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by Kim Clark
The hype about colleges' heightened admissions standards and skyrocketing tuition in crowded and financially troubled states such as California may be drowning out the surprising reality that many affordable public colleges in less populated areas are eager for students and are willing to cut good deals. Some schools are even willing to extend their generosity to less-than-stellar students.
Kim Clark identifies several public universities that waive out-of-state surcharges for many or, in some cases, all qualified out-of-state students.
At some of these colleges, the in-state tuition is so low that the total annual cost of attendance, including extra travel expenses for out-of-staters, is below $15,000. That means it can be cheaper for some students to attend schools out of state. Many public universities in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and California, for example, have total sticker prices in excess of $20,000 for local residents. Many of the bargain schools also award extra scholarships to better-qualified students, bringing their costs down even further.
Of course, there are reasons these colleges are trying to attract out-of-staters. They are usually in states such as North Dakota, Kansas, and Louisiana that are seeing declines in the numbers of local teenagers. Often, they are in rural, remote areas such as northwest Oklahoma or eastern Oregon. And generally, these colleges rank poorly compared with more in-demand, and thus more expensive, colleges.
Many of the top public universities, such as the
College officials say that determined out-of-staters have in some cases been able to qualify for in-state tuition, even in strict states such as California, by moving to the state at least a year ahead of time and, for example, taking a job and paying state income taxes, or buying a house near the school to establish residency and reduce dorm costs.
But some states and colleges are so eager to attract out-of-staters that they are making it easy for students to qualify for in-state tuition.
Easiest of all is
The
Students at North Dakota universities who pay rent there for at least one year and make other efforts such as registering to vote, paying local taxes, and switching car registration can apply for in-state status. The total in-state cost of attending the
Many other schools waive out-of-state fees for students who meet minimal qualifications.
The
Many state universities also offer in-state tuition (or, in many cases, a significant reduction in out-of-state charges) to students from neighboring states that participate in compacts such as the Midwest Student Exchange Program or Western Undergraduate Exchange.
And some schools near state borders, such as
© U.S. News & World Report
Education: Going to school out of state can be cheaper than staying near home | Kim Clark
© U.S. News & World Report