What is a good university but a cheap university?

Answer 1

Most states have one university that is their premier university. Those schools will give you the best value for your dollar.

A general rule of thumb is that "The University of " is a better school than " State University" and that any state school with a direction like "North" or Western" is not as good as " State University"

Therefore, University of Illinois is better than Illinois State University -- which is better than Southern Illinois State University.

There are a few exceptions. Penn State is the best public university in PA (because University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League university). There are other states line North Carolina where UNC-Chapel Hill is the best school -- but UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Wilmington aren't so great.

Since it cost more to go to a state university if you are from out of state -- your best bet is to go to the best public university in your state.

Answer 2

Look into it, but if money is a problem, think about getting an Associate's Degree at your local Community College and then transfer to a state school for your last 2 years. Your Bachelor's Degree (which, after all, is what future employers look at) will have the name of your university on it, not the community college. If you really apply yourself in CC and get into your state's main university campus, you can really take advantage of the situation. My DH, who spent 2 years at CC before transfering to a Big Ten school, did not have to take any math or sciences (credits were taken at CC) while at university, and only took classes in his strongest subjects. This allowed him to graduate with a ridiculously high 3.98 GPA, and land a fellowship for a Master's degree at a private Big East university.

Community College is probably the cheapest route for 2 years, and getting to a flagship state school will give you that good university experience (at a discounted rate from private or out-of-state schools).

If you don't want to pay at all... how about the Service Academies (hey - 100% of graduates find jobs upon graduation), or Berea College (all tuition paid by gigantic endowment).

Answer 3

It kind of depends.

I think KU and KSU are both good schools. They are pretty cheap if you are in-state. ANy out of state school is not cheap.

First, I would look at in state schools that have degrees in what interests you.

If there are out-of-state schools you would like to attend you might think about moving there ahead of time to establish residency. (You'll want to ask teh school THEIR definition. Some require you to ahve lived in the state for a certain period and it varies).

If you have enough scholarships, ANY school is "cheap" (free). Make sure you apply to as many scholarships as you possibly can. CONSIDER IT A JOB! Imagine you spend three hours doing a scholarship application that gets you a $1000. That's $333 an hour! Granted, some are quicker and some you won't get.

But there are words for people who do not track down scholarships and then apply for every single one they can find
A) Stupid
B) Lazy
C) Non-college educated
D) Loan seeker
E) Broke
F) All of the above

LOL
Internet searches
Libraries often have books with scholarships in them - ask the librarian. And check more then one library if possible.

Beward of agencies that you pay to find you scholarships. Often you just pay them to do what I mentioned above. Then you still have to apply. Some are good agencies and will take your information and fill out things for you, but they are hard to find and often more expensive.

Answer 4

There really isn't a correct answer for this, because a person's definition of a "good college" may be different than someone else's. A good college for a person is found by what you want to major in and what exactly you are looking for.

Therefore, I can list cheap colleges, but you may not define them as "good" even though I might. You need to search for colleges for what you want (major, activities, location) and then pick the cheapest one.

If you really want something super cheap, it's better to just look at a community college and colleges in your state (especially the state college).

In the meantime, apply for scholarships. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Lots of magazines (like "US News and World Report") publish university "best buys" or "best value" which means cheap but good universities. I linked some of the lists from different places.

Answer 6

Yes, some are cheaper than otherS but for a full degree you will need to sell your soul. Texas State University in San Marcos has a great reputation and is a great school. It is also close to Austin and UT.

Answer 7

It may depend where you live. In state tuition in your state's major university system will probably prove "reasonably priced" but I have no way of knowing if it's a "good" university.

Answer 8

State universities. Especially if you live in the state.

Answer 9

Try applying to state schools; there are alot of really good ones out there.

UNC Chapel Hill immediately comes to mind- it is $16,000/yr out of state and $3,000 in state (not counting room and board, which is about $10,000).

UVA and William and Mary are both around $25,000 a year out of state and a little more than $10,000 in state. Rutgers is $20,000 out of state and $10,000 in state. Clemson is the same. Whatever state you live in, look at your state colleges/universities. See if they have good reputations and good programs in the fields that you are considering.

If you apply to a state school as a non-resident, it is possible for you to get in-state tuition in your last three years of school if you live off-campus in an apartment, and file your vehicle and voter registrations in that state.

If you apply to highly competative state schools like the ones mentioned above, keep in mind that the reason they are so much cheaper than private schools is because they recieve a grant from their state governments in exchange for their accepting a large number of students from their respective states. This means that it is a great deal harder to get in if you are an out of state applicant. For example, UVA has a 33% acceptance rate, but only a 9% acceptance rate for out of state applicants. This is because most of their application pool is comprised of non-residents, but they must compose their class of at least 65% Virginians. So when you look at a state school's stats, such as SAT scores and GPAs, bear in mind that the standards will probably be much higher for you.

Also, if money is an important issue, apply to schools that are likely to give you scholarships. Also start doing some independent research for scholarships on the web; there are millions of dollars out there ready to be grabbed by qualified students. With the wide breadth of scholarships available, there are sure to be many that suit your interests. Apply to as many as possible, and you're likely to make at least a thousand dollars in the end. This may seem like a drop in the bucket, but every little bit counts. Plus, the fact that you won a scholarship will look good on your application.

Best of luck in your search!

Answer 10

No such animal, unfortunately. I've checked into it (looking too). They are honestly all about the same. Just get scholarships and you won't have to worry. :)