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 

info from collage tracker


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)
$6,833
What we project students in the $0–$30,000 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-TIMEPROMEDIO NACIONAL

Demographics

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

Female

Male

The Hechinger Report covers inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters.

    About
    Our Mission
    Contact Us

Copyright Ⓒ 2024 by Teachers College at Columbia University. All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors' experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Teachers College, Columbia University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Teachers College, Columbia University's Website Cookie Notice.



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

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? 



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.  







Scenario #2: Albert
Year in High School: Senior
GPA: 3.8
School(s) Under Consideration: Rice University, University of Texas at Austin 
Family income: $76,000 
Career Track(s) Under Consideration: Chemical Engineer 

 

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

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




Rice University 
University of Texas at Austin
Annual Net Price 
(based on income) 


Tuition Tracker
Rice University
Rice University
Houston, TX
private
4year
9%Acceptance rate (2022)
37%Pay sticker price (2021)
Sticker price (2024-25)
$78,975
What we project the school will advertise as the cost of attendance for living on campus
Net price (2024-25)
$5,825
What we project students in the $0–$30,000 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$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000— 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.

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
No data available for school
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.

No data available for school
Demographics

Enrollment (2021-22)
Total undergraduate enrollment:  4,510

Female

Male

The Hechinger Report covers inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters.

    About
    Our Mission
    Contact Us

Copyright Ⓒ 2024 by Teachers College at Columbia University. All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors' experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Teachers College, Columbia University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Teachers College, Columbia University's Website Cookie Notice.




4-year cost
(assuming net price remains constant)




Acceptance Rate






Compare the sticker and net prices at both schools. If Albert gets below-average aid to attend both universities, which one will be more affordable for him? Explain. 




 My Next Move
Use My Next Move to look up the starting salary for a chemical engineer and note it below. For the purpose of this activity, assume the lowest salary is the starting salary. 




Should Albert attend one of these top tier colleges for engineering? If so, which one? Or should he look at lower ranked schools in TX? Explain your answer. 






Part II: Reflect

What are three important things to consider when choosing a college and career?