In state tuition fees for out of state students?

February 20, 2008 6:58 AM

College tuition fees for out-of-state students question. Before I go to my sons high school counselors and chat to them about this, I am hoping the collective MeFi mind can confirm I have all my facts correct.

My son is a high school junior and we are now in the midst of looking at how he can pursue a career in the field of Photo Journalism. In our home state (Virginia) there are Journalism schools, but none that offer a major in Photo Journalism although there are out-of-state schools where he can take it as his major.

I have been told by friends that you can sometimes apply for in-state tuition rates if the major being taken is not offered by any schools in your home state. Is this correct? We are planning to meet with his career counselor in the near future and want to bring this up as a possibility before we start the application process. Thanks.

posted by worker_bee to education (13 comments total)

That would be more of a question you would ask the institution you are trying to get into out of state. I have worked in higher ed for many years and I am not aware of any blanket policy. However, there are often tons of scholarships available for kids, so your son should focus on producing the best portfolio of his work that he can and applying for any and all scholarships both on his own and through the schools. There are many scholarships out there for $500 or $1000 that most people bypass because they are focusing on the bigger scholarships. Well, more people apply for the $10,000 scholarships, the competition is fiercer and meanwhile you might be able to rack up several smaller awards that will make a serious dent in the tuition. Look at regional businesses, banks, your Chamber of Commerce, the local newspaper, etc. for scholarship opportunities. Locally awarded scholarships are usually good at any school. Be very proactive, don't rely on the high school personnel to be in touch with current trends or scholarship opportunities. They have a lot of kids to serve and probably are only familiar with the big meaty ones everyone goes for. You have to do your own searching and don't pay any service to do that for you. Good luck!
posted by 45moore45 at 7:08 AM on February 20, 2008

As a alumnus of an out-of-state school, I can tell you that I have looked high and low, but NEVER heard of that actually being implemented.

I have heard of it...kinda like I have heard about getting a 4.0 if your roommate dies; urban myth.

BUT, if you are trying to get in-state tuition, you want to look up residency policies for states schools.

My state school had about 25-33% out of state students, so they protected their residency policies like crazy. Other states, I learned (from actual students) had policies where upperclassmen (soph and higher) could become residents after a year.

Look into residency policies...but I have never heard of a frosh from out of state getting residency status.

Good luck, and if you find something contrary to this, PLEASE inform me.
posted by hal_c_on at 7:26 AM on February 20, 2008

Virginia is part of the SREB common market. I think that some of my classmates (from WV) received in-state tuition for programs at UTK using this.
posted by deeaytch at 7:36 AM on February 20, 2008

Following from deeaytch's link, I found this list of Academic Common Market programs available to Virginians. Looks like photojournalism is on the list, and is offered by Western Kentucky University.
posted by zsazsa at 7:47 AM on February 20, 2008

All the scholarship advice is good. I have never heard of this "if the state school doesn't have the major you can pay in-state tuition out of state thing." Also, I might imagine that, even if there is no "photo journalism" major at any Virginia schools, I would be surprised if there are not programs at some of the schools that prepare students for that career path. Say, majors in photography and journalism. I would look into that more before you decide to go out of state. The guidance counselors (assuming that they are well-informed and good at their jobs) and the resources at the universities themselves are going to be good resources for answering those questions.

The states all have different residency policies. The generally fall into three categories:

1 - You are never going to get in-state tuition here if you haven't been here for years (like Michigan, I think).

2 - You can get in-state tuition, but you probably need to move there and live there for a year or so before going to school there (like California, I think).

3 - You can get in-state tuition after going to school there for a year or other period as long as you jump through the right hoops (like Minnesota, I think).

