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In 2023-2024, the average cost of attendance for full-time undergraduate students living on campus at four-year institutions was as follows:

•   Private nonprofit institutions: $60,420

•   Public four-year, out-of-state institutions: $46,730

•   Public four-year, in-state institutions: $28,840

Multiply that amount by at least four years, and you’re looking at a sizable investment in your future. But why is college so expensive, exactly?

Keep reading to learn five reasons why college is so expensive, what contributes to the rising cost of college, efforts to control costs, and more.

Factors Contributing to Rising College Costs

Several factors contribute to rising college costs, including faculty salaries and benefits, campus facility construction and maintenance, student services and amenities, administrative costs, and technology integration. We’ll dive into the details of each of these.

Increase in Faculty Salaries and Benefits

Faculty salaries increased an average of 4% between 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, which was a fairly substantial increase.

Faculty also receive benefits like employer contributions to retirement plans and health insurance, college tuition, Social Security contributions, disability income protection, unemployment insurance, group life insurance, workers’ compensation premiums, on-campus parking, and fringe benefits, like athletic event tickets. Non-salary benefits can amount to up to one-quarter of faculty member compensation.

Recommended: How to Pay for College

Construction and Maintenance of Campus Facilities

Studies have found that prospective students reach their decisions within the first ten minutes of walking on campus. Therefore, campuses must do more than just satisfy the basic needs of their students. They must convey emotion, create positive reactions, and offer “extras,” like aesthetics, all of which results in high construction costs to create a lasting positive environment for faculty, staff, and students, which can include:

•   Code requirements, including stair towers, fire-rated corridors, fireproofing, fire alarm systems, sprinklers, and more.

•   Legislative mandates related to the ADA, EPA, OSHA, and ASHRAE, which dictate accessibility, dust control, occupancy, ventilation, air filtration, and more.

•   Institutional requirements, like minimal disruption to campus life, job site cleanliness, limiting noise, complex phasing-in schemes, and more.

•   Short timelines that protect athletic event schedules, residence hall occupancy, and other conditions.

•   State-of-the-art facilities, such as high-occupancy performance and athletic venues, technology-infused learning environments, and highly functional classrooms, labs, meeting rooms, offices, and other complex mechanical systems.

•   Higher-quality finishes, including hardware, carpets, flooring, restroom fixtures, and more to maintain durability.

•   Sustainability requirements, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) metrics based on campus sustainability commitments.

•   Technological advances and other additions, such as hearing loops in public assembly spaces, gender-neutral restrooms, prayer rooms, locking systems, security cameras, motion sensors, and more.

Many smaller pieces go into creating a great environment for students now and into the future.

Student Services and Amenities

Student services programs create an additional expense. These programs support students in overcoming barriers, including underrepresented groups, first-generation or low-income students, those with limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities or learning differences. Services can include:

•   On-campus events and workshops

•   Guest speakers

•   Tutoring services

•   Academic resources, including those in the library

•   Technology rentals

•   Career services

•   Academic advising

•   Mental and physical health services

•   Transportation

College costs may also go up due to various amenities on campuses, which can include extravagant campus gyms with lazy rivers, whirlpools, and saunas; fancy student unions and dining options; movie theaters, arcades, ski resorts, swanky condo-like residence halls, and more.

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Administrative Costs and Staffing

Administrative costs and staffing are another reason why U.S. colleges are so expensive. Administrative costs refer to institutional support for those who operate the day-to-day functions of the institution, which could include the following:

•   Executive management

•   Legal department

•   Fiscal operations

•   Public relations

•   Development office

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni survey found the following per-student administrative costs:

•   Oklahoma: $1,970

•   Hawaii: $2,230

•   Tennessee: $2,450

•   New Jersey: $4,982

•   Alaska: $6,224

•   Wyoming: $7,830

Colleges and universities must also cover auxiliary expenses (including parking facilities, housing, and food services).

Cost of Technology Integration

The pandemic increased the costs of student information systems after declining in previous decades. A large university with 20,000 or more full-time students might spend between $30 million and $100 million during the first five years of a new system.

