how many people do you think pay for their college?

[billdotson]

how many people ( % ) would you say pay for their college by themselves? i.e. their parents do NOT give them any $ to pay for college whatsoever and they work to pay for it. I guess I would say paying for school would include those who live with their parents still, but are paying for their college i.e. not paying for food, no rent.

I'd say it is somewhat low but I could be wrong.

[NeoLithium]

Wow, I don't think that I could even give a ballpark idea for that one. The possibilities for arguments on both sides are numerous....maybe...20%? I have no idea, mine will be paid for but not by family...so I guess I'm in the not by myself category next year too. LOL

[mcduck]

Hard to say. All schools are free around here ;)

[cunawarit]

Not me, thank God!

I did pay for my last year of PhD, wasn't that much money, but working and writing up a thesis is difficult.

[EdThaSlayer]

I don't think a lot of people pay their tuition by themselves. Going to college costs a lot of money! :D

[tcpip4lyfe]

I had to pay for 80% because I was too lazy to get scholarships (stupid move). Its the main reason I went to a community college.

[Dragonbite]

I was lucky, my parents paid for mine.

My wife, though, paid for hers 100% with waitressing and commissioned art jobs. It took her 6 years instead of 4 but she worked hard, has pride in being successful and was extremely unhappy when the class was a useless class and/or running across other students who could care less because they don't have to pay for it (I believe I was like that when I was in school).

When I went to college, I brought with me the "is it Friday yet?" (bad) attitude of high school with me and while I graduated I don't think I learned as much because I wasn't as "tuned in". Now, if I were to go back to school, I think I would have a completely different attitude. The (programming) classes I've taken, in the past couple of years, I have noticed I have a much greater interest in learning as opposed to finishing.

[Detonate]

If someone wants an education, they will find a way. There are lots of ways to get financial assistance. Every college and university in the US has a financial assistance office that you can visit and get a lot of information on scholarships, student loans, etc. Many employers have tuition assistance programs for their employees. I got my degree by going to night school while working and using this program. Community colleges are a great way to begin your education, much less expensive and will prepare your for studies at the university level. Don't forget the armed forces and the GI Bill. In many states, if you join the National Guard, they will pay as much as 100% of your tuition. Check out all of the sources. It can be done.

[MaximB]

the first time I went to college my country paid for me (in Israel you can get a free course every 4 years - not university) so I took the MCSE course (I didn't know what is Linux then).
now I'm going to learn LPIC and I pay it with my own money (it's very costy here, about $3600, exams not included).
but I do not ask my mom to pay for me or to give me money, in fact I give her money !

[ThinkBuntu]

My parents are paying for my school (in-state) but I support myself completely, so I think they're getting a fair deal. They locked in tuition with Virginia a long time ago, so it's chump change compared to today's typical tuition.When I transfer down this coming fall, I'll be covering my room and board, finding short-term rentals during the breaks.

[Atomic Dog]

I have paid for mine. Out of the approx 30k I have spent through the years I only needed to borrow about 6k. I'm paying that small nut now, and still going to school. I can only swing about 2k per semester so I only take 2 classes each time.

[brim4brim]

Everything including third level education is free in Ireland unless you fail a year in college in which case you have to pay the fees for your repeat year.

So total college fees for 4 years for me was 2,800 Euro because of registration fee's. Then you have accomodation etc... I didn't get a grant but most people in Ireland who have one parent working or who's parents aren't earning over a certain amount, also get a grant to help pay for rent etc...

So very few here actually work their way through college. A lot of people work over the summer between college years to have money for the college year.

[Dragonbite]

If someone wants an education, they will find a way. And lucky for me, my company pays for education.. even Graduate! All I need is TIME to be able to focus on classes (kids 6.91666, 5 and 2 doesn't leave much room!) and a chance to determine what degree and where.

[jgrabham]

And lucky for me, my company pays for education.. even Graduate! All I need is TIME to be able to focus on classes (kids 6.91666, 5 and 2 doesn't leave much room!) and a chance to determine what degree and where.

I'm thinking of doing that with the RAF :]

[aktiwers]

It's Free here. The Government pays you to go :)

[sethmahoney]

I would say it is fairly high, in the US at least, if you include students going to college on student loans, especially if you consider the number of people returning to college, or starting late, who can't get support from their parents.

[daynah]

My parents don't pay for my college, but at the same time, I don't pay for my college. I worked dang hard to get my government grants and scholarships. I live on campus so that my family over all saves money because I haven't figured out quite how to pay for grad school yet. Everyone says I'll have a job by then but... my parents may be helping me with that one.

But bachelors, it's all me. Oh, and by the way, I started college two years early, so as a 16 year old I was going to college and my parents didn't have to worry about a cent because of all the work I put in to find those annoying little government grants.

[kamaboko]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), more than 63% of students received financial aid during the 2003-2004 academic year

[jputman01]

For everyone who is getting grants and scholarships to pay for your school, HOW?? I have paid for my school 100% for the past 3 years. I have applied for every scholarship and been turned down, with a GPA of 3.34. Until this year I could not apply for financial help without reporting my parents income (required if under the age of 24). I was turned down for financial assistance when reporting my parents income even though the don't provide me money for school or living (ive been self supportive since age 18) and this year when I applied I was turned down stating I myself made too much money, if they can tell me where that money is hiding I will gladly spend in on school, but I cant find it. I never wanted to take loans, though now that I only have about 20 hours left I may just go ahead and bite the bullet.

Long story short, help seems difficult to find, as far as percentage, my view is screwed since all my friends parents pay for their school.

[Spr0k3t]

I'm proud to say that I am one of the extreme few who has never used financial aid from my own parents or other means. All of my education has been paid out of pocket prior to each semester it started. I paid for all of my books and supplies. This entire time I also helped raise my kids. Not to mention, I purchased my first house in the time I was enrolled. I would be amazed to find one other person who has done this in 500. The day I finished, my degree was 100% paid for... god it felt great!

The drive it takes to be able to do such a thing is grueling. At one point in time, my entire family lived on five potatoes for a week. I worked two jobs while in school and three over the summer semesters. Sleep 2 hours here, 4 hours there...

Edit: And a spoon full of freeze dried coffee for test days!

[kamaboko]

I applied for everything and only took the free money which was based on grades. I graduated w/a 3.65 GPA.

[mandyjune]

I'm paying for my own college tuition. I work part-time as well as applied for financial aid. My parents helped me pay for the bare necessities in the beginning but after that it was all up to me. A large part is also applying for scholarships. It's so important. I wish I'd known about CDs (http://www.gobankingrates.com/cd-rates/how-to-teach-your-kids-to-save-with-cds/)when I was younger then I would've invested in that...