College Costs

You should be aware of how much you are going to need to spend for college. Before you make your final decision regarding higher education, you should consider all of your options and calculate how much you have to spend.

Terms used when calculating your total cost:

  • Tuition and Fees
    The cost for instruction and lab costs, resources, such as the library, student activities, and the health center. Typically, schools will price their courses by the credit. Most classes in a degree program are three credits each.
  • Room and Board
    The cost of dorms, apartments, or houses for you to live in, and the cost of food, usually a meal plan offered by the school.
  • Books and Supplies
    The cost of books, pens, and notebooks. For example, students in the health sciences can expect to pay for medical equipment while graphic design students will need specialty art supplies.
  • Personal & Transportation
    The cost of your personal items, such as furniture, a computer, etc, and the cost of your travel during school, as well as when you return home during the holidays.

College might seem completely unaffordable for you. Even though college can be very expensive, there are many resources available to you. Check out some financial aid information to see what kind of help you can get.

Estimated Average 2011-12 Standard Student Budgets for Oregon Postsecondary Institutions.

More Options for Paying for School

Start thinking about your other options for paying for college before you start taking out student loans.

  • Exhaust all your financial aid possibilities first like scholarships, grants, and work-study before you take out student loans.
  • Talk with your parents about your financial options as well as theirs.
  • Learn about 529 Plans.
  • Start saving early! Check out which states have prepaid tuition programs.
  • Look for scholarships as soon as you can. The earlier you start, the more you will be able to find.

Helpful Links

Use these tools to estimate your financial aid status! You should also check with your individual schools of choice for specific information.

National Center for Education Statistics: College Navigator
nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

FinAid.org Calculator
www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml

ACT Financial Need Estimator
Financial Aid Need Estimator (www.act.org)