Naturally, the cost of implementation depends on a few factors, including:

•   School size

•   Data processing

•   Hiring requirements to manage the technology

•   Data migration and implementation

•   Customization preferences

•   Third-party integrations

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Role of State Funding Cuts

State funding cuts for higher education are a key factor in rising college costs. While state appropriations for colleges saw overall gains year over year, 28 states have in fact cut their support for higher education.

As states reduce financial support for public universities, institutions raise tuition to cover budget shortfalls. This shift places more of the financial burden on students, contributing significantly to the overall expense of college.

Additional Expenses for Students

Students also pay for additional expenses, such as the costs of living on campus, textbooks, course materials, and tuition increases. We’ll walk through each cost below.

Recommended: What Is the Cost of Attendance in College?

Cost of Housing and Living

Housing and living costs vary depending on whether you choose to live on or off campus. Here are the differences between living off-campus versus on-campus:

•   Off-campus: The median monthly cost of rent surpassed $2,000, and the average college-aged male spends an average $374.10 per month on food. Don’t forget to factor in transportation, utilities, internet, and furniture to get the full costs of living off campus.

•   On-campus: The average cost of housing and food for full-time undergraduates at a public two-year in-district college was $9,970. On average, it also cost $12,770 for both public four-year in-state and out-of-state institutions and $14,650 for private, nonprofit four-year institutions.

Ultimately, you may pay far more for on-campus housing, but consider the tradeoff between living on campus vs living off campus. Living off campus can have its disadvantages, despite the cost savings.

Textbooks and Course Materials

Unfortunately, textbooks and course materials have gone up dramatically over the past two decades. Textbook costs have increased 162%. Students paid the most at public two-year colleges ($1,470) versus at public and private four-year colleges ($1,250).

Students might also avoid buying course materials due to these steep prices and might even choose different classes based on high textbook or supply costs.

Tuition and Fee Increases Year-Over-Year

Tuition and fees usually increase from year to year, and scholarships often don’t increase to match.

The average 2023-2024 tuition and fees for college students increased by the following percentages for full-time students:

•   Public four-year colleges for in-state students: 2.5%, for an average of $11,260

•   Public four-year colleges for out-of-state students: 3%, for an average of $29,150

•   Public two-year colleges (in district): 2.6%, for an average of $3,990

•   Private nonprofit four-year colleges: 4%, for an average of $41,540

There’s nothing students can do to change the tuition increases, so you must learn other ways to compensate, including applying for more scholarships or having parents pay more.

Recommended: Paying for College: A Parent’s Guide

Efforts to Control College Costs

The government has attempted efforts to control college costs. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed the College Cost Reduction Act to change college costs for the better by adjusting the student loan and Pell Grant programs. The bill would save students at least $150 billion over a decade.

In addition, colleges themselves have tried to slow down the cost increases. However, many colleges say they can no longer afford to cut costs due to inflation (food, services, labor, and more). Therefore, many colleges use third-party consultants to identify where they can cut costs, including looking deep into their institutional operations.

The Long-Term Impact of High Costs

Many colleges have begun to see the long-term impact of high costs, including overall decreased enrollment. The U.S. has seen a waning public belief in the importance of college.

In an Edge Research survey of 1,700 high school juniors and seniors and more than 3,100 non-enrolled adults aged 18 to 30, the majority of respondents still see the benefits of college. However, compared to results from last year, the rate of perceived importance has gone down by as much as six percentage points. Adults not currently enrolled in college were less likely to believe in the benefits of college than high schoolers.

The Takeaway

Asking why colleges are so expensive opens up a whole Pandora’s box of reasons — it’s impossible to pinpoint just one. College administrative offices must work hard to balance and manage costs.

Unfortunately, families bear the brunt of the costs, but learning how to pay for college can go a long way in helping you understand what to do. Options for paying for college include cash savings, scholarships, grants, and federal and private student loans. Federal loans should be pursued first, as they come with federal benefits, protections, and income-driven repayment plans.

If you’ve exhausted all federal student aid options, no-fee private student loans from SoFi can help you pay for school. The online application process is easy, and you can see rates and terms in just minutes. Repayment plans are flexible, so you can find an option that works for your financial plan and budget.

FAQ

What is the most expensive part of going to college?

