What cost do you cover for your undergrad college student?

[TLSnell1981]

We covered tuition, living expenses, and a few wants. Pretty much everything, except beer pong or the bar tab.

 

[M5ward]

I am not looking for advice, we know what we plan to do. Nor am I looking for debate, as I think every family and every student is different and what is right for one might not be for another (though, I know it is the DIS CB so a debate might well ensue anyway). I am just curious about what various "norms" are and what people do and why after having read some of the comments on other college threads lately.

So, what do you, or do you plan, to cover (and not cover) for you kids while they are in school?

We paid everything except books and spending money for four of our five kids. Our fifth child received a full athletic scholarship which was great because we had two in college at the same time for ten years. Our oldest went on to grad school and that was paid for by her with help from my parents. Each child did receive small scholarship monies.

 

[Katy Belle]

We pay 75%, they pay 25%. They can cover their portion with scholarships, loans, or a job.

 

[shortbun]

My parents covered nada. I got scholarships then jobs. They never even as much as handed me a $20 for gas. My plan for our son is totally different. He has an invested college fund. He's been saving $ for several years. He lives at home, as a sophmore in college and we are covering everything in the way of personal expenses. He hasn't needed to use his personal savings and I've told him to continue to save because grad school will be expensive and he'll bear more of the financial burden. Our goal is for him to graduate grad school with no debt.

 

[ez]

I definitely see the logic in treating college as a student's job and not having them work and go to school a the same time. My daughter did UROP and also an unpaid internship during undergrad and now is going into a fully funded grad school program. I really think these extra things she did made her a more impressive candidate, as well as her high gpa, as she got fully funded offers from every program she applied to. Just mentioning this for those looking ahead to grad school loans, I myself hadnt realized these opportunities were even possible!!

 

[lauradis]

Monthly expenses:
1/2 of tuition after scholarship
cell phone plan
car insurance
health insurance and all medical expenses
random stuff that she needs

Set up expenses:
This was a family affair
my mom gave her everything to outfit a bathroom
we gave her some used furniture, washer and dryer
mil gave her a ton of kitchen stuff
aunts and uncles gave her food and grill
other mil sends her random care packages

Everything else falls to her.

2 more semesters to go. WOO HOO

 

[Dizlvr]

My dd will be starting college next fall. We will pay for tuition and books. I will help her with gas money since its a hike to the college on a daily basis. She will be expected to have a job to pay for her "fun" money. She will be starting at the community college so no room & board, but when she transfers we will also pay for that.

 

[lauradis]

I forgot to add she has a full time job,too. More then half the hours she works are Saturday and Sunday. Its not easy, but she is pulling it off. This year she is a senior with a starting GPA of 3.8... I think it depends on the person if they can work and do well in school at the same time. She also volunteers and has a social life. I see it as what most working moms are doing now.

 

[gwynne]

I definitely see the logic in treating college as a student's job and not having them work and go to school a the same time. My daughter did UROP and also an unpaid internship during undergrad and now is going into a fully funded grad school program. I really think these extra things she did made her a more impressive candidate, as well as her high gpa, as she got fully funded offers from every program she applied to. Just mentioning this for those looking ahead to grad school loans, I myself hadnt realized these opportunities were even possible!!

I agree. It can be very beneficial if students have the flexibility to consider opportunities and experiences, both paid and unpaid.
One of mine has a great job due to getting a foot in the door from a situation much like you discussed.

 

[sk!mom]

We covered tuition, living expenses, and a few wants. Pretty much everything, except beer pong or the bar tab.

Love this! You nailed our contribution with so many fewer words.

 

[sk!mom]

I definitely see the logic in treating college as a student's job and not having them work and go to school a the same time. My daughter did UROP and also an unpaid internship during undergrad and now is going into a fully funded grad school program. I really think these extra things she did made her a more impressive candidate, as well as her high gpa, as she got fully funded offers from every program she applied to. Just mentioning this for those looking ahead to grad school loans, I myself hadnt realized these opportunities were even possible!!

Completely agree! Most of my friend's children, as well as 2 of my 3 nieces and nephews in school do not work during the year. My DD19 only works during the year because she fell into an awesome job. She studied ballet seriously from age 7 through high school. In high school, she assisted in teaching little ones a couple of hours a week. When she was moving to her college town she visited the local ballet to inquire about recreational classes. They ended up offering her a job. She works Mon-Thurs. for 3 hours in the late afternoon/early evening. Honestly I think it helped her settle into her new community as going to the ballet studio at 4 was so familiar. If it weren't for this job, I don't know if she would work or not. She certainly loves have a steady income that doesn't come from mom and dad.

 

[KikiFan]

My daughter has a full scholarship (including fees) When she started college I was actually in college myself so I wasn't really able to help her out a lot. But I paid insurance, phone, incidentals that came up, bought her groceries (her school is in town but we really wanted her to have the "away at college experience" as much as possible) and pesky things like socks and underwear. Her first year she had a grant for her dorm, then worked as an RA her sophmore year, plus did work study for some extra spending money.

