NGPF Activity
Paying for College
Spanish version

ANALYZE: College and Career Choices 
Discover how your college and career choices can impact your finances by helping each of the students below make their own decisions.

Scenario #1: Jada
Year in High School: Senior
GPA: 3.4 
School(s) Under Consideration: North Carolina State University at Raleigh (NCSU)
Family income: $52,000/yr 
Career Track(s) Under Consideration: Graphic Designer, Accountant 


Tuition Tracker
Use Tuition Tracker to fill out the table below. 


Tuition Tracker
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
public
4year
47%Acceptance rate (2022)
29%Pay sticker price (2021)
Sticker price (2024-25)
$26,808
What we project the school will advertise as the cost of attendance for living on campus
Net price (2024-25)
$15,163
What we project students in the $48,000–$75,000 income bracket will actually pay
How do we know?

Historical price trend
Sticker price
Net price for
income bracket
14-1515-1616-1717-1818-1919-2020-2121-2222-2323-2424-25$0$5,000$10,000$15,000$20,000$25,000— upper net price estimation— projected net price— lower net price estimation

Historical sticker-price data up to 2022-23 and net price up to 2021-22 provided by NCES. Data for following years projected from Hechinger Report analyses. Shaded area calculated using highest and lowest historical discount rate for average incoming freshman in income level. In-state tuition figures are used.
Net price is calculated by subtracting federal, state, local and institutional grants and scholarships from the sticker price for first-time, full-time (and, at public universities, in-state) undergraduates. Net price data shown above includes only families of students who received some form of federal student aid, including loans, since others are not tracked.
Success rates
Graduation rates by race

Rate of students who earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of starting or an associate degree within three years over the last five years.
83%TOTALNat'l average60%AMERICAN INDIAN / ALASKA NATIVENat'l average88%ASIANNat'l average77%BLACK / AFRICAN AMERICANNat'l average82%HISPANIC / LATINONat'l average71%NATIVE HAWAIIAN / PACIFIC ISLANDERNat'l average84%WHITENat'l average78%TWO OR MORE RACESNat'l average87%NO RACE REPORTED
Nat'l average

Graduation rates are not perfect measures of school quality, but a low rate could mean many students are dropping out or taking too long to finish, which pushes up the cost of their education. Read more
Retention rates by type

Percentage of freshmen at four-year colleges who returned the following fall or, at two-year colleges, who completed their credentials or returned after one year over the last five years.
94%FULL-TIMEPROMEDIO NACIONAL79%PART-TIME
PROMEDIO NACIONAL

Demographics

Enrollment (2021-22)
Total undergraduate enrollment:  28,997

Female

Male
0%AMERICAN INDIAN / ALASKA NATIVE8%ASIAN6%BLACK / AFRICAN AMERICAN7%HISPANIC / LATINO0%NATIVE HAWAIIAN / PACIFIC ISLANDER66%WHITE4%TWO OR MORE RACES3%NO RACE REPORTED
3%NOT U.S. RESIDENT

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Note: Once you’ve found the school, change the family income at the very top of the screen to get an accurate cost.



North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Annual Net Price 
(based on income) 


4-year cost
(assuming net price remains constant)


Acceptance Rate 




Look at the Success Rates section. 

How does the national average graduation rate compare to the total graduation rate for this school? 


Why is it important to consider a school’s graduation rate? 



Jada plans to attend NCSU as a full-time student. How confident can she be that she will have a successful freshman year and return the next fall? 






My Next Move
Use My Next Move to look up the starting salaries for the two careers Jada is considering. For the purpose of this activity, assume the lowest salary is the starting salary. What is the starting salary for each career? 


My Next Move
O*NET in-it
Graphic Designers
client graphic design computer artistic design layout idea illustration display

Artist, Designer, Graphic Artist, Graphic Designer
What they do:
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
On the job, you would:

    Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
    Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
    Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.

Knowledge
Engineering and Technology

    design
    computers and electronics

Arts and Humanities

    music, dance, visual arts, drama, or sculpture
    English language

Communications

    multimedia

Business

    sales and marketing

Skills
Basic Skills

    listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
    talking to others

Problem Solving

    noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

    changing what is done based on other people's actions
    understanding people's reactions

Abilities
Verbal

    read and understand what is written
    listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

    create new and original ideas
    come up with lots of ideas

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.

They do well at jobs that need:

    Attention to Detail
    Dependability
    Adaptability/Flexibility

    Cooperation
    Innovation
    Initiative

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:
Web platform development software

    AJAX Hot Technology
    Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP Hot Technology

Video creation and editing software

    Adobe After Effects Hot Technology In Demand
    YouTube

Computer aided design CAD software

    Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Hot Technology
    Autodesk Revit Hot Technology

Education
Education: (rated 4 of 5)
 
bachelor's degree or
high school diploma/GED
usually needed

Get started on your career:
Job Outlook
Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
Salary:
$58,910
$36,420
$100,450
Explore More

    Art Directors
    Desktop Publishers
    Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, & Illustrators
    Special Effects Artists & Animators
    Web & Digital Interface Designers

You might like a career in one of these industries:

    Professional, Science, & Technical
    Manufacturing
    Media & Communication

See more details at O*NET OnLine about graphic designers.

    Help
    Explore
    Careers

        Sites

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Site updated August 9, 2024


Jada thinks she will enjoy both careers equally. Which major is the best financial choice? Why?   






Identify other factors from My Next Move that Jada might want to consider for each career before making a final decision.