The figure listed for “room and board” under a college’s list of tuition and fees may seem like a fixed, unavoidable cost, but there are things you can do to lower this amount.
1. Compare dormitory options. Does your child sign up for a more costly single room or another type of premium housing, or a lower-priced double, triple, or quad room?
2. Consider off-campus housing. In some situations, the cost of sharing an apartment near the campus is less than the price of a dormitory. The student can share use of a kitchen, which may also save some money. Be sure to include the total cost of off-campus housing in your calculation: rent,
utilities, and transportation to campus. At some schools, only
upperclassmen are permitted to move out of the dorms. And
in all cases, make sure the housing arrangement is in a safe
location and that the structure is properly maintained.
3. For students on campus, look carefully at available meal plans.
Is a twenty-one-meal-per-week meal plan necessary, or is your
child likely to sleep through a few breakfasts and skip a few
lunches or dinners each week?
Dormitory Furniture and Equipment
Allow me to sound like an old fogey for a moment: When I went off
to college in the late 1960s, I traveled a few hundred miles from my home
with two suitcases and a box containing my folk music record collection and
turntable. Forty years later I drove my daughter to school in a gigantic UHaul
truck with a few thousand pounds of her dearest possessions.
Like it or not, the essentials of a modern college dorm room now seem
to include (in addition to a bed, desk, and computer) a television set, VCR or
DVD player, personal refrigerator and microwave, coffeemaker, and enough
clothing to go weeks or months between trips to the laundromat.
Before the semester begins, roommates should get in
touch with each other by phone or e-mail to discuss what
they’re planning to bring to school and look for ways to avoid
expensive redundancy. Try to avoid having two microwaves,
two refrigerators, and competing televisions.
At many colleges, students can rent refrigerators, microwaves, or
a combination unit with both appliances from the bookstore or a private
company. There are some advantages and disadvantages here; the principal
advantage is that the unit is usually delivered at the start of the school year
and picked up at its end, removing that headache from the moving process.
And the rental company may offer a warranty or a replacement guarantee that
extends through the school year.
On the down side, the rental units are often as expensive, or even more
expensive than a new appliance purchased from a discount store. And then
you’ll have to do it again each year.
Compare the prices and look for ways to share purchases and storage
places with other students.
If you do need to buy electronics or appliances, you can usually
save a good deal of money and eliminate some of the hassle of
shipping by ordering online and having the items sent directly
to the student.
Books and Supplies
College-level textbooks can be outrageously expensive, with individual
titles sometimes costing $100 or more. (Publishers justify the price by
pointing to small print runs and short shelf life of some books. On the other
hand, some critics have pointed to cozy relationships between publishers and
professors, especially with teachers who are also authors.)
There are some things you can do to reduce the cost of books and
supplies:
Buy used editions whenever possible. Used copies usually sell
first; get to the college bookstore ahead of the crowd. This will
typically reduce costs by 25 to 50 percent.
Consider sharing books with a roommate or close friend.
Make a private deal with former students from a class to buy
their books at a price above the buyback price given by the
bookstore but below the resale sticker.
Whenever possible, order textbooks from lower-priced online
Web sites. Some books are available from major booksellers
such as Amazon.com or Alibris.com. Specialized textbook
Web sites include www.cheapesttextbooks.com, www.
campusbooks.com, and www.ecampus.com.
Follow the same strategy in buying art and photography
supplies and other necessary items. Look for places other
than the college bookstore, including office warehouse stores
and Web sites.
Read More: Room and Books As Your College Cost
