Oberlin College Tuition Hits $50K Per Year (OH)

[OhioChick]

11:22 am EDT April 2, 2009

OBERLIN, Ohio -- Oberlin College is moving into exclusive territory.

The school in northern Ohio is the first in Ohio to top the $50,000 mark for a year's tuition.

Only a handful of colleges and universities nationwide are at the level.

Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov said his school is sensitive to making sure that potential students know that the school is still affordable.

He said they will increase financial aid for next year and are working to keep the cost of education down.

The cost of tuition at Oberlin for the upcoming academic year will be up by about $2,000 over this year's price.

Kenyon College in central Ohio comes in a close second, with tuition set at $48,000 for next year.

http://www.newsnet5.com/education/19073605/detail.html

:wow: How are our kids supposed to afford college?

[KitchenWitch]

1. $50,000 a year ....AFFORDABLE???

I want what they are smoking.

[CBR]

2. Thats just tuition?!?

Just checked... my undergrad costs $4,578 in-state per year. ($11,108 including room/board)

[csziggy]

13. That does include all costs

From the Oberlin College site:

Oberlin College Costs 2008-09 Estimated Expenses
Tuition $38,012 Books $830
Multi-Occupancy Room $5,150 Personal Expenses $978
Board $4,720 Travel varies
Fees $268
Total $48,150

http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/finances/usa-students.dot


The liberal arts college I attended my freshman year was about $3500-4000 in 1970 - but that included room, board, tuition, labs, everything. The only things we had to pay for out of pocket were books, notebooks, pens, etc. If I had stayed for my second year, I would have spent a semester in Europe for the same price as staying in the US, just would have had to pay for airfare to London. For various reasons, I left that college and completed my degree at a state university. There, tuition was about $150 per quarter, dorms and food were figured on top as was everything else.

[mike_c]

3. personally, I think that's crazy....

I work at a state university in California. Before I came here I taught at a small, exclusive liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. I left the private college for a number of reasons, but one of them was embarrassment that students and their parents paid several times the cost of tuition at the state school down the road, and as far as I could tell students at the state university had all the educational opportunities my private college students had, plus access to better facilities, more peers, better supported faculty, and so on. Some of the elite private institutions doubtlessly do better, but frankly, I doubt whether the difference is really worth the extra expense for all but the most elite students, i.e. those able to fully take advantage of the differences. Most are not ready, IMO. Like 99%.

I'm very happy to work at a state institution where tuition is affordable and where all of our students enjoy as many opportunities as we can offer them.

[ljm2002]

20. Re: state vs. private universities...

...I attended UC Berkeley, and knew someone who was attending Stanford at the time. We were both taking the first year Chemistry classes, using the same text book. At UCB we covered twice the material that Stanford covered, in the same amount of time.

Oh, did I mention -- our chemistry classes at UCB were taught by the author of the textbook, Professor Pimentel.

I don't remember what the tuition was lo, those many years ago. I know it was a good deal less than tuition at Stanford. I feel I got a great deal. :-)

[liberal N proud]

4. I did 5 years of school, room and board for $10K

[sound byte]

23. self delete

delete

[seabeyond]

5. surely it includes room and board and out of state fee..... otherwise, ridiculous

son has been checking out colorado universities (out of state) and texas (in state). they are not even close to that.

[dysfunctional press]

9. i think it's just tuition.

oberlin is a very highly ranked private college.

[seabeyond]

21. ah, thanks. hadnt heard of it. and though i dont know all of the high ranked/private colleges, lol

i was on net two nights ago looking at the top universities, world wide. was really interesting. university chicago like 5, 6th... havard, yale, top... then oxford and cambridge, ....

but was interesting where schools fell

u.s. still doing pretty good.

if this is one of those schools, comparatively, then sooooo.... ya know, lol

[dysfunctional press]

22. awhile back, i had a drawer full of info from tons of elite private schools...

it's amazing how much interest schools take when your test scores are in the 99th percentile.

my parents made too much to get financial aid- but not enough to pay the tuition.

so- u of i at chambana is where i ended up.

[theoldman]

6. My tuition at the University of Texas in 1956 was $100 per year.

My room in the dorm was $10 per month. My monthly expenses were about $100 for everything including food, clothing, entertainment, and gas for my car.

