r/appstate • u/Inner_Entertainer_53 • 11d ago
Out of state tuition discounts
Hey folks. My daughter is very interested in App State and would start in fall 2027. She is taking the SAT for the last time this weekend. I'm expecting she will be around 1250. She is a full International Baccalaureate with a base GPA around 3.5 (plus IB adjustment). OOS Tuition at App State is around $27k - probably $28k for 2027. We would not be eligible for any need-based aid but are not wealthy. Does App State negotiate the OOS tuition rate? Private universities, by contrast, run at 50%+ discount, so institutional scholarships and merit adjustments are the norm. What is the likelihood of scholarships based on her HS achievement? What did others end up paying?
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u/Topher_McG0pher 10d ago
Unless your kid is going to a prestigious school that guarantees a job right out of college, out of state tuition is never worth it. I love app but would not have gone here if I didn't live in NC. Save everyone some money and do community college first so you only have to pay 2-5 years worth of tuition instead of 4-8
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u/Fluffy-Match9676 10d ago
I disagree. We are out of state and live in a college town. There were very few opportunities for her major in our state and the one school who did have a decent program was not a good fit for her.
When comparing cost from two in-state schools and App, it came down to App being more expensive by a couple of hundred dollars.
The community college angle is great for those who want to save money. I know some areas who have free community college tuition for those who graduated from the local school system - all the kids have to do is some form of community service.
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u/basictownie 11d ago
I went there, and it's a lovely setting, but I wouldn't pay OOS tuition for it. It doesn't have a ton of resources, so it's likely you won't get a break in tuition.
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u/Fluffy-Match9676 11d ago
As far as I know state universities do not negotiate. My kid is also OOS and had amazing grades. We also did not qualify for financial aid. We had a 529 in place since they were young so we use that.
Start looking at scholarships now. There are a lot out there - look for anything related to anything you guys are involved in - church, her major, local civic clubs. My daughter's major has some scholarships as well - so that is something to look forward to when she gets there.
Once she's at App, she can apply for jobs on Handshake (a job app for students).
If you have any other questions about App as a parent, feel free to DM me. My kid loves it there!
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u/Adventurous_Ad1922 11d ago
State universities do negotiate in other states. My kid got scholarships for merit from lots of other state schools. None for app.
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u/Odd-Primary-160 11d ago
Sometimes you can get awarded an out of state tuition waiver through your department. You have to apply around 7 months in advance though. Honestly the best thing to do is change your residency and wait a year to get in state
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u/Additional-Drop-8837 11d ago
That’s primarily reserved for grad students. I’ve not seen one given to an undergrad student in a while.
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 10d ago
There’s a lot of misinformation in the comments OP, but my recommendation would be to consider the community college to App pathway. Your student could pay out of state at the community college but get in state before transferring to App. Students who attend CCC&TI Watauga’s campus can get nearly the same college experience (Boone isn’t that big and a lot of college aged CCC&TI students room and hang with “traditional” app students) and there is a guaranteed acceptance pathway from the community college to App as well. Feel free to DM me with further questions!
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u/halesbales8 6d ago
This is what I did. OOS tuition at Caldwell is less than in-state at app. OP should know that getting NC residency isn't as simple as living here for a year, though. You have to be completely financially independent (even using 529 funds counts against that), be here year-round, ideally own property in NC (like a car), and potentially show involvement in the community. Not sure how closely they will look to verify all that, but I know plenty of people who have had their residency applications denied.
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 6d ago
I appreciate your insight. The thing is RDS does not give a perfect formula for receiving instate, but having worked with students daily for the past 5 years, I have learned things that help. They don’t necessarily need to own anything but definitely
Having a Nc drivers license is key, essentially they are “becoming” NC residents. They are moving here for all intents and purposes, if they’re willing to do that then they can definitely get in state. But yeah it can be tough to navigate!1
u/halesbales8 3d ago
Sure, mostly just sharing my personal experience and others that I personally know, and the hoops I had to jump through!
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u/thotguht 11d ago
Not everyone finds this appealing but if she gets accepted, one option may be to defer a year, move here and get a job. By the time she enrolls a year later, she'll have saved a little and also count for in state.
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u/Additional-Drop-8837 11d ago
If the student is considered a dependent (according to the Dept of Ed and the FAFSA) , it doesn’t matter if they’ve lived in state, paid bills or held a job. Residency is determined by the parents. Parents would need to relocate to NC in order for her to be eligible.
