Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition • Hacker News Board

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#11

Post by snarf21 » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:30 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #4

> cut its tuition by $10,000 for all new students I find it insane tuition is that high. I finished grad school before 2010, and at least with the smaller state schools I went to, total cost of tuition and books was in the $3k~$5k range. Boutique schools like Vanderbilt were like $25k+ (per semester). I had a friend who got a free ride there for graduate school, and he said it wasn't really that different than our st…

I think we should start limiting tuition by making it be tied to the first year salary of students graduating from the same school with the same degree. If you want federal money, that is the rule. And room/board must be optional, you can't be forced to live on campus.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#12

Post by rootusrootus » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:30 PM UTC

As a parent, I'm not-so-secretly hoping we will see some correction. Especially with the proliferation of online options. If I sent my kid to Oregon State to get an online CS degree, they'd pay the same tuition as if they were on-campus. If they went to somewhere like ASU for the online CS masters, it is similarly overpriced. Meanwhile, I'm just about to finish my Georgia Tech masters in CS for under 10K for the entire program. If other institutions follow their lead, it'll put a lot of downward price pressure on the rest.

Especially for online classes that can scale pretty inexpensively, the current tuition rate is absurd.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#13

Post by vsskanth » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:32 PM UTC

Is there a website that tracks tuition fee history for colleges ?

Don't know if I'm imagining this but it looks like in state tuition has doubled for my state school (virginia tech) compared to what I paid in 2011 for grad school.

If this is true, that is a pretty big increase.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#14

Post by rootusrootus » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:33 PM UTC

underseacables wrote: post #5

Incredible! Now how about those exorbitant fees and the price of textbooks!?

I can only speak to my personal experience, but I've found most of the textbook requirements for my OMSCS classes to be available online if I want them, generally for free through the university itself. I've been buying them anyway, because I like to have a paper copy, and because my company is willing to pony up for them. But it's not really a requirement.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#15

Post by the_only_law » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:33 PM UTC

I've looked at some degree programs recently, and while I'm mostly disappointed at online offerings, I'm now seriously beating a program from a flagship state school, that has an insanely affordable price for in-state students, that I could pay for out of pocket without worry. This is only due to the grace of how much in-state students are subsidized (at the cost of out of state students). I'm still unlikely to be admitted, due to the static, bureaucratic policies, but in my past research the past couple years, there's no way in hell I'd pay for what most colleges charge for online programs.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#16

Post by AlexTWithBeard » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:35 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #4

> cut its tuition by $10,000 for all new students I find it insane tuition is that high. I finished grad school before 2010, and at least with the smaller state schools I went to, total cost of tuition and books was in the $3k~$5k range. Boutique schools like Vanderbilt were like $25k+ (per semester). I had a friend who got a free ride there for graduate school, and he said it wasn't really that different than our st…

Current rates for state colleges seem to be not that different [1], still around 5k, with a notable exception of PA and VT.

[1] https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/state/

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#17

Post by ed25519FUUU » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:36 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #12

As a parent, I'm not-so-secretly hoping we will see some correction. Especially with the proliferation of online options. If I sent my kid to Oregon State to get an online CS degree, they'd pay the same tuition as if they were on-campus. If they went to somewhere like ASU for the online CS masters, it is similarly overpriced. Meanwhile, I'm just about to finish my Georgia Tech masters in CS for under 10K for the enti…

We need more than a price correction, we need a reckoning.

And as taxpayers who fund this education via loans we should have a lot of leverage, yet the only thing anyone talks about is loan forgiveness, as if we won’t end up in the same exact situation again in 10 years.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#18

Post by yostrovs » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:43 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #12

As a parent, I'm not-so-secretly hoping we will see some correction. Especially with the proliferation of online options. If I sent my kid to Oregon State to get an online CS degree, they'd pay the same tuition as if they were on-campus. If they went to somewhere like ASU for the online CS masters, it is similarly overpriced. Meanwhile, I'm just about to finish my Georgia Tech masters in CS for under 10K for the enti…

Though the online classes can be scaled fairly easily, administrators seem to follow a different rate. The growth rate of college students is slower than of administrators. Their pay is also up there so the total payout is also growing fast.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#19

Post by vorpalhex » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

snarf21 wrote: post #11

djsumdog wrote: post #4

> cut its tuition by $10,000 for all new students I find it insane tuition is that high. I finished grad school before 2010, and at least with the smaller state schools I went to, total cost of tuition and books was in the $3k~$5k range. Boutique schools like Vanderbilt were like $25k+ (per semester). I had a friend who got a free ride there for graduate school, and he said it wasn't really that different than our st…

I think we should start limiting tuition by making it be tied to the first year salary of students graduating from the same school with the same degree. If you want federal money, that is the rule. And room/board must be optional, you can't be forced to live on campus.

That might work for Computer Science where grads can be employed quickly and at very solid wages but it won't meaningfully apply for most fields like business, chemistry or physics.

Re: Some U.S. Colleges Cut Tuition

#20

Post by beauzero » Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #12

As a parent, I'm not-so-secretly hoping we will see some correction. Especially with the proliferation of online options. If I sent my kid to Oregon State to get an online CS degree, they'd pay the same tuition as if they were on-campus. If they went to somewhere like ASU for the online CS masters, it is similarly overpriced. Meanwhile, I'm just about to finish my Georgia Tech masters in CS for under 10K for the enti…

ASU had a lock step 1yr MS in DIS and then Information Systems for a very reasonable price. Finish in late 90s basically to get in front of quality recruiters. For the opportunity it provided me and other fellow graduates it was an excellent deal. Our counterparts who were doing MS in Accounting were being paid half the money at graduation for a very similar degree.