Price-Shopping Students Switch From Private Universities to State Schools

[marmar]

Rutgers Sees 50% Jump in Transfers as Economy Sours (Update1)
By Oliver Staley and Janet Frankston Lorin


March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Denise Corsini transferred in January from the private University of Tampa in Florida to the public Rutgers University in her home state of New Jersey, saving as much as $10,000 a year.

“It was a really good time” to make the switch, said Corsini, 20, an English major from Bridgewater, in an interview. “My dad is in construction and, with the economy falling apart, not many people are building homes.”

Students across the U.S. are making similar choices as Corsini, who is saving on tuition and transportation, and on meal costs by eating at home. Applications to Rutgers from students at private colleges and at public schools outside New Jersey have risen 52 percent, to 632 this year from 416 in 2008. State universities in Indiana, Texas and Florida are also seeing more transfer requests as families cut costs in the recession.

“Students appear to be price shopping,” said Barmak Nassirian, the associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, a Washington-based trade group. “People are hedging their bets financially. There is a real economic motivation.”

At Florida Atlantic University, a public school whose main campus is in Boca Raton, transfer applications so far have risen 37 percent from last year for the term beginning in June, and 22 percent for the September term.

With two months to go before the application deadline for the June term, the school has 265 transfer applications from students at private colleges. That means the figure is poised to surpass the 277 who applied for last year’s June session. Transfer applications for June from students at public schools outside Florida have already more than tripled last year’s total of 101. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601213&sid=a7e.plSerR7c&refer=home

[SoCalDem]

1. Acquiring $50K of unshakable debt, to "maybe" find a job

that pays $25K (entry level) is finally sinking in for many people..

My daughter-in-law went to beauty school right out of high school, so she could work flexible hours while she attended "real" college.. She lived at home, and saved money like a fiend.. It took her almost TEN years to finish, but she did it without any debt..The sad thing about it, is that she and my son also postponed their marriage until year 9 of their courtship, they are both now 30, and 11 months after graduation, she's still "doing hair", and cannot find a job that's "worthy" of her college degree..and at some point pretty soon, they have to decide on the family thing too..

When he was young, my son listened to us over and over, about life-choices..now he understands what we were saying..

[MADem]

2. I'd rather have a degree from Rutgers, at any rate. She made a good decision on many levels.

Some state franchises have very good reps. VA is top of the line, certainly. CA used to be pretty good years ago, as I remember. The MA system is good, but showing signs of strain.