MM's FINAL net college costs:

$43,242 Tuition/fees** (4 Years)

+$11,589 5th Year Tuition/Fees 

+      644 Misc. Fees & Supplies

-10,506  Tax credits 

-19,642  CA middle class grants 

-  7,500  Scholarships

---------

$17,827 Net Tuition cost  

**Includes $1K for one summer school class

Side note: MM(23) only got that 4th year middle class grant because he added a double major and extended another year.  Net tuition costs would have been about the same, for 4 or 5 college years.

I also went back and added misc. fees.  There was an up front orientation fee ($275) for their very involved week-long orientation.  & I paid some supplies for classes (mostly lab supplies) and a couple of book purchases.  MM(22) might have covered some smaller purchases along the way.

When I went to college, books cost about as much as tuition did.  I don't know how much of it is their particular degrees or the public colleges being more sensitive about affordability.  I know that TM(21) has had to buy a couple of books for a Korean class, but it's the only purchase I have seen come through his credit card.  I felt like both kids bought scan trons or blue books their first year and then just never bought after that.  (Found a cheaper place to buy?  Or found somewhere for free?)  IIRC, they dutifully bought some of this stuff Freshman year.  Maybe they just found they didn't really need to buy these items.

Anyway, rounding up, will just call this an $18K degree.  Is what I will say when it comes up in conversation.

I am still waiting for MM(23) to sort out his housing deposit, utilities, etc.  Now that he has a job, I think I am just going to let it go.  I would have taken any utility reimbursements he got from his roommates (since I already reimbursed 100% of what he paid) and the housing deposit he owes back to me.  But I may just let it go and remove myself from his accounts.  I was just staying on while I was sending him rent monthly.  I don't expect as many reimbursements between us, going forward.  Will switch to Zelle or Venmo.  Anyway, will give it a few weeks and then will do a final wrap up of how college housing costs sorted out. 

Let's just say that MM's salary is more than the cost of his tuition and college housing (~$60,000 over 5 years).  The rest of his college expenses were incidental.  Nothing worth noting.  & don't get me wrong, the colleges estimate large amounts of expenses for travel, misc., and things like that.  We found these numbers to be very high in comparison to our frugal tendencies.  MM(23) just rode a bike and took the free bus while living there, things like that.  I'd say that 90% of the time he spent $0 traveling back and forth from school.  I maybe bought him one plane ticket ($100) and a couple of train tickets ($100 per trip).