Did your parents help pay for college?

[clackamascoug]

In 1977, I was making $500 a month working on the weekends. I'd saved up and paid my own tuition, and they covered the $110 a month for Deseret Towers. I didn't drive a car my first year.

I paid $1,000 of the $4000 my mission cost.

My parents paid for my tuition after the mission, and gave me $250 a month. Also, they let me take a car they owned to school, and gave me a Texaco card, for the $10 it took to fill a tank. I used to eat at the Naugles on State Street, when you could get a huge burrito, large fries, and large drink, for $1.25

Looking back, I had it pretty good and had plenty of money for dating and fun. When I got married, the vault was locked, and I had a mind adjustment to make as we struggled the first couple of years.

[San Juan Sun]

My dad never went to college (worked in mining and then oil field). My mom did one semester at Weber State, until she got caught "holding" a large amount of drugs and had to flee that state of Utah until the legal situation settled down. She was a bartender for much of my elementary/junior high education. They gave a lot of lip service to studying and education, and were pissed when my grades weren't good, but they never did much to educate me other than yell at me.

As a consequence, I enrolled in junior college after a mission and figuring out that the oil field is not for me. I paid my own way. Then I got married to a young lady who went to BYU. I transferred there, and still paid my tuition, but her parents helped us financially quite a bit.

My wife and I were both able to leave BYU with no debt, good grades, and bright futures. I am eternally grateful for my in-laws help in college, as well as their example in valuing education.

I will pay for my kids education, on the condition that they pay for their offspring to do likewise. Our own family PEF. I respect that different families choose to help (or not) in different ways. But as for me and my house, we'll pay for school. I think you can both pay tuition and still raise responsible kids who value the opportunity given them.

[TripletDaddy]

I didn't get any dough from my mom. My dad was out of the picture. Put myself through undergrad and law school.

Sorry Puffy Check. Better prepare your a**es for some serious work in your future. Welcome to this thing called Life.

[mUUser]

My parents weren't in a position to help with expenses.

Our intent is to pay as much as our circumstances allow, provided they're making good choices and working hard towards a worthy goal -- from bachelors to doctorate. As of now, that would be very close to 100 percent.

[All-American]

My dad wrote a check in the amount of my tuition cost every semester at BYU, and then said the rest was up to me to figure out. Between what he contributed, my scholarship, and other jobs I had during undergraduate days, I had several thousand in savings upon graduation. I'm not sure what I would have been able to get from them for graduate school, but I insisted that I would be paying for law school. We agreed that I would at least be getting my loans from my dad, since he has access to lower interest rates. So far, my loans from him have gone to paying tuition, and I've been able to live off of what I've saved. I suspect that will change before long, as my own resources are running out and I am contemplating a joint venture which will result in the acquisition of a $60k liability from the other partner.

[mUUser]

I think the 3rd and 4th answers are the most revealing in this poll.

[Donuthole]

I suspect that will change before long, as my own resources are running out and I am contemplating a joint venture

Congrats!

which will result in the acquisition of a $60k liability from the other partner.

Doh!

[Paperback Writer]

This has been a very difficult issue with my family and siblings. Some got a lot of help in college while others got very little. My folks implied that they weren't in a position to help me very much - something I found out later was not really the case. It's caused some hurt feelings in my family. For instance, some siblings had limited graduate school opportunities due to lower GPAs because of having to work through school. Some weren't able to attend their first choice of college (BYU) because they (the student) couldn't afford it.

I'm planning on paying most of the costs for all my kids. I hope to be able to help them at the graduate level if resources permit.

Here's the deal. To get financial aid every family has to fill out a FAFSA and Uncle Sam comes back with an expected family contribution. What is a student to do if a family isn't willing to contribute when Uncle Sam has determined that they should be able to?

I guess one can expect kids to finance their own way through college but that's a lot of hours at minimum wage levels. I'm not sure it's even possible. And it's very difficult for HS students to put in all those hours while expecting them to do exceptional in school so that they gain acceptance to a good university like BYU.

Edit: I have a lot of respect for my in-laws who continued to pay for their daughter's education after we were married.

[myboynoah]

Both my wife and I worked our way through college with very little help from parents. It would have been nice to have a little help. I think I missed out on some opportunities. But still, it's nice to have done it ourselves.

As for our children, we paid for the first year at BYU for the oldest (she was in the dorms). This year we are paying tuition and rent. The rest is up to her so she works part time. That pattern seems to be working well right now.

[Surfah]

This has been a very difficult issue with my family and siblings. Some got a lot of help in college while others got very little. My folks implied that they weren't in a position to help me very much - something I found out later was not really the case. It's caused some hurt feelings in my family. For instance, some siblings had limited graduate school opportunities due to lower GPAs because of having to work through school. Some weren't able to attend their first choice of college (BYU) because they (the student) couldn't afford it.

