Cost of Attendance and Cheapest DO Schools

[Darkskies]

Hi,
The two most important factors for me in deciding where to go would be the potential debt load and quality of the school. Now regarding this, I understand that schools like LECOM have one of the lowest tuitions for any school but when I looked over their website, it appears that the total cost of attendance is something like 55k or so. In contrast, PCOM is reputation wise a more prestigious school where the tuition is higher but according to what I've heard the total cost of attendance is somewhere in the ballpark of 52k there. How is then LECOM the better choice? Does cost of attendance take into account housing and living expenses? If not, how much more would these factors add in terms of money lost in both Erie and Philadelphia? Thank you very much,
Darkskies

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Lecom is cheap you'll save major cash going here. However the 3rd and 4 year clinical's will be no where as good as Pcom's. Pcom might be expensive, but you have without a doubt many major plus's. Pcom student's are well regarded and known by Philadelphia hospitals and residency programs and Philli is the capital of the medical world.

So in reality you'll be spending more at Pcom, but you'll likely better off in residency matching.

So Lecom's quality is very good and Pcom is good as well. But in the end it all comes down to your 3rd year and 4th year studies which Pcom will be better in and your residency placement which pcom also will likely be better.

 

[christina30]

Well, you could also apply to the state schools, like UMDNJ. Even if you're an out-of-stater, I think after a year of living there, the in-state tuition kicks in. It'll be significantly cheaper for at least half of your run there. Haha

 

[DbDan]

Well, you could also apply to the state schools, like UMDNJ. Even if you're an out-of-stater, I think after a year of living there, the in-state tuition kicks in. It'll be significantly cheaper for at least half of your run there. Haha

Im' pretty sure once you start school you are stuck in the tuition you began with. You must be a resident before school starts to get in-state tuition.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Im' pretty sure once you start school you are stuck in the tuition you began with. You must be a resident before school starts to get in-state tuition.

ohio state university does this. You pay out of state for the first year. Then you start paying in state.

 

[link2swim06]

Lecom is cheap you'll save major cash going here. However the 3rd and 4 year clinical's will be no where as good as Pcom's. Pcom might be expensive, but you have without a doubt many major plus's. Pcom student's are well regarded and known by Philadelphia hospitals and residency programs and Philli is the capital of the medical world.

So in reality you'll be spending more at Pcom, but you'll likely better off in residency matching.

So Lecom's quality is very good and Pcom is good as well. But in the end it all comes down to your 3rd year and 4th year studies which Pcom will be better in and your residency placement which pcom also will likely be better.

Really their match list look pretty similar to me. What evidence do you have that PCOM students are any better off....bc according to their match lists this isn't really the case.

Really think it comes down to the student....not the school.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Really their match list look pretty similar to me. What evidence do you have that PCOM students are any better off....bc according to their match lists this isn't really the case.

Really think it comes down to the student....not the school.

It does indeed come down to the students. However remember match lists do not tell us much information because student's could have all decided to go do less competitive residencies.
However while this might be a open statement. But I believe that a Philadelphia residency director would probably choose a PCOM student since they have been serving the area for a long time. Simply being said the name does have connections.

 

[RELAX11]

Always make sure that you are getting all the fees associated with the com. I have strenuously compared ALL costs of around 9 schools. The cheapest I found were lecom and pikeville college. Pikeville is not a school everyone can get into because it gears towards students in the Appalachian area and thus has lower admission standards in doing so. Pikeville includes all books, all needed instruments, omm table, laptop, all fees, Kaplan prep course, and many other stuff that many schools do not include like lecom. Overall this came to about 50k at pcsom with cost of living and EVERYTHING. Don't underestimate the fees and extra stuff. I sure did at my school and it came out far more than pcsom and lecom. That is just my research from about the eastern do schools.

 

[Cheshyre]

Im' pretty sure once you start school you are stuck in the tuition you began with. You must be a resident before school starts to get in-state tuition.

It's up in the air as far as I know. Up until last year it was true that you could gain in-state tuition after being at UMDNJSOM for one year. I know they want to raise tuition and perhaps get rid of this OOS to in state status change, but I'm not sure if it's happened.

 

[link2swim06]

It does indeed come down to the students. However remember match lists do not tell us much information because student's could have all decided to go do less competitive residencies.
However while this might be a open statement. But I believe that a Philadelphia residency director would probably choose a PCOM student since they have been serving the area for a long time. Simply being said the name does have connections.

While this my be quantifiable in Philadelphia, the only other quantifiable item I have seen is the match lists. Which shows no different...hence why I don't think I will be at a disadvantage as a future LECOM student in terms of nationwide residency placement.

 

[christina30]

Im' pretty sure once you start school you are stuck in the tuition you began with. You must be a resident before school starts to get in-state tuition.

I know a lot of people who've done this at UMDNJ, both with their MD and DO programs. Once you've lived in the state for a year, you're officially astate resident, so I don't see why not.

 

[donkeykong1]

so lately i've been looking at the different rotation sites offered by LECOM and PCOM. i came