Kids' College - Should Parents Pay?

[Brandi]

In the stay at home wife post, a point was brought up about how parents should think about how much it costs to put their kids to college and plan according. So, my question is- what is your personal stance on college education? Do you plan to pay all of your kids' full tuition? Part of it? None of it? Should kids be expected to work hard enough to earn scholarships and put themselves through college? Do you think kids are less likely to take college seriously and bust their butt to make good grades if mommy and daddy are picking up the full tab?

[*Realized*]

I think with how much college costs nowadays some help is probably a good thing. But not a free ride. My kids will be expected to at least work part-time and help. Now if they end up being smart enough to get full scholarships then I would not make then get a job and let them concentrate fully on their studies. That doesnt mean I will pay for their partying. If they want to goof off they can get a job and pay for it.

[CoffeeGirl]

we definitely plan to help our kids

[KDMatthews]

Well, I didn't have any help with college...my parents couldn't afford to help me out, so I have a pretty large loan I'll be paying for a long time and I worked 25 hours or so throughout college. I do think that I would like to help my kids through college, but not pay for everything. And I won't be forking over any money so they can go to house parties. I will expect them to work very hard and try to obtain a scholarship, but if they do their best and it doesn't happen I am not going to come down on them. I think it's very important to instill a good work ethic and footing the entire bill might make them slack a little. All in all, I will insist they go to college because education is key.

[Sophie*]

I'm hoping my kids will want to go to uni in the UK, so that I don't have to fork out! If they want to study in the US, I'll do my best to help out, but if they want to go out, buy clothes, dvds etc they'll have to get a job!

Just out of interest, how much is it (roughly) to go to uni in the US?

[Kara]

My parents haven't paid anything for my education, but it's only because I got a full-scholarship for 4 years from my institution, plus scholarships through other foundations and organizations-which offset other expenses I have. However my mother did set up a college fund for me, which has never been touched because I have no reason to touch it right now. I may use it for Law school, but right now I consider it my savings for my childrens education(whether it be a private K-12 school or college). I will pay for my childrens education as much as I can, but that's just my choice. I think it's good that a lot of parents make their children work for it, I had to work for my scholarships & it paid off in the long run.

[Brandi]

Originally Posted by zelda780 I'm hoping my kids will want to go to uni in the UK, so that I don't have to fork out! If they want to study in the US, I'll do my best to help out, but if they want to go out, buy clothes, dvds etc they'll have to get a job! Just out of interest, how much is it (roughly) to go to uni in the US?

I wish I had some definite figures for you but I'm not totally sure. I know it's a LOT though. Definitely double digits. For some, I know it can be anywhere between $15,000-$30,000 but it definitely depends on which college you attent. It is EXPENSIVE though.

[Kara]

Originally Posted by zelda780 I'm hoping my kids will want to go to uni in the UK, so that I don't have to fork out! If they want to study in the US, I'll do my best to help out, but if they want to go out, buy clothes, dvds etc they'll have to get a job! Just out of interest, how much is it (roughly) to go to uni in the US?

Depends on the institution. A private school's tuition can be anywhere from 20,000-50,000 a year, not taking into consideraton housing & other expenses. A public school's tuition (in Massachusetts) is anywhere from 1,000-10,000, not including housing. But most of these costs are cut by financial aid, loans & scholarships.

[Brandi]

here is a link also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition

[familyof4]

I will defiently want to help my children out as much as I can. I want them to try to get scholarships but if they cant then I am going to be there to help them.