[dkofos]

7. By avoiding private schools.

[LeftinOH]

8. Oberlin is a *private* College; there are plenty of affordable alternatives...n/t

[HughBeaumont]

10. Granted, Oberlin is also a private institution . . .

. . . yet it still doesn't mean tuition at state and open enrollment colleges is going down anytime soon, despite the economy being in the shitter. Many, MANY families are being cancelled out of a chance of legitimate higher education by the month.

[MadBadger]

11. Go to a state school

So much cheaper and still get a great education

[ogneopasno]

12. That is terribly overpriced. And I say that as a private-college liberal-arts grad. I thought it

was overpriced when I went -- 13K for my senior year. Paying that kind of money to a liberal arts degree is not smart at all, and frankly, I'm not going to encourage my kids to do it.

[Statistical]

14. Supply & Demand

If people stop thinking it is a value then they won't be able to raise prices.

Plenty of good public schools in OH and around the country for a tiny fraction of that.

If people are willing to pay $50K then next year it will be $54K.

I have non sympathy about people complaining about cost of education at the top.
Let them make a year = $90K next year. When they don't fill the campus that is when they will stop raising rates.

Now on the other hand the financial burden caused by a state college going from $11K to $14K is a bigger concern.

[taught_me_patience]

15. Nothing like being 21y.o. and 200k in the hole

And landing your first job at $30k/yr. Life would suck like hell for those first 10 years out of college.

[OhioChick]

16. With no available jobs out there, to boot. n/t

[Dreamer Tatum]

18. Either select a lucrative career or go to a cheaper school

Nothing is wrong with public education. No one needs to borrow $200K to get a bachelor's degree...that is stupid.

[AngryAmish]

17. the greed of these fuckers is amazing

[Dreamer Tatum]

19. yawn nt

[sound byte]

24. If schools accept federal financial aid (public or private) there should strings attached.

The problem is that these greedy schools know the government makes college affordable for most everyone with grants and federal loans. Because more people can afford to go to college the colleges simply charge more. More loans to help people are disbursed and colleges raise rates to gobble it all up. Federal financial aid is nothing more than laundering scheme schools are using to pad thier pockets. IMO, if you're a school that accepts any form of federal funding or federal financial tuition aid then you should have regulation in your tuition rates and budgets.

Example... give EVERY high school student in america a $5000 voucher to go to the school of thier choosing.
Watch private high school tuition rates skyrocket - despite the cost of operating the school remain relatively the same.
Bullshit.

[RagAss]

25. Does this come with sex on demand ?.........Jeeeeeeezus !

[gmoney]

27. At Oberlin, I gather that is a pretty safe bet...

It's known for its music school to a great extent. Maybe they have an inside track to American Idol or something.

Liz Phair went to Oberlin, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs met there... indie cred abounds!

[Holly_Hobby]

26. Oberlin is a great college, but $50K a year?

Oberlin College is a private, highly selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1833 by Presbyterian ministers, and is home to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, making it the only top-ranked liberal arts college (#20 according to US News & World Report<2>) with a top-ranked conservatory. The school is noteworthy for its early admission of African-Americans (1834)<3> and women (1833)<4> into the academy. A study found that more 1999-2003 Oberlin College alumni receive doctorates than do alumni from any other liberal arts college in the country.<5>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin_College#College_of_Arts_.26_Sciences

[crimsonblue]

28. Simple.... don't go to Oberlin college...

The state schools are still generally very affordable and financial aid is much easier to come by. But what do I know, I go to KU and pay $6000/yr on tuition.

[JerseygirlCT]

29. Does that include room and board (I hope!)

I would still love to hear just why tuition has increased so steeply. I've said this before, but my son is attending my alma mater. 30 years ago, I think my parents paid about 7k a year (for everything). Why does it cost more than 7 times that now?

Yoikes.

[Nikia]

30. Many such colleges do pay Robin Hood

I benefitted from a college such as that. I received need based scholarships out of the colleges endowment that paid the majority of my tuition. I also received full Federal aid. Yes, I still pay over $400 on my Federal loan, but I didn't have to work much during the school year (less than 10 hours per week) or more than full time during the summer while I was there. I felt sorry for some of the students from middle income families whose parents refused to help them out. They were the ones who worked the most in ordered to pay the bill.