But the amounts don’t go over $1000 max a year. I think it’s very hard to be in the situation where you can’t go to college because you can’t afford it.
Some great tips here, thanks for sharing. It’s a shame that education has to be so expensive!
As someone with THOUSANDS of dollars in student loan debt I can attest to all of these!
These are good tips for parents and students. Saving this and sharing with my friends.
I am glad I still have a few years before having to worry about this. I don’t think kids realize how many grants and scholarships there are out there.
Being a student is so expensive and it can be difficult to survive financially . I used my student discount long after I graduated (shhh dont’t tell).
There are a lot of things I’d like to do differently when our son is ready for college. Unless he gets a full ride, he’s going to a state college to reduce all the additional costs.
Great ideas to prepare one’s child for college. College education is expensive but I am like you, I got lucky my parents paid for my college education form start to finish so no student loans for me. 🙂
Wow that’s amazing that your parents were able to help you and your siblings! I know it’s never to early to start saving for university.
Great tips. My parents couldn’t help me so I worked and only borrowed money for tuition instead of for everything. I had tons of friends borrowing butt loads of money. I just worked 2 jobs and ate off the dollar menu haha But as far as the student discount goes I firmly believe that as long as I’m paying back loans I should be able to use it.
These are great tips for anyone that is in college or about to start. It can be so expensive
Deals on textbooks is huge! I made the mistake of just buying directly from the bookstore my first semester and it was extremely expensive compared to buying online.
great tips and advice–I already put one throught 4 years of college and the better prepared you are the easier it wll make it down the line
College is not getting any cheaper–it really does take a huge bite out of a family’s savings and income. All of these are excellent money saving techniques and every little bit helps.
I still have huge college costs, I wish I had known some of these tips back then!
This is a wonderful guide. I already have anxiety about paying for my kids’ education!
I love that there are options to save on college for sure, the costs are hefty. I love that you are talking about this, so many are heading to college and need ways to save on the costs.
My oldest is in her 3rd year of university. She has used scholarship moneu and buys books used which she promptly sells after the class is done. So far she has paid in cash for all of her courses which will save her a ton down the road when she doesn’t have loans to pay off.
The costs are never ending–I remember them well. Get as many scholarships and grants as you can possibly get. As for books and supplies–they seem to go up every year–so just know that each year that cost will increase!
My daughter helped me cut down on the costs of her college education by renting college textbooks. The only ones she had to buy brand new were the workbooks. My niece will be a freshman in college this coming school year, so I am sharing this post with my sister. Sending kids to college is expensive but the rewards they will reap after graduation is priceless.
College certainly can be super expensive, I am glad you are sharing the costs of college. It is important to be upfront and honest about costs involved with college.
I’m going to college next year so this is one great very helpful post. I’m so anxious about it but I guess everything will turn out good. Great tips for easier college time 🙂
Great info to know! Although we still have a long ways until any of our kids are ready for college this info will come in handy, plus I can fill my sister in on it all now as she sends one off in september!
So true that you really need to check out all of the costs as it isn’t just about accomodation and stuff x
I am hoping that we can find a bunch of different ways that we can save for college. My son is still young and we are starting a college fund now. We will have to look at these other options once is gets a little older.
My oldest is only in 4th grade, so I haven’t thought a lot about it yet, but I would not count him out of getting scholarships for a least part of the cost. He’s extremely smart and love to learn about everything. These are great tips, though!!! I bought most of my books on eBay or from students who had just finished the classes.
Really helpful advices! Wish I could have read this when I was starting college
College is expensive so these are great tips. Thankfully my daughter had many scholarships.
Student discounts were the best! I wish I could get the same discounts especially on food and clothes!
Going to college really shouldn’t be so expensive. I hope some day they reduce the cost of students loans and find ways to help kids achieve their dreams without going broke.
These are wonderful tips. College costs are insane. The amount of debt some people have after a good education isn’t funny. My husband has a six figure college debt. We will have to plan for our children because I don’t want them to have a lot of debt.
Textbooks are so expensive! I’ve paid over $100 for a well used book before!
I wish I had known my freshmen year to buy used books. Ugh they were so expensive!
I think one thing I didn’t do enough when I was in college was use student discounts. There are so many things you can save on when you do.
It’s very different over here in the UK, but wow university (which is what we call your college – college for us is for younger kids) is So expensive!
I’m one of the lucky ones too. Which is why I cannot imagine kids paying for their own tuition because looking back, I could not have done it on my own. These are great tips. Textbooks I think would be the one that’s overlooked the most (some books cost $200!!)
And those sneaky FEES. Busses. library, sidewalk fees. At UGA, when I was in grad school, they totaled $550 a semester!
Those are all great tips. There are some sites were you can rent text books. That’s kind of cool.
There are so many great student discounts out there! I definitely made the most of them when I was at university.
College tuition can be so expensive! I highly recommend checking out community colleges and state colleges as they can save you a TON of money!
Ugh, this gives me a stomach ache just thinking about college. My daughter will be going next year and we are financially unprepared.
Textbooks were always so expensive and you never got even half the value at the end of the semester. I hear though now you can rent books and download them to your iPad or Kindle!
I was lucky too! Four out of the five of us siblings graduated college. That could not have been easy for my parents. I shudder to think about my two kids affording college so we’re planning now!
Saving for two college educations can really feel daunting. But I know that if I am smart and adhere to a plan it will work. Thanks for the guidance!