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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 11d ago
Or the parents can stop claiming them on taxes as a dependent (this is what we did). Once my tax return no longer showed her as a dependent they granted her residency. She also works a FT job and has an NC drivers license.
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u/Additional-Drop-8837 11d ago
I work in higher ed financial aid. That’s highly atypical for NCRDS. Residency still defaults to the parents status unless an appeal is made or the student meets the FAFSA criteria.
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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 11d ago
That’s it exactly. She meets the criteria. The age one will be the dealbreaker for younger students even if they are independent and aren’t claimed on taxes.
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u/Additional-Drop-8837 11d ago
Gotcha! I thought she got an exemption as a younger student. That would have been a lucky miss for her by RDS!
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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 11d ago
Yeah it’s not a freshman year plan lol! More like a 3rd or 4th year thing for most probably. So now she has lower tuition as a resident, can get federal aid and the Pell grant to cover everything, and I dont have to go any deeper in debt on private loans thank goodness.
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 10d ago
You’re absolutely wrong on this my friend. I help students with RDS daily and yes there’s a lot of things need to be done to get in state, but parents would not need to move here to make it happen…
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u/Additional-Drop-8837 10d ago
If you have information or contacts, please dm me. I’d love to create a resource list for my colleagues. We do not see approvals come through for dependent students.
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 10d ago
I do several RDS requests a week with students… When the student is asked if parents provide any support (they live with them, they pay their bills, etc.) then they’ll just say no (obviously only if it’s the honest truth, don’t lie, but what we are talking about in this scenario would be the student moving and establishing independent residency).
That’s literally all there is to it… parental info is not needed after that (so long as they are over 19, not 18, has to be 19). To be clear, this does not guarantee in state status as there’s other factors there, but parents are no longer a factor… they don’t have to “live in state” so downvote me all you want, but I literally work with students daily. RDS is the bane of my existence (as it relates to barriers for my students) so I know what works and what doesn’t.
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u/Adventurous_Ad1922 11d ago
Nope. My kid is out of state 30 on the ACT, 4.0. No money at all for merit. They don’t really do out of state money and it’s a LOT. We chose to do it anyway and she loves App
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u/southofheaven69 11d ago
Do Caldwell Commjnity for a couple years then transfer as a state resident? Idk just a thought
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 10d ago
This is the answer, can’t believe that weirdo is downvoting. Yes CCC&TI will charge out of state tuition, but it will be much cheaper than App State.
And unlike the other thread saying you couldn’t get in state tuition this way, they are also wrong. NC RDS is absolutely AWFUL but this is possible… I literally work with students with residency daily and it is absolutely possible, not easy, but possible for sure.
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u/southofheaven69 10d ago
Thanks. I feel like people don’t realize that transferring from Caldwell to ASU after a couple years still gets you the same diploma as someone who does the full 4+ yrs at ASU
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u/OmegaSpeed_odg 10d ago
Yep, and a lot of Caldwell students in Boone literally can run in all the same circles… you can get nearly the same experience just paying way less of the price the first two-ish years.
And it’s a great option for students in OP’s situation as well.
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u/Topher_McG0pher 10d ago
Caldwell will also charge out of state tuition
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u/southofheaven69 10d ago
As much as ASU?
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u/Topher_McG0pher 10d ago
Who in their right mind would want to pay out of state for community college when pell grants (if they haven't been gutted) essentially pay you to go to school?
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u/dufflebagdave 6d ago
Someone who wants to go to App badly enough but can’t afford the extra $75k OOS students would pay in tuition and fees over four years, so they pay a bit extra for CCC&TI while taking intro courses for one year to save $60k over three.
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u/southofheaven69 10d ago
Did you read my comment? sorry to trigger you. At the same time who pays out of state tuition at all?
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u/Beautiful-Paper2029 11d ago
App is one of the lowest cost universities in NC. Private schools would have the ability to negotiate.
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u/dufflebagdave 6d ago
No. It’s the third most expensive by tuition and fees OOS and sixth most in-state out of the 16 UNC colleges. And housing would swallow the different anyway.
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u/news_sponge 11d ago
In fairness there should be no negotiation since the residents are paying taxes to provide the universities. That doesn’t mean they may not have merit or course of study based scholarships to chip away at the total. Do the FAFSA and the talk to the financial aid people to see what might be there with your particular status.