Quote:
Originally Posted by momof4girls
Financially we have discussed completely what we can contribute. The short of the story, if she attends a public university she will walk out debt free. If she attends a private university she will have debt when she graduates. This may absolutely play a part in her final decision, especially if she thinks she will continue to grad school. Her father and I will not pay for grad school.
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The bolded is not necessarily true. It might be true if she's attending an in-state public school or somewhere where she is eligible for in-state tuition, but lots of public institutions now see out-of-state students as giant moneymakers. Top private schools with strong endowments and a desire to attract the strongest students can sometimes offer better financial aid packages, especially compared to states where in-state residency is hard to establish. If she becomes a National Merit Semifinalist or better, that might open some doors for scholarships to out-of-state schools, but be wary of front-loaded financial aid and scholarships that require extremely high GPAs to keep. (Even the best students sometimes struggle with the adjustment to college.)
Net price is not sticker price, though both are much too high these days. Don't rule out private institutions early because of high sticker price--every school will have different financial aid opportunities, and it's worthwhile to research them.