College tuition is free of charge in Poland, so I don’t have to worry about it, but still all the tips you’ve listed seem to be very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Really good to know. I will share this info with some friend, thwy would love it.
These are great tips! My daughter is starting college in the fall and these will definitely come in handy 🙂 I’m going to pass these along to her.
You are so lucky your parents paid for your college tuition! I had to pay for my college tuition on my own and still paying for it years later. I feel like I almost see that light at the end of the tunnel…
Really useful tips, the college years for us seem like a long time away but I’m sure they’ll be here before I know it.. SOB!
Great tips, I’m sure they are a lot of students out there who are unaware that they can get funding for things and used books are a must.
brilliant tips. The cost of further education is so high these days it’s really quite a struggle for families.
Costs are so high these days, these are great tips. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost for you and your siblings to attend was less than 1 education now!
We looked into all possible avenues for grants and scholarships before deciding on a college. My son gets in state tuition in a different state because our state doesn’t offer his degree.
These are great tips. I paid (and am still paying) for my own college education. It is so expensive but necessary!
Finding deals on Textbooks is such a good idea! Textbooks cost hundreds of dollars and I know that when I was in college, I got textbooks reduced. It really helps with the bottom line. Do not mark up your books though. They will not take them back. Also Understand the true cost to determine funding need to help get grants that can help pay for most of your schooling.
I have a friend who used to work as a college admissions rep and she has always said to compare loans. The ones through the government are sky high on interest.
It’s definitely a good idea to be prepared for this kind of thing I never went but its definitely expensive.
My younger brother who is 18 just started college. I helped him with the whole process of this and it was daunting. I have a while before my kids are in this situation and I am already sweating it. It is helpful for things to be explained.
Our kids started at community college and transferred for 4 year degree and all went on for masters. All worked and lived at home the first two years. None took out student loans and graduated debt free
We worry all the time about how we’re going to pay for 4 kids to go to college. I had a full tuition scholarship so my mom just had to pay for my room and board and books.
What about encouraging children to save for college themselves? Or maybe that was just my parents. My brother and I from the time we were just getting savings accounts were told to save for college. Student loans weren’t as well known when we were growing up, or our parents kept us ignorant of them, but we were told to save so we could pay for textbooks, etc.
College can be quite expensive. There are some good tips here to help with the costs. Thanks for sharing x
Thanks for sharing this! I have 4 kids, so I’m already worrying, er… thinking about how to pay for A LOT of college.
I love this post! College is a wonderful thing for a child’s future, but it’s also an expensive thing. The really important part is recognizing that there are costs that we don’t always think of.
I remember doing the same thing when I was in college. I used to network with the other students to share the information if one of us was in a tight squeeze so we would not have to pay more.
Fingers crossed on scholarships! We plan on applying for as many as we can!
College textbooks are so expensive. I always encouraged my kids to buy used books whenever possible and resell them after they were done. Thankfully, my daughter was valedictorian and received a full scholarship. I did have to pay some for the other kids, but they all received some academic scholarships so I didn’t have to pay nearly as much as I thought I would.
Thanks for the tips. We signed up to fastweb to be notified of any and all scholarships that come about. That can help lower some costs too.
Some good advice, I know that people can worry over possible loans and debts. Used books are definitely a good way to go. Save money.
Fortunately my son’s employer pays for his college fees. He studies IT, but had to work in a separate degree in Sports Management as well (part of the deal with his employer) Already received his degree in the latter therefore he is now free to take on more subjects in IT. Very informative post you have which I am sure will benefit a lot of parents as well as the college kids
Back when my daughter was in college, she saved a ton of money by buying used books on Amazon instead of the college bookstore, and then was able to re-sell her books back on Amazon for almost what she paid!
Good to know Janet! We did the same thing with my kids. Second hand textbooks and finding better prices from different sellers is one of the best ways to save on college expenses.
I have one going into college in two years so this was very useful information!
My stepson is going into his sophomore year and he ended up joining the National Guard the summer before his freshman year – and he doesn’t have any college costs now.
Thanks For This Great Info! These Tips Are Very Helpful! The College Process Can Be Very Overwhelming.
There is so much money left on the table every year from scholarships no one even applies for – so I would say to definitely make use of them. I ended up making money throughout university because I applied for so much funding!
We encouraged my son to apply for as many scholarships as possible. I was surprised when I found out how many go unclaimed every year.
I had to pay my own way and I could not afford much in the way of an extended education. There needs to be more grants than loans, kids just can’t pay them off.
Thank you for these tips. I only have one more child in college and these tips will help stretch our budget. My children always tried to get scholarships, whether it be academic or athletic. It was their way of helping me with the cost of sending them through college.
I have 2 part time jobs so I can pay for my college. Even tho my parents would pay for it if I’d ask, I took the bill it upon myself, because it was my own decision to go to college again after finishing Uni (nerd much? :P)
I have taken a loan and now im 25 with a massive debt, its pretty sad that education has to be so expensive. Your tips are pretty good, any new student should follow them.
Very important to understand this and avoid being in debt forever thanks for the great advice =)
I was lucky as well! Also I kept my student ID in my wallet a good 4-5 years after graduating for all those student discounts. It often worked!
I was lucky too that my parents paid everything for me. It’s a big loin you have to take otherwise.
College tuition is something a lot of us are having issues with and it’s important that we check all the options that we have, otherwise it could get messy especially after graduating and you’re drowning in student loans. These are very good tips and a lot of parents and students can learn from this!