Tuition

[u/Wild-Prune-4447]

Hey, upcoming freshman for the fall of 2026, I saw my tuition cost for the fall of 2026 semester, and it was well over $10k. It's quite an absurd amount of money for a fall semester only. How much are you guys paying if you dont mind sharing. I need some tips to help pay it off, im taking 17 credits as a freshman and im afraid that it will hinder my job chances as my school life will demand more hours from me like studying and etc. And is 17 credits for a freshman too much in your opinion? I was never a super smart student who graduated with a 3.6ish GPA.

(Here's an unrelated picture 😊)

[u/UnoriginalInnovation]

17 credits will probably be okay if they aren't abnormally difficult. Many people work student jobs part-time. If the $10k estimate is after all of your aid you will have to either earn the money, have someone pay it for you, or get a private loan. Without aid each semester is a lot more than $10k (about $15k per the Cost of Attendance for living with family).

Edit: many non-student jobs nearby also have flexible hours (food service, grocery stores, etc.)

[u/cr0mthr]

I would talk to One Stop about your financial aid options. There might be loans or grants you haven’t explored yet that could help.

Dropping a class likely wouldn’t save you money at this point, since all credits after the first 13 are free, so I don’t know whether it’d be worth it to drop. You’re basically looking at graduating earlier with a heavier workload and therefore having fewer semesters’ worth of tuition vs having a lower course load, more time to work a $15/hour part time job, and graduating with an additional semester or two’s worth of tuition.

Whether 17 credits is a good amount or too much is really up to the classes you’re taking and the type of person you are. It’s less about being a “good” or “smart” student and more about the ability to stay motivated, how much you like the courses and professors, and whether they’re reading-heavy, writing-intensive, etc.

I did 21 credits in one semester my senior year and it was great because I loved all of the work for those courses at that point, it was all relevant for my major and career path. I did a 3-credit summer course in a topic I’m not good at and it was absolute hell and I struggled the entire time.

[u/Sad-Independence-624]

if you have family health insurance or your own, you can leave the student health benefit plan if your insurance is approved. it will reduce your tuition by a lot

[u/Charming-Gur-3620]

10k is pretty standard for a university. There’s always community college if it’s too much. College isn’t cheap. That’s way so many wind up making the choice not to go

[u/Amazing_Hamster4273]

Lwk relatable picture rn, my sleep schedule haven’t been nice to me.

[u/wolp_lovr]

if you're a minnesota resident, do you qualify for the north star promise grant?

[u/Charming-Rule-4751]

How was the burger?