How did you pay for college?

ArcticFox · August 2011

Since we're on the topic..

How did you pay for college/grad school/etc?

And what about your DH?

I did my undergrad at a bunch of colleges, but I did finish in 4 years (despite all the transferring). I had a ton of financial aid, it was a SUNY college, and my mom and I paid the rest (not much). Grad school, I did an assistantship, so even though it was a private college, every penny was covered, plus they gave me a stipend which was enough for my apartment. It was pretty sweet, I loved the school way more than SUNY, I had an awesome education, and it was free.

DH - his parents didn't help.. and they could of. I think there was a promise of helping too, that never happened. When we sold my mom's house, we used a lot of the money to pay off DH's loans (the rest going into our current mortgage of course). So even though he doesn't have college loans, that debt is sort of reflected in our mortgage (if that makes sense).

abba916 · August 2011

Well I'm still paying for college (and probably will be until Enzo goes to college)- because I took out loans- I worked 3- 4 jobs as well but I was out of my parents house when I graduated high school and I did not want to go back-

I also transferred a bunch (to MI to TX back to NY- crazy!)- so it took me forever to graduate

DH took out some loans but he took college classes in high school so he got advanced standing and got out of college in 3 years and then started working internships in the summer- he is student loan free...jerk :-P

NikCole · August 2011

My parents paid for it. They agreed to pay (for both my brother and I) for the first 2 years, then help out w/ the second 2 years. This might be the reason I only have my associates degree! But, I know they had some money saved, plus we took out student loans which they paid back for us. I know mine have been paid off for quite sometime.

DH paid for everything himself- from tuition, room & board, books etc. He took out lots of loans, and worked a ton (2 part-time jobs, retail and bar-tending/waiting tables) He still has about 15K to pay off.

TinaL99 · August 2011

Loans, loans and more loans. I did have some grants and scholarships in the beginning, too.

I went to community college for 2 years and Binghamton University for 2 years, both cheaper state schools, but I was living with DH during that time and had all of those living expenses. Then I made the mistake of going to a private, out of state school for Grad school. Some days I regret that choice b/c I'm not even using my Masters to its full potential, but at least I have it I guess.

Needless to say I'll most likely be paying on my loans when my kids go off to college.

ETA: DH never finished college. He enrolled in BU but dropped out after a year. Then he attempted going back to our local community college but never graduated. College just wasn't for him. He has 1 loan that he's paying on right now, but I think he only owes about $3,000 on it. What makes me even more mad is that he makes more than double what I make w/o a degree, lucky duck!

TinyPinkBug · August 2011

Loans, working full-time, a couple semesters I paid cash from working because I couldn't get enough in loans. I lived on spaghetti and food from work for yrs. I also was never home enough to have cable or internet so that also helped. My education suffered greatly because of it. My parents didn't help me with a single penny, and really hadn't been supporting me through high school either, so I was pretty much on my own long before I graduated HS. I will never do that to my kids. While it made me grow up and become responsible really fast, I missed out on a lot that would have made me a more well-rounded and social adult.

DH's college was 100% paid for by his parents. So he graduated debt-free. It also made a difference that we chose to go to state schools rather than private and only lived in the dorms for the first 2 yrs.

Read2Me · August 2011

My parents contributed what they could to my college tuition but not much. I had a pretty decent scholarship but took out student loans to cover room and board. For grad school round one, I paid my own way by charging my tuition on 0% interest rate credit cards and actually had that paid off before my student loans. I was awarded a full scholarship the second time I went to grad school (or else I probably wouldn't have been able to afford to go!).

DH went to Syracuse U where his father was a dean so he didn't have to pay tuition, just room and board which he paid as he went. After he graduated he went on to RIT and we finally finished paying those loans off a fe years ago!

MrsWhiteonWhiteSt · August 2011

100% me. Sooo many loans. I paid some things out of pocket by working on campus b/c my parents had just divorced a few years earlier and could not/would not, take out private loans. I went to a SUNY school but 2 years of dorming + 2 years of apartment living (rolled into loans- I could smack my 20yr old self)... I have a LOT of years to still pay back.

battybtags · August 2011

My undergrad was mostly scholarship and some paid cash (my money, not my parents)

Grad school was all loans-for a degree I'm not using....love paying those off the next 15yrs or so!

DH's parents paid for everything for him....nice!

BethPSU · August 2011

My parents paid for my undergrad. DH had the same except that he got earned an athletic scholarship after his sophomore year at Penn State. He was a recruited walk-on for lacrosse. His parents paid paid him the cash amount of the scholarships he earned because they said they were committed to paying for his education like that had for his older sister. We used the money to buy a house right out of college. We paid for my graduate school personally without loans. His MBA was reimbursed through his company.

Irisheyes1247 · August 2011

Both DH and I are still paying it off - we took out loans. I know my parents took out one small loan, which they are paying (maybe $100/month?), but the majority is in my name. We both went to a private school, but had academic scholarships for a portion on the cost. Sometimes I want to kick 18 yr old me for picking such a pricey school, especially since I don't really use my degree (except for saying I have a degree on my resume), but I really feel it was a great experience for me, and I can't regret the friends I made or meeting DH.

Ashnmike528 · August 2011

Loans, loans and even more loans. My parents got divorced the year before I left for college, and they helped when and where they could. I went to a SUNY school so it could have been a lot worse.

DH went to a private school in Philadelphia, and accumulated about 100k in loans. We will be paying for those for a long long long time. It meant a lot to him to go to that school because he was the first member of his family to go to college, and it's the same school his father was accepted to back in the day, but being 1 of 8 children, he wasn't able to go.

Kristen61607 · August 2011

DH only went to college for a semester and decided it wasn't for him and my parents (well, dad since my mom doesn't work) paid for mine. I got lucky, but I feel bad about it now since I'm a SAHM. What a waste of money.

missyjg · August 2011

My parents helped me as much as they could. Basically I will be paying off loans for the next 20 years. I have most of the loans. I got basically no assistance all the way through grad school, besides what my parents helped me out with.

DH was military and then got his job getting out of the military after going through the academy. He has no loans.

So it's important to me that we have a good sum of money available to B if college is what she wants to do.

Huzzy · August 2011

A million dollars in loans! My parents basically said if I wanted to go to college it would be on my own dime. I went to a private school and took out about 20 grand a year to cover 4 years of college. Then I went to dental school... And took out about 350,000 of loans... You'd think by now I would have learned and gone go a state school! Instead I went to a very expensive private school in one of the most expensive cities (Boston) where I stupidly ran up 20,000 of credit card debt. I worked part time the whole time I was in school... But some how I still ran up debt. DH's parents paid for his undergrad ...he paid for his optometry school with loans.. And his parents paid for his apartment in Boston. Collectively we will wind up paying over a million dollars for our eduacation over the next 30 years. It honestly makes me sick when I think about it! Something needs to be done about the cost of education. Right now I'm in the process of applying for a loan repayment for working at a health center... But with all the money problems the government has been having... The chances of getting it seem smaller and smaller.

wendyj · August 2011

Me: Undergrad was a mix of scholarships/grants, loans, and my parents covered the rest (not much). Grad school was all loans, which I feel like I will be paying forever. The program I went to offered a limited number of assistantships, so I did work-study during the year, and taught tennis lessons in the summer.

DH: Scholarships and loans. He went to a SUNY school to get his grad degree and was done in a year and a half, so most of his loans are from undergrad. Not as bad as mine - he'll be paid off first.

jewelsonu · August 2011

I have loans, loans and more loans. I will be paying forever. `My dad also took a loan out for me. Dh had loans but since he is older than me his were already paid off by the time we were together.

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