Do You Think That Higher Education In California. Specifically the UC is too much?

Question

For example the average cost for a UC Student living on campus is $22,925....

Well I think something to remember is that the UC is a PUBLIC university, so we should not be compared to PRIVATE schools.

As well what year did you wife graduate?

I graduate in 2006 and I am 41,000 in debt and I am low-income as well.

My mom is a single mom making less than 25,000 a year and both me and my sister was in college.

My sister took the smart root and went out of state and got a full ride, I really wanted to state in CA and because of that I now have loads of debt.

Well that makes sense but I will say that fees have increase over 80% since your wife graduate from college. So my experience is probably very different than hers.

My sister's college was great, she majored in Biology and came back to CA and got a great job.

I just think that the cost is becoming more and more unafforable for low and middle income students. They are forcing them to choose colleges that cost less, or give them scholarships, which usually means going out of state, or to a private school that will give more money to you.

Answer 1

Is it pricier than what I'd like? Yes. Is it still a great bargain compared to a private school? Yes. You have to compare them to privates because the world doesn't exist in a vacuum. Public schools compete against private schools. Employers and grad schools aren't going to give you a bump just cuz you went to a public school instead of a private.

If you're really in need, you can get enough financial aid to cover it. My wife's family was poor, but she graduated from UC with no debt. Financial aid, Cal Grants, work study... all that helped cover her costs. Could she afford to party and shop like her wealthier roommates? No, but she did get a top notch education without incurring any debt. She graduated in 2000.

If your sis was offered a full ride elsewhere, great for her. However, like you, my wife and I both wanted to stay in CA so the value of a UC education couldn't be beat so that's where we went. No regrets. Granted, we knew exactly what jobs we expected to eventually get and how much they paid. We knew we would be able to swing college debt if we had to. Otherwise, a full ride out of state somewhere may have been tempting if we intended to come out of college into a low paying job.

Answer 2

It is expensive, but it is still cheap compared to private colleges and universities. Especially given the high quality education that you receive in the UC system. Just get a degree that's marketable.

Look, I graduated from a Cal State school in 1997. I'm still carrying student loans. The increases are outrageous; but, my point was in comparison to private colleges, it's still a deal.