Tuition Break Down

Private schools are more expensive then public schools, since public schools are heavily funded by federal and state governments.  It's rare for anyone to pay the sticker price for college, most students quality for aid or grants of small kind. 

Tuition is typically broken down by credit hours.  Each course is usually 3 or 4 credits, depending on the level of difficulty.  Room and board varies widely from city to city.  Housing is extremely expensive in the larger cities, so expect to pay more for just about everything.  In rural areas, things are more inexpensive.  Room and board typically costs anywhere from $5000-$12000 a year for private schools.

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You will also need to factor in books which will cost anywhere between $300-$1000 a semester.  If you are a science major, the textbooks are more expensive, so figure on the high end of that scale.  Spending money, transportation, clothing, health insurance, and miscellaneous fees rounds out the bill.   

The average four-year private college costs $20,082, and the average four-year public college costs $5,132.  However, about 50 percent of students attending four-year colleges pay less than $6,000 for tuition and fees per year.  About three quarters of students attending public four-year colleges pay less than $6,000 for tuition and fees per year. Only about 5 percent of all students attend colleges where tuition and fees total $24,000 or higher per year (according to the College Board).