High School Students' Accuracy in Estimating the Cost of College: Student Characteristics and Postsecondary Plans

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: College Costs: Balancing Savings and Debt

Abstract

The cost of college tuition has gained the attention of policymakers, education researchers and practitioners, and students and their parents. However, little is understood of how high school students acquire information about the cost of college and specifically how accurately they estimate the cost of college (AECC). This study utilized the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) data, of over 11,000 high school students throughout the nation, to examine their AECC of 4-year public and private postsecondary education. Findings reveal students overwhelmingly overestimate the cost of college, especially that of 4-year public postsecondary education. Analyses examine associations among variables such as racial/ethnic group, gender, socioeconomic status, and postsecondary education enrollment plans and how these variables predict students’ AECC.

Authors

• H. Kenny Nienhusser, University of Hartford

• Toko Oshio, University of Michigan - Flint