Paying for College During High School (Blog Post 6)

     Everyone knows college is expensive, but few know the true extent of the cost.  In fact, hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent before a student is even accepted into college.

     Although some argue that students' problems are solved by financial aid, the students must first get into college, which is easier said than done.  AP tests, ACT's, SAT's, and SAT subject tests are just a fraction of the costs.  It is crucial to remember that a student must pay to prepare for these tests as well.  Next, college applications themselves cost hundreds of dollars.  Finally, students must embark on multiple college tours to decide if they even want to attend any of the schools they just spent their hard-earned money trying to impress.
   
     Each AP test costs $91.  Of course, if one wants achieve a high score in order to get credit for a college level class, one must purchase a review book, and each book costs approximately $10-20, depending on the subject.  It costs $15 per college to send your scores.
     Each ACT with writing costs $54.50.  Registering late adds $24 to this price.  This allows you to send your scores to four colleges, and each additional college costs $12.
     Each SAT costs $52.50, but if one misses the deadline and has to register late, that price is nearly doubled to $98.50.  Again, this price includes four colleges, but each additional core sent costs $11.25. Classes to prepare for the SAT can cost hundreds of dollars, while the College Board sells study materials ranging from $30-70.
     Each SAT Subject Test costs $26 per registration, plus another $16 for each test.  There is a $28 late fee.  The College Board sells an official study guide for $22.99.

     It is important to note that students often take these tests multiple times, and therefore must pay to register multiple times.  Students often take more than one AP test per year, and many take the SAT or ACT more than once to try and achieve a higher score.

     Now it's time to actually apply to college.  The College Board recommends applying to five to eight colleges.  The price varies depending on which colleges a student applies to.  For example, applying to SUNY Binghamton costs $50, while applying to Columbia University costs $85.  And even though the Common Application is used by over 500 colleges, one must still pay individual application fees for each college.

     Let's say a student were to take three AP Tests, one ACT, one SAT, and two SAT Subject Tests.  They purchased the review book for each AP test.  They register for all their tests on time, but opt not to purchase a review book for the ACT or SAT.  They apply to five colleges and send all their test scores to each one.  Three of these applications cost fifty dollars, but two cost seventy dollars.  Sounds reasonable, right?  All these costs add up to $63.75 spent on the SAT, $58 spent on SAT Subject Tests, $66.50 spent on the ACT, $408 spent on AP Tests, and $290 spent on college applications.

     This student will have spent approximately $886.25 on college before they have even graduated high school.


Sources: actstudent.org and collegeboard.org

Becky Reals