Helping Students Decide: In-State or Out-of-State College?

In a previous post, we touched on the importance of helping our students consider their mental health when choosing a college. In that post, we talked about a few factors to consider: the setting of the school, the distance from family and friends, and the cost to attend. In a similar fashion, these factors, plus the available programs of study, should be deeply considered when students are looking at schools both in-state and/or out-of-state.

Degree Programs

While many students begin college undecided on their programs of study, opting to clear their general education courses before committing to a specific field of study, they typically already have a general idea of where their interests and strengths lie. It would strongly behoove students to keep those possible pursuits in mind and narrow down their college search based on potential degree programs. 

For those students who already have an established subject in mind, it would be wise to look into the offered degree programs of each school. They should be asking:

  • Does the school have a strong enrollment rate in that particular program? 

  • Is the program competitive/ difficult to get into?

  • What is the projected timeline to complete the program? 

  • Does this field of study require an extended certification program or higher degree (i.e., master’s or doctoral degree)?

It’s also important to have a back-up plan. It’s not uncommon for a student to start college with big plans for becoming one thing and then deciding further down the line that that program of study was not the right fit (raise your hand if you know more than one music performance major who became a music teacher—I’m out of hands.) The point is, having more than one potential program of study in mind or—even smarter—being open to discovering different facets of the same subject (e.g., a computer science major with a concentration in software development) provides students with a fail safe in case their original plans fall apart, and some wiggle room in case (odds are high!) something new peaks their interest.

In-state or out-of-state, colleges do not all offer the same degree programs. Schools are often  known for having a particularly strong program of study that puts them on the map and attracts out-of-state students. For example, Michigan State University is currently the top-ranking school in the US for Secondary Teacher Education. Michigan State has many programs of study to choose from, but its College of Education is topping the charts. Now, that’s not to say that a Pennsylvania resident wouldn't be best-suited to attend Pennsylvania State University to obtain the same college degree; it all comes down to what makes the most sense for the student.

Setting

Location and setting may be an important factor in whether students want to look in- or out-of-state for college. For instance, a small-town student who has lived their whole life in rural Tennessee may feel drawn to experience the art scene in the hustle and bustle of New York City. For them, looking out-of-state at a college known for the arts like New York University makes a lot of sense. Or maybe a student who has grown up in the densely populated city of Chicago would rather study science while having room to spread their wings in suburban North Carolina; they may want to check out a school like Wake Forest University. You get the idea. When deciding on which school would be the best fit for them, they really need to have a setting in mind. It may be that the type of campus life they’re looking for just isn’t available from an in-state school.

Distance

One of the most consequential factors to consider when deciding to go to an in- or out-of-state school is the distance from home. Students get so caught up in envisioning their next chapter that they may not always consider what it will feel like to be a long distance from their loved ones. If there’s a family emergency, would they feel comfortable being a plane ride away? Are they prone to homesickness and want the option of coming home on the weekends? Sure, many schools are just a car ride away—for example, residents of southern New Jersey are about an hour from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—but it’s worth considering how the distance between their college and home will impact their lives. Let’s think about that student from rural Tennessee that’s looking for a college for the arts in a busy city; maybe that same student is also hoping to stick close to their friends who are attending in-state colleges; maybe they’d rather consider the Nossi College of Art in Nashville, TN instead of New York University. Then again, maybe you have a student that would much rather combine their college experience with traveling to a new location the opposite of where they’ve grown up; southern California is looking real good if they’re wanting to escape the dreary climate of Washington. No matter their preferences, it’s worth considering what the distance of an in- versus out-of-state college would be like for the duration of their college experience.

Cost to Attend

Probably the most pressing factor for students to consider is the cost of tuition, whether public or private, in- or out-of-state. For many students, considering an out-of-state college seems senseless when most out-of-state schools have significantly higher tuition costs. However, there are a few exceptions. 

Here are a few examples of affordable out-of-state colleges worth considering:

You can’t ignore the fact that student debt adds a huge stressor for college students on top of an already stressful academic workload. In the cases where students have set their eyes on an out-of-state school that doesn’t offer reasonable out-of-state tuition and fees, advise them to look into all available opportunities for financial assistance: FAFSA, college savings plans, merit-based scholarships, work-study programs, tuition waivers, regional tuition exchange programs—these are viable options for helping students keep their costs down while attending their dream school. 

Taking all factors into account, students should be able to settle on a short list of colleges that match their ideal school. From there, it just comes down to weighing the pros and cons between each, and seriously considering what the differences are for them in attending either in- or out-of-state. 

We all know that creating a list of prospective match schools is only the tip of the iceberg for our college-bound students; there’s a lot more that goes into the college application process. We also know that one of the most important checks on their checklists is having a high ACT® or SAT® score to submit to those choice schools. A solid test score will help them stand out no matter how large the application pool. But achieving a great test score all hinges on having a solid test-prep plan in place. Make sure that you and your tutoring business are helping your clients reach their maximum potential. Need a boost? Clear Choice Prep can help! Request a free demo today, and find out how we can help you take your test prep to new heights.

Matt McCorkleCollege Applications, College Admissions, Test-Prep Advice