Summary of Ron Lieber's The Price You Pay for College

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Ron Lieber's The Price You Pay for College in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Sending a teenager to a flagship state university for four years of on-campus living costs more than $100,000 in many parts of the United States. Meanwhile, many families of freshmen attending selective private colleges will spend triple - over $300,000. With the same passion, smarts, and humor that infuse his personal finance column, Ron Lieber offers a much-needed roadmap to help families navigate this difficult and often confusing journey.

Lieber begins by explaining who pays what and why and how the financial aid system got so complicated. He also pulls the curtain back on merit aid, an entirely new form of discounting that most colleges now use to compete with peers.

While price is essential, value is paramount. So what is worth paying extra for, and how do you know when it exists in abundance at any particular school? Is a small college better than a big one? Who actually does the teaching? Given that every college claims to have reinvented its career center, who should we actually believe? He asks the tough questions of college presidents and financial aid gatekeepers that parents don’t know (or are afraid) to ask and summarizes the research about what matters and what doesn’t.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Nov 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350065329

IRB Media

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Summary of Ron Lieber’s The Price You Pay for College

Contents

Overview

The High Cost of Learning

Need-Based and Merit-Based Aid

The Future of Residential Undergraduate Programs

Choosing Value Over Prestige

Teaching and Faculty Mentorship

Mental Health and Social Environment

Women’s Colleges

Diversity

Class Sizes and Luxuries

Career-Ready Education

The Community College Route

Honors Programs and Colleges

Alternatives

The Cost of Not Attending College

Money Conversations

529 Plans

Do Your Research

Smart Borrowing

About the Author

Overview

Paying for college is the biggest financial decision most families will ever make. In The Price You Pay for College (2021), financial journalist Ron Lieber offers an in-depth exploration of the complexities of financing a college education in America. He guides parents and students through the issues they need to consider and the questions they should ask to make informed decisions. He makes sense of the alphabet soup of FAFSA, EFC, and CSS, and clarifies the difference between merit and need-based assistance. Lieber also looks at alternative pathways that can save money, such as starting at community college or attending college online.

The High Cost of Learning

The rising cost of college in America has become a significant financial burden for many families. A college education often costs more than their homes; the difference between public and private colleges can be a six-figure sum. Families also face concurrent financial pressures such as retirement, health insurance, and housing prices.

Saving for higher education is challenging. Some families resort to loans with long repayment periods. They could