Couldn't afford BYU?

Here's the deal. To get financial aid every family has to fill out a FAFSA and Uncle Sam comes back with an expected family contribution. What is a student to do if a family isn't willing to contribute when Uncle Sam has determined that they should be able to?

This what Uncle Sam says to do:

With this EFC, you probably do not qualify for a Pell Grant. Even so, you might still qualify for a state grant or loan, a school grant, loan, or work-study award, or a subsidized Stafford loan. Also, every student qualifies for an unsubsidized Stafford loan regardless of need, so you should still file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Most EFC's of middle class Americans are completely unrealistic.

I don't know what kind of position I will be in to help my children when they're of that age. I doubt I'll be able to help much if current trends continue. Tuition costs are increasing at a rate of about 8% per year. My earning potential isn't. The cost of college for our baby girl born this year will cost 3 times what it does today. Something has to break. I will be pushing my kids towards junior college for the first two years and then staying in state. If they want the out of state college experience then they better get a scholarship or go to BYU. I'll help them as much as I am able, but the value of many undergrad degrees is diminishing as fast as the cost is rising to obtain one.

[Mormon Red Death]

Here's the deal. To get financial aid every family has to fill out a FAFSA and Uncle Sam comes back with an expected family contribution. What is a student to do if a family isn't willing to contribute when Uncle Sam has determined that they should be able to?

That is easy. You take out loans.

[BoylenOver]

My parents didn't pay a dime for my tuition or school expenses, but they did allow me to live at home and they paid for my car insurance as I was still on their policy. Not much, but I would have had to work a lot more or go into a lot more debt to finish my undergrad, so I'm grateful.

I don't know that I'll be in a position to help my kids, but I'd like to help them some how. Stay tuned for further developments.

That was my exact situation. Between financial aid, savings, and on-campus jobs, I was able to pay for my own schooling, but my parents (mostly my mom) paid for other things.

[marsupial]

I think it is good for kids to work while in college, but a part-time job flipping burgers isn't going to cover all their expenses. If you can help your kids avoid student loan debt, why not? I mean, if they are working hard, getting good grades and making progress toward a degree and you have the finances available to help them, why wouldn't you?

I'll admit, my parents paid for everything, but I was a good kid that worked hard and got good grades and finished my degree. I still worked most semesters and squirreled away my earnings. My money paid for things I needed or really wanted, like an internship in the Middle East, a bike to get to campus, danimal's wedding ring, a washer and dryer, etc.

[happyone]

My parents didn't help me much, but then there was no money - Dad had just been RIFed from the Army, his retirement hadn't come through, had just started teaching and had six kids, 5 of them teenagers, to support.

They did let me live at home as long as I was in school, free room and board. That was about the extent of of their financal support.

I worked PT, used scholorships and grants for tution and books.

I helped my oldest daughter and am currently helping the middle one.

[TripletDaddy]

I think it is good for kids to work while in college, but a part-time job flipping burgers isn't going to cover all their expenses. If you can help your kids avoid student loan debt, why not? I mean, if they are working hard, getting good grades and making progress toward a degree and you have the finances available to help them, why wouldn't you?

I'll admit, my parents paid for everything, but I was a good kid that worked hard and got good grades and finished my degree. I still worked most semesters and squirreled away my earnings. My money paid for things I needed or really wanted, like an internship in the Middle East, a bike to get to campus, danimal's wedding ring, a washer and dryer, etc.

My thought on this is fairly straightforward. I don't plan on paying because their education is their responsibility. I help them by putting them in the best position possible throughout their youth, paying for them to prep for college, etc. My 22 year old kids better not be calling me to tell me that they need money to buy things. Get a job, get a loan, get a grant, figure it out a bit. Learn to make a budget, learn to do some basic financial planning.

I plan on doing two things for my kids that many parents do not do.

1. Not claim them as dependents until they are halfway to social security. This will allow them to make a greater play for grants and aid while they are still in school. They become independent earlier in life. You could argue that this is net net the same thing as paying their costs directly but I think the nuance is important. Rather than coming to me for money, try are forced to figure it out themselves.
2. Encourage them to get degrees that are economically viable. My wife has an art history degree and left undergrad with more student loans than me. It is a fun degree but a total drain financially. If they want to earn degrees that make it impossible to recoup the investment, that is their business and their right. But if my kids come to me and ask for 50k to invest in an snow making machine to sell to eskimos, I'm going to pass on that investment, no matter how much My kids want it and no matter how much I love my kids.