She starts her jr year in the fall - this year I hope to be able to help her a lot more financially. She's recovering from a brain injury and keeping her stress level low is really our biggest worry. So school is the focus and taking on so much (work/study and RA) really isn't an option. At this point getting her thru school is job number one - even if it means taking on some loans to get thru.

 

[SC Minnie]

We pay for her insurance and paid for her tuition and the portion of her dorm not covered by her scholarship. Her first year she didn't have a job during school so we would give her spending $ and gas $.

Now that she has a job(related to her major) she doesn't ask for anything. We do pay for her phone and insurance but she really covers everything else. We will pay for random things but she doesn't ask. We had to buy her a new computer yesterday (her old one crashed). She was going to buy it but we did anyway.

She buys most of her clothes. She wears a uniform(costume) for work so doesn't need a lot of additional things for summer. When she's home for Christmas or other times we get to go shopping I will buy her some clothes but she never expects it.

 

[DVC-Don]

We covered all but the 4th year. The 4th year everything was on their dime.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

My DD is a Freshman and has earned enough in various scholarships and grants to cover tuition, room & board and even her books and fees for at least the first year. Since some of these scholarships are dependent upon her keeping a certain GPA to continue each year, I want her full focus to be on school and not having to work. We are getting the necessities for her dorm and she is responsible for any extra decorations she may want to dress it up a little. We will cover all of her other necessary expenses. If she lets her grades drop and loses the scholarships, we will have to rethink our plan. She is responsible so I don't expect it to be an issue. My husband and I have always looked at funding our children's education as a part of our parenting responsibilities. I have always said I would work 3 jobs if I had to in order to make sure my children get to go to school. I didn't and I don't want them to make the same mistake.

 

[Julia M]

We are in the financial position to cover all expenses and have done so. Oldest ds had a job for spending money after his freshman year. DD has never really worked, but takes a heavy course load and has been in a competitive activity that has taken alot of time and is graduating in three years (next year). Youngest ds starts college this fall, and we do not want him to have a job, at least the first semester. He is an engineering student and will have a heavy course load and we want him to adapt to that first.

My philosophy is not to make things the same for each child but do what's right for each. Oldest ds worked in college, but now that he's graduating and doing an unpaid internship and a part time job, we still cover his insurance, phone, etc. We bought him a car. DD has never worked, so we gave her spending money. No new car for her, she drives dh's old car (12 years old). We've always tried to honor the interests and needs of each child as individuals rather than be exactly the same.

My parents did the same for myself and my 2 siblings and I am grateful we can do the same for our kids.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I had to pay 100% of all of my 2 year college costs and swore my kids wouldn't have that struggle. It was really tough - and I had student loans to deal with paying back at the end.

He's heading into his 2nd year of college. We are currently covering 100% of all but social costs like him going out for a pizza or movie with friends. Unfortunately he didn't get any scholarships. That is the main reason why we need him to finish in 4 years. If he goes over 4 years, he's going to have to get a student loan or two to finish.

We can't afford to cover 100% of costs for 2 kids. Hopefully our 2nd will get a scholarship or two to help out.

He couldn't even find a job this summer - no one in our area is hiring. So frustrating.

 

[lurkernj]

Ds is going into his junior year. We pay for everything except entertainment expenses, like if he goes out to eat with his friends, movies, museum, etc. we pay tuition, books, transportation, cell phone, everything.

This summer he stayed by school (4 hrs away) to do a paid internship, so we paid 2 out of 3 months rent. He paid the third month, plus utilities. We also paid for groceries, as I would have paid for him to eat if he was home.

Our 2nd one will be going next year and we will do the same for him.

I think it will vary greatly by financial situation and priorities.

 

[disykat]

Good point about the 4 years, we had a four year limit on our "full ride" we gave our kids and they would have been on their own afterwards if they went beyond that.

About employment.... my kids worked/work on and off depending on their schedule. I really encouraged them to work "events" and look for departmental opportunities. I worked event catering in college, my oldest worked event parking. In those jobs, you just sign up for shifts you want. Some weeks or months you don't work at all, others you might take several shifts. Once you make the list, it's all up to you whether you sign up or not event by event. Events jobs are usually available in food, sports, music, theater, etc. and might be advertised at the beginning of terms until they get a list full of possible staff.

My oldest also had a stipended job at his church, doing things he would have done anyway. My younger son has a stipended job with the band, again doing things he would have pretty much done anyway. This year he hopes to do some security escort shifts through his department since he's studying criminal justice. I agree that classes should be first priority over holding down a job, but there are some flexible ways to make money if you look for them.

To us, the "scholarship program" we provided our kids had lots of stipulations - one of which was contributing as much as they could realistically while prioritizing their studies and taking advantage of all college had to offer. Work experience is just one of the many things colleges offer, but one I didn't want them to miss out on totally.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Our children have to pay their way for college. We will help with books and probably some spending money.