When "Selectivity" Measures go Goofy

Or, Why State Colleges Should Offer Free X-Boxes with Every Room

Coming soon...

Student Achievement and College Cost

Does your student's level of academic success factor into the amount of money you pay for her college education? You bet. If there's an "immutable law" buried in the maze of counter-intuitive and contradictory financial aid guidelines, it is this: The better the student, the cheaper the degree."

We have visited with hundreds of parents over the last eight years and the nearly universal chorus is, "Can we afford private college?" Given that the average private college is now $44,000 and the average in-state public college is $20,000 (out-of-state publics average $37,000) the answer would seem obvious. But like many aspects of college planning, what appears to be so, isn't.

Community College: Cheaper?

The NJ Stars program of community college attendance for two years then transfer, as a junior, to a state four-year college saves top students a lot of money, right? Wrong. While community college may be worthwhile for some, for top students eligible for NJ Stars, it entails three disadvantages rarely discussed: Cost, time and risk.

Under the NJ Stars program, top students can attend community college tuition-free and then transfer to a four-year public NJ college (if the student excels at community college, she can get a $3,500 per semester tuition scholarship, four semester maximum, under Stars II). Top students however, are also often able to gain admission to top private colleges that offer generous amounts of financial aid, right out of high school.