Maryland tuition: affordable or unbearable?

By Jessica Stein on November 18, 2013

After one year at the University of Maryland, sophomore Amy Lieu was forced to drop out and move back home to Fairfax, Va. Like many other out-of-state students, Lieu simply could not scrape together the nearly $42,000 tuition reported on Maryland?s website.

?Maryland is my dream school,? she said with a sad smile. ?But realistically, I would never be able to pay back the loans I?d need to take out to afford it.?

Aerial view of UMD. Picture from Google images.

From the beginning, Lieu knew that Maryland?s tuition was too expensive for her to continue past freshman year. This fall, she began her sophomore year at George Mason University in Virginia, and pays a significantly lower tuition of $9,908 while also saving on room and board costs by commuting.

?Maryland?s out-of-state tuition is nearly triple its in-state tuition and it should be more equally divided,? she said.

?The University is alienating some really talented out-of-state students with these crazy prices.?

Sophomore Meha Upadhyaya was almost one of these alienated out-of-state students.

?I love this school so much that my family made it work, but it wasn?t something we were planning or saving for,? Upadhyaya said.

After accepting her offer of admissions, Upadhyaya began taking out loans and requesting financial aid, but quickly realized these small supplements would not suffice.

?Paying for school is stressful,? she explained. ?I know I?m going to come out of Maryland with a good degree, but the economy is still bad. I don?t want to graduate and find myself in a position where I can?t pay back my loans.?

By graduation, the average Maryland graduate has a debt of $24,180, a 2013 study by Kiplinger Personal Finance Advice reported.

To avoid taking out crushing loans that could land her in debt, Upadhyaya decided to become a Resident Assistant this past fall. As an RA, she now receives free room and board from the University.

?It?s made things manageable,? she said.

This RA program is one way the University has tried to lessen the financial burden for students. Another way, popular among many in-state students, is the free tuition granted to students whose parents teach at Maryland. Though the free tuition excludes room and board, it still made a significant impact on sophomore Laura Froh?s decision to attend Maryland.

?It was just too good to pass up,? she said.

?The job my mom had here?a few years ago didn?t get me free tuition,? she explained. ?But after my sisters and I showed interest in coming to Maryland, she switched jobs to one that would get us free tuition,? Froh said.

The benefits of her mom?s job save her nearly $9,000 per year.

?It?s a great school at a good price,? she said. ?I?m really lucky.?

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