Some states also have reciprocity with other states, such that residents of the states can all go to school at the other states' school for in-state tuition (or sometimes even the in-state tuition of their own state). I think that Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota have this; I think that there are other states that do it, too.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 7:47 AM on February 20, 2008

Thanks! All great answers, and the link from zsazsa is invaluable as Western Kentucky is on our top 3 colleges list. This place never, ever fails! We will definitely go the "apply for as many scholarships" as possible route.
posted by worker_bee at 8:14 AM on February 20, 2008

One of my classmates in my biology lab class benefits from this, I believe he is pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering or some supercool jazz like that, and it isn't offered at UMass, so he gets instate tuition rates at UConn.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 10:15 AM on February 20, 2008

UVa's studio art program can be crafted to include extensive photography and film, and there are classes in ethnophotography etc. If he qualifies for Echoles Scholar (which is not that competitive) he's freed of the broad general requirements and would be able to create his own custom major. Since they're in-state and an excellent all-around school, it'd be worth asking and applying. I recall that there's no journalism school, but there might have been progress on that since I left.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 10:26 AM on February 20, 2008

A bit of advice from an academic:
It's great that you are actively looking into this. Do definitely look for the best all-around education he can get for the money, rather than focusing just on a place that offers a photojournalism major. Virginia has some of the best state schools in the country. Many people change their minds once they are in school, and he will want to be sure his school has a wide range of first-rate offerings. Employment as a photojournalist will depend on his portfolio and connections; the major won't make or break it. So a school with a good photography program would probably be good enough, and if it has better overall offerings, and can expose him to a wider range of people (faculty and students), travel, and other experiences, might be a better choice than a place with the p-j major.

Another thing to consider is whether he will do better at a big school or a smaller school. One thought: If he is very self-directed, he will probably be able to take advantage of the great breadth offered by a large school. But if he is tentative, or self-doubting, or prone to getting discouraged, he will probably do better at a smaller school where he is more likely to actually know his profs, where RAs have a better handle on whether people on their hall are feeling down, so can reach out if he hits a rough patch etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:56 AM on February 20, 2008

I'm just throwing this out there because it might be worth considering in the long term:

People in this day and age will, on average, change careers three or four times. This is going to be more true for your son than for you - generation gap in action.

And, honestly, a specific photo journalism degree from, umm, Western Kentucky University vs. a custom major from UVa? I'd assume the UVa degree just has way longer legs. It's also cheaper in-state, so as Robot points out, it might be worth looking harder at that option. To the extent that degrees are relevent at all further down one's career path, it is in my experience, "where did you go" way more than "what did you do?"
posted by DarlingBri at 12:04 PM on February 20, 2008

I'll chime in there to agree that it matters what the perceived reputation of your school is, but also to point out that it matters a lot what connections it gives you -- to alumni, to professional contacts your professors have in industry, to your classmates once they have been out in the world for 10 years or so. Early on in his career, hiring will be based on portfolio and other factors like personal connections, much more so than on major.

Does he know where he wants to be a photog? What kind of photojournalism he wants to do? This might make a difference to where it makes sense to go -- eg more important to go to a big-name school, or a school near Washington for example, if he wants to get into national-level work rather than local-level. (Also he should try to go to a place that will let him travel, do a year abroad etc. A second language and some knowledge of the wide world is a huge asset to a journalist)
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:49 PM on February 20, 2008

In journalism, experience is often more important than what you got your degree in.

Student A: Photojournalism Major
Student B:History Major, 3 photography internships at newspapers

Student B gets the job.
posted by PinkButterfly at 1:47 PM on February 20, 2008

I'm a photographer and was a staffer at a daily newspaper for over 10 years before going freelance in the late 1980's. Out of all of the other professional photojournalists I've met over 30 years, two stand out in terms of their ability work ethic, and financially successful careers.

One graduated from James Madison University. His family paid in-state tuition. He started at small newspapers and was hired at a young age as a (very rare) staff photographer by one of the largest sports publications in the country. He's still there and loves the job.

The other went to work as a wire service stringer while in still in high school in Virginia and got that job by shooting awesome work and being almost unbelievably enthusiastic. By the time he turned 19 he was hired as a staffer by a (very major) east coast metropolitan daily newspaper. He is that rare bird known as a well paid photojournalist, and has been there for many years.

Internships, a great portfolio, a top notch work ethic, the ability to deal with people of all kinds, and a minimal level of whining are arguably the key elements in becoming a professional photojournalist.

The minimal level of whining is at least as important as the other elements.
posted by imjustsaying at 1:49 PM on February 21, 2008