The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

University of Michigan
Featured image for “Would You Pay $47,000 for the University of Oregon?”
April 20, 2015

Would You Pay $47,000 for the University of Oregon?

Last week at the exercise boot camp that I attend on Sunday mornings, I saw a mom who hadn’t been coming to the workouts for several months. The mom is divorced and is trying to support herself as a manicurist. Her son is a high school senior so I had been giving her some college advice before she stopped showing...
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Featured image for “A New Tool to Measure College Costs”
May 13, 2014

A New Tool to Measure College Costs

Today I’m sharing with you a new online tool that you can easily use to generate quick cost estimates and comparisons at individual colleges. All you need is to start playing with the universal net price calculator that you’ll find on the website of the Cost of Learning.  This new website aims to make it easy for families to retrieve...
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Featured image for “Are Flagships Worth the Price for Outsiders?”
April 9, 2014

Are Flagships Worth the Price for Outsiders?

I received an email recently from a mom who was upset because her smart daughter didn’t receive any scholarships from the schools on her list. All the school were prestigious public flagships outside her state. These institutions will be among the toughest to receive meaningful scholarships from because they are most demand from their own state residents and they can...
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Featured image for “What Nonresidents Need to Know About Attending State Universities”
January 30, 2014

What Nonresidents Need to Know About Attending State Universities

If  you have to pay nonresident tuition, are public universities worth the price? I think this is a good time to examine this issue since the Princeton Review just released it’s 2014 best value list of public colleges and universities. The Princeton Review included many state schools on its value list that are extremely expensive for nonresidents. According to federal...
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Featured image for “8 Things to Know About Attending State Universities Outside Your Borders”
May 8, 2013

8 Things to Know About Attending State Universities Outside Your Borders

If  you have to pay nonresident tuition, are public universities worth the price? That is the question facing three families whose children are heading to a state university as nonresidents this fall or are contemplating one of these institutions in the future. In my last post, I shared the issues the families faced and also solicited advice or comments from...
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November 1, 2011

Where Are the Freshmen Coming From?

Today I want to share a nifty interactive tool on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s  website that you can use to see where students, who attend any college or university, are coming from. When I used it to look up the the University of Michigan, I discovered that the biggest contingent of nonresidents were from New York (361), Illinois (319),...
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August 25, 2011

Looking Beyond Dream Schools for College

This week, I’ve been focusing on colleges and universities that are pricey. Here the the posts if you’ve missed them:  Is That Flagship Worth the Price? Attending Expensive East Coast Universities The majority of students limit their college choices to schools within two hours of driving distance, but those who want to look elsewhere tend to salivate over the same...
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August 24, 2011

Is That Flagship Worth the Price?

I wrote yesterday about the hazards of attending high-priced private colleges and universities that can’t support their students with solid financial aid packages. If you missed the post, here it is: Attending Expensive East Coast Universities I think one reason why students gravitate to pricey schools on the East Coast is because they don’t put much effort into finding wonderful...
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December 28, 2009

5 Ways to Cut Tuition Costs At Out-of-State Universities

Want to attend a public university outside your state? Often the out-of-state tuition costs are far greater at state universities, which naturally prefer to keep the costs lowest for their own residents. You can, however, find public universities willing to cut their state tuition for outsiders. Here are five ways to cut the costs of attending a public university outside...
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November 2, 2009

Why State Flagship Universities Are Rejecting More Students

Will some of the nation’s top flagship universities turn private? This question isn’t as wacky as it sounds. Some flagships, including the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia, have explored the idea of becoming private universities. Sure it would be shocking if state universities ditched their public mandates to serve as educational beacons for their own residents, both...
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