Tuition, the price you pay for teaching or instruction from a college or university, is the most expensive part of going to college. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of tuition at a public, four-year institution is $9,750. At a four-year out-of-state institution, students spend an average of $28,386 on tuition, and at a four-year nonprofit private institution, that number averages $38,421.

Why do private colleges cost more than public?

Private colleges cost more than public universities because they rely on donations, an endowment, and tuition to keep them running. However, most private colleges offer generous financial aid awards for students to bring costs down. Public institutions, on the other hand, rely on state government funding, which can help alleviate the cost burden for families.

How can students reduce the cost of college?

Students can reduce college costs by applying for merit-based and institutional scholarships and by looking for other types of aid, such as grants. Scholarships and grants are free money that you don’t have to repay, unlike loans, which you do need to repay after you graduate.

Students can also look into jobs that pay for your degree, which offer a huge benefit because some jobs will completely take care of your tuition bill.

Are online degrees a cheaper alternative?

Online degrees can be a cheaper option, but it’s important to figure out what kind of college experience you’re looking for. Getting an online degree is a vastly different experience from attending college in person. Therefore, sometimes it’s worth paying extra to get the experience you desire, rather than just “getting through college.”

Photo credit: iStock/Ibrahim Akcengiz

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SOISL-Q324-032

It’s pretty easy to rollover your old 401(k) retirement savings to an individual retirement account (IRA), a new 401(k), or another option — yet millions of workers either forget to rollover their hard-won retirement savings, or they lose track of the accounts. Given that a 401(k) rollover typically takes minimal time and, these days, minimal paperwork, it makes sense to know the basics so you can rescue your 401(k), roll it over to a new account, and add to your future financial security.

Whether you’re starting a new job and need to roll over your 401(k), or are looking at what other options are available to you, here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

401(k) Rollover Options

For workers who have a 401(k) and are considering next steps for those retirement funds — such as rolling them to an IRA or another 401(k), here are some potential avenues.

1. Roll Over Money to a New 401(k) Plan

If your new job offers a 401(k) or similar plan, rolling your old 401(k) funds into your new 401(k) account may be both the simplest and best option — and the one least likely to lead to a tax headache.

That said, how you go about the rollover has a pretty major impact on how much effort and paperwork is involved, which is why it’s important to understand the difference between direct and indirect transfers.

Here are the two main options you’ll have if you’re moving your 401(k) funds from one company-sponsored retirement account to another.

Direct Rollover

A direct transfer, or direct rollover, is exactly what it sounds like: The money moves directly from your old account to the new one. In other words, you never have access to the money, which means you don’t have to worry about any tax withholdings or other liabilities.

Depending on your account custodian(s), this transfer may all be done digitally via ACH transfer, or you may receive a paper check made payable to the new account. Either way, this is considered the simplest option, and one that keeps your retirement fund intact and growing with the least possible interruption.

Indirect Rollover

Another viable, but more complex, option, is to do an indirect transfer or rollover, in which you cash out the account with the expressed intent of immediately reinvesting it into another retirement fund, whether that’s your new company’s 401(k) or an IRA (see above).

But here’s the tricky part: Since you’ll actually have the cash in hand, the government requires your account custodian to withhold a mandatory 20% tax. And although you’ll get that 20% back in the form of a tax exemption later, you do have to make up the 20% out of pocket and deposit the full amount into your new retirement account within 60 days.

For example, say you have $50,000 in your old 401(k). If you elected to do an indirect transfer, your custodian would cut you a check for only $40,000, thanks to the mandatory 20% tax withholding.

But in order to avoid fees and penalties, you’d still need to deposit the full $50,000 into your new retirement account, including $10,000 out of your own pocket. In addition, if you retain any funds from the rollover, they may be subject to an additional 10% penalty for early withdrawal.

Pros and Cons of Rolling Over to a New 401(k)

With all of that in mind, rolling over your money into a new 401(k) has some pros and cons:

2. Roll Over Your 401(k) to an IRA

If your new job doesn’t offer a 401(k) or other company-sponsored account like a 403(b), you still have options that’ll keep you from bearing a heavy tax burden. Namely, you can roll your 401(k) into an IRA.

