How do I afford college?

How does anyone afford college?

• How am I suppose to afford any college besides a state university or community college? My parents make too much money for me to get any financial aide. The loans I get aren't enough to pay for everything, and my parents wont sign on another loan. I'm not getting any scholarships. How can so many people afford to go to private colleges?

• Answer:

  Private colleges with large endowments usually give substantial grants to excellent students with great financial need, AND to excellent students from middle-income families with sizable financial need (given the high tuition costs of these colleges). Few students at private colleges get NO financial assistance. Students who attend these colleges are also usually quite smart, and often attain scholarships from various other sources. It sounds like you are a student "in the middle," with a very high parental income, and no academic scholarships. Students like you do indeed usually go to state schools. But don't despair. There are some excellent state universities, eight of which have earned reputations as "public ivies." Here's a list of "Public Ivies." The original eight, from Moll (1985): College of William and Mary Miami University (in Ohio) University of California (the entire state system) University of Michigan University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Texas at Austin University of Vermont University of Virginia From Greene's Guides (2001), additional potential "public ivy" schools: Binghamton University Indiana University Bloomington Michigan State University The Ohio State University The Pennsylvania State University Rutgers University University of Arizona University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Florida University of Georgia University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Iowa University of Maryland, College Park University of Minnesota University of Washington University of Wisconsin