Deciding whether to attend an in-state or out-of-state college is a monumental decision for many students. Several factors must be considered, such as how far from home one is willing to go and the variance in tuition costs. There are some 2,691 four-year colleges in the United States, about 150 of which are located in Pennsylvania. There are many options for seniors when picking a college which can make it difficult to feel secure in their choice and to be confident that the right decision is being made. Attending college out-of-state can present various challenges, one of which is increased tuition costs.
Senior Katie Davis plans to start her education at the University of Pittsburgh in the Fall of 2025. She plans to major in Chemistry and minor in Computer Science.
“I knew I wanted to do something STEM-related. Mrs. Frazee’s AP Chem helped me figure that out, and I also really enjoyed AP Java from Mrs. Sirianni; so that got me into Computer Science,” commented Davis.
The average tuition cost in Pennsylvania is $52,000 for a four-year education, while the average out-of-state tuition is about $94,000. These costs continue to rise by three to five percent each year. Out-of-state tuition for Pitt can cost upwards of $35,000; however, Davis’ education will be considerably cheaper, around $21,500, because she lives in Pennsylvania.
Davis added, “Lower tuition was a big part of my choice, and I feel so much safer being close to home. But with being in Pittsburgh, I can still get the out-of-state feeling. It’s a nice meet-me-in-the-middle type of thing.”
Another issue that many students who plan to go out-of-state for college have to deal with is the lengthy travel time back home. Some may have to take plane rides or long car rides to get back home over holidays and breaks.
Davis doesn’t have to deal with this since Pitt is only about a 40-minute drive from Washington: “It’s going to be super easy to go home on the weekends. I’m not going to have a car on campus, so I’ll probably take the T (Pittsburgh’s light rail system) home and get picked up.”
When choosing which colleges to apply to and, eventually, which school to attend if accepted into more than one, a good thing to keep in mind is to choose a school with nice campus life, lots of fun activities and various opportunities for students.
Pitt is no different: “I just love Pittsburgh; I really love the campus, and there are going to be so many opportunities and career choices for me there. I knew I wanted to go to a larger college or university, and Pitt met that requirement for me. Resident life also seems very reasonable,” said Davis.
Contrary to Davis, Trinity senior Emily Tuite is going to continue her education out-of-state at the University of Maryland (UMD). She will major and minor in Psychology and Criminology, respectively. UMD is ranked #15 in the U.S. for psychology and #1 for its Criminology Program.
Out-of-state tuition for UMD can cost upwards of $40,000, so Tuite can expect to pay a pretty penny for her education.
She added, “Being out-of-state is a lot more expensive. It’s about four hours away, and Penn State is about three hours, so it’s not terribly far. Traffic is rough there; it’s right outside of D.C., so lengthy commutes.”
Tuite’s sister, Trinity alumna Ashleigh Tuite, goes to Penn State and will pick her up from UMD to take her home over breaks and any other times that she would need to get home.
Many factors play into the choice of what college to go to: “I’m very happy with my choice. I have already started talking to a bunch of different people, and the atmosphere seems great; it is a very pretty campus. I think four hours is a nice distance,” mentioned Tuite.
Other aspects, beyond academics, can also influence the decision, such as campus life, as with Davis, or even the college’s sports teams.
“I also wanted a school with good sports, I really enjoy watching football and hockey and wanted to be not in a small town but also not in a big city,” said Tuite.
Similar to Tuite, senior E.J. Polito plans to attend Ohio University in Athens, OH, where he will be majoring in Accounting and minoring in Finance. Out-of-state tuition for OU can exceed $25,000, and it is about two-and-a-half hours away from Washington.
Polito added, “It’s not too bad, only about two hours away. It’s for sure higher tuition than if I were to go in-state, but it will be a whole new experience since it’s in a whole new state. I chose Ohio University because I wanted a new experience and mainly just to get out of PA.”
Sometimes, it can be beneficial for students to choose a college where they already know people. This can make it easier to make friends and get to know others around campus.
“Some people I know already go to OU, and they do not regret going there at all,” remarked Polito.
There are numerous options for furthering one’s education, and many factors must be considered when making this important decision. Trinity wishes luck to all students, whether they are going in-state or out-of-state.