The entire procedure essentially boils down to three steps:

1. Open a new IRA that will accept rollover funds.

2. Contact the company that currently holds your 401(k) funds and fill out their transfer forms using the account information of your newly opened IRA. You should receive essential information about your benefits when you leave your current position. If you’ve lost track of that information, you can contact the plan sponsor or the company HR department.

3. Once your money is transferred, you can reinvest the money as you see fit. Or you can hire an advisor to help you set up your new portfolio. It also may be possible to resume making deposits/contributions to your rollover IRA.

Pros and Cons of Rolling Over to an IRA

This option also has its pros and cons, however.

3. Leave Your 401(k) With Your Former Employer

Leaving your 401(k) be – or, with your former employer – is also an option.

If you’re happy with your portfolio mix and you have a substantial amount of cash stashed in there already, it might behoove you to leave your 401(k) where it is.

You’ll also want to dig into the details and determine how much control you’ll have over the account, and how much your former employer might.

You might also consider any additional fees you might end up paying if you leave your 401(k) where it is. Plus, racking up multiple 401(k)s as you change jobs could lead to a more complicated withdrawal schedule at retirement.

Pros and Cons of Leaving Your 401(k) Alone

4. Cash Out Your Old 401(k)

Cashing out, or liquidating your old 401(k) is another option. But there are some stipulations investors should be aware of.

Because a 401(k) is an investment account designed specifically for retirement, and comes with certain tax benefits — e.g. you don’t pay any tax on the money you contribute to your 401(k), depending on the specific type — the account is also subject to strict rules regarding when you can actually access the money, and the tax you’d owe when you did.

Specifically, if you take out or borrow money from your 401(k) before age 59 ½, you’ll likely be subject to an additional 10% tax penalty on the full amount of your withdrawal — and that’s on top of the regular income taxes you’ll also be obligated to pay on the money.

Depending on your income tax bracket, that means an early withdrawal from your 401(k) could really cost you, not to mention possibly leaving you without a nest egg to help secure your future.

This is why most financial professionals generally recommend one of the next two options: rolling your account over into a new 401(k), or an IRA if your new job doesn’t offer a 401(k) plan.

Pros and Cons of Cashing Out Your 401(k)

When Is a Good Time to Roll Over a 401(k)?

If there’s a good time to roll over your 401(k), it’s when you change jobs and have the chance to enroll in your new employer’s plan. But you can generally do a rollover any time.

That said, if you have a low balance in your 401(k) account — for example, less than $5,000 — your employer might require you to do a rollover. And if you have a balance lower than $1,000, your employer may have the right to cash it out without your approval. Be sure to check the exact terms with your employer.

When you receive funds from a 401(k) or IRA account, such as with an indirect transfer, you’ll only have 60 days from the date you receive them to then roll them over into a new qualified plan. If you wait longer than 60 days to deposit the money, it will trigger tax consequences, and possibly a penalty. In addition, only one rollover to or from the same IRA plan is allowed per year.

The Takeaway

Rolling over your 401(k) — to a new employer’s plan, or to an IRA — gives you more control over your retirement funds, and could also give you more investment choices. It’s not difficult to rollover your 401(k), and doing so can offer you a number of advantages. First of all, when you leave a job you may lose certain benefits and terms that applied to your 401(k) while you were an employee. Once you move on, you may pay more in account fees for that account, and you will likely lose the ability to keep contributing to your account.

There are some instances where you may not want to do a rollover, for instance when you own a lot of your old company’s stock, so be sure to think through your options.

Ready to invest for your retirement? It’s easy to get started when you open a traditional or Roth IRA with SoFi. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

FAQ

How can you roll over a 401(k)?

It’s fairly easy to roll over a 401(k). First decide where you want to open your rollover account, then contact your old plan’s administrator, or your former HR department. They typically send funds to the new institution directly via an ACH transfer or a check.

What options are available for rolling over a 401(k)?

There are several options for rolling over a 401(k), including transferring your savings to a traditional IRA, or to the 401(k) at your new job. You can also leave the account where it is, although this may incur additional fees. It’s generally not advisable to cash out a 401(k), as replacing that retirement money could be challenging.

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