College money grab

• By CHAD HEBERT
• Advocate Marketing Staff
• Published: May 2, 2009

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It’s one of the things that leads the news these days: money.

With the economy on a downturn, people are keeping close tabs on their cash – and that is especially true when considering college tuition.

However, there are programs in place that help prospective college students overcome the sticker shock. Some programs consist of giving students money they don’t have to pay back, and others are loans that need to be paid back.

Analyzing the cost

Before diving into how to pay for college, it’s important to understand what it’s going to cost.

Figures below represent one semester of tuition for in-state undergraduate, full-time students at a few of the postsecondary educational options in the area.

• LSU: $1,602.25 (as of spring 2009)
• Southern: $1,953 (as of spring 2009)
• University of Louisiana-Lafayette: $1,894.85 (as of spring 2009)
• Southeastern: $1,727.30 (as of spring 2009)
• Baton Rouge Community College: $732 (as of 2008)
• Louisiana Technical College Region 2: $295 (2008-2009 academic year)

Pile on the other miscellaneous fees (ID card, parking, housing, meal plan, books, etc.) and that can add a few thousand dollars each semester.

Colleges and universities charge higher tuition for out-of-state students, but that shouldn’t discourage students from going.

There are programs that provide fee waivers for out-of-state fees.

How to pay for all of this

Now that the bad news is out of the way, there should be some relief knowing there are numerous places to get financial help.

It can come from as high as the federal government down to the school level.