|
Going Back to College: Frequently
Asked Questions
(Continued from page 1)
How Much Will it Cost to Go
Back to School?
According to the College
Board average college costs for 2006-07 are as follows:
- Four-year private school $22,218
- Four-year public school $5,836
- Two year public school $2,272
Other interesting statistics from the College Board
report include:
- Approximately 65 percent of students at
four year schools attend colleges with tuition under
$9,000 a year
- 56 percent of students in public four year schools
attend colleges with tuition of $3,000 and $6,000
- Approximately 5 percent of students attend colleges
with tuition over $33,000
Here's the good news: about 62 percent of full-time
students receive grant aid. In 2005-2006, aid
in the form of grants and tax
benefits averaged about $2,200 per student at two
year public schools, over $3,100 at public four year schools,
and $9,000 at private four year schools.
To get an idea of how much it will cost to attain your
degree, choose three of the schools you are most interested
in and input the required data below. Additional tools
can be found on the Princeton
Review and CNNMoney
Web sites. You simply select the school(s) you are interested
in, the number of years you plan to attend, and the
total estimated tuition amount is calculated!
Institutional Cost of Attendance Worksheet
How Long Will it Take to Complete
My Degree?
That depends on your academic goals. A certificate program
for a specialized field or career (non-college credit
or credit) generally takes one year. Examples of certificate
programs are in the culinary arts, computer technology,
childhood education, emergency medical technicians,
office administration, pharmacy technician, real estate,
teacher's aide, tourism, travel. (See Online
Courses and Certificate Programs and Certificate
Programs: College's Best Kept Secret for some examples.
An associates degree requires 60 credits and
takes two years for full-time students to complete.
A bachelors degree (120 credits) generally takes
four years, but can be accelerated
through several academic options.
Next...
|