As the cost of attending state flagship universities passes $30,000, many families are considering the financial benefits of starting at a community college and then transfer to a 4-year university. Combining living at home with paying only a third to half of the tuition of a 4 year public institution represents significant savings. However, those savings will exist only if students actual path in real life follows the plan–and that is far from being certain.
50-50 Highlights: Colleges for Transfer Students 2018
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Asians and Pacific Islanders represent 5.7% of the general population but make-up 6.6% of all undergraduates. There are two to four times more Asians at the most competitive schools than in the general population. Asian students make up 21% of undergraduates at Stanford and 19% at Harvard. Because of this “over-representation” and general “model minority” myth, Asian students are often perceived as doing well no matter where they attend school. 
Why look at a college’s endowment when trying to decide where to go to school? This falls into the category of all other things being equal, why not attend an institution that is in a better financial situation? Or more importantly, why risk going to a university that is facing financial difficulties?
Let me start by saying you never know how much a college is actually going to cost until you get the college’s financial aid award. That’s when you really know if a college is affordable. But there are indicators that some colleges are more likely to be affordable than others. Knowing these indicators mean that you can make sure you apply to colleges more likely to meet your financial needs. That doesn’t guarantee they will because we are talking averages here. But it does improve your chances.
With all the talk about student debt, it’s easy to miss the PLUS loan numbers. PLUS loans are federal loans taken out by parents on the student’s behalf. The really scary thing about PLUS loans is that parents can borrow up to the full amount of tuition. Furthermore, eligibility for PLUS loans isn’t based on ability to repay the loan but rather your credit history. Just think about it, even with a great credit history, a bank won’t loan you money for $250,000 house without some evidence that you can make the payments. The government will.