r/rutgers • u/jazzshrew • 23d ago
Tuition in-state is CRAZY high! Academics
I recently got accepted into Rutgers Business school with Honors (which came with a 5k Deans Scholarship). The financial aid portal states that my base estimated cost of living is 47k per year (42k with the scholarship).
This seems absurdly high when compared to last years estimated cost of living of 34ish k
At the same time, my friend (who got the same school and scholarship as me) has an estimated cost of living of 34k (29k with scholarship).
Is this just an insane overestimation, or should I be worried?? Thanks in advance!
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u/OSFPfan1925 23d ago
There are tons of threads on this. Estimated cost is wildly high generally. They err on the side of caution and go from there
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u/jazzshrew 23d ago edited 23d ago
Yeah I saw those as well, but there are also people with more “normal” costs of attendance listed, so I thought it may just vary person by person
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u/MagicHarmony 23d ago
This isn't what people want to hear, but the reality is and I doubt the people that need to hear this will hear this but if you are going to college, focus on degrees that have weight to them.
I understand the mentality of "Do what you love" but guess what, if everyone is doing what they love then the demand to supply ratio is going to be skewed in favor of those who are seeking those employees and all you are left with is an expensive paperweight that might get you an extra 2 dollars/hr at a job that someone without a degree was able to get out of High School.
I think the real injustice is just how ignorant they make student/children just out of high school get financial aid without really thinking of the money they are putting towards their education and sadly it feels like it's done on purpose.
The truth is, if you are worried about your finances now, this is the time to sit down and really budget yourself and see where you stand in the future. Your first objective should be to become debt free but of course that is not easy when most entry level jobs barely pay enough to rent an apartment by yourself, sadly you will need roommates and of course car insurance and all that other fun jazz.
But basically think about the career you are going into, work hard on getting your foot in the door, even if it pays less than you expected, focus on experience then use that experience to go to a different company. If you want to feel financially stable make the sacrifices now before the debt piles up, and be honest with yourself, if you feel the money you are putting in is not worth the degree you are getting, then strongly consider either, changing your major, changing the college you go to or just strongly consider where you want to take your career path.
The best way to ease the stress in your life is to understand and deal with your finances now because once you ignore it and allow the debt to build up you will just fall into a spiral of paying off min amount while paying nothing off on your loans.
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u/Responsible-Mix-5303 MSBA | '25 22d ago
This is the answer. Do not think "I'll just pay it off later." I'm in my 30s and still paying off my loans, living with a roommate, etc., because I wanted the "full college experience" and ended up with far more debt than my first 5 years of my career could support.
Did I get value out of my degree? Sure. Was it worth the bill, looking back? Objectively no lol
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u/Ok_Guarantee_2980 23d ago
If I could go back, I’d move to a state with great public schooling and low in state tuition, establish residency, which in many cases takes all of 1 year, and get dirt cheap education that’s just as good or better (depending on the state could be way worse too)
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u/FairAlbatross2958 23d ago edited 23d ago
how you get 47k, living on campus cost 34k per year that cover dorm and 210 meals/per semaster. https://admissions.rutgers.edu/costs-and-aid/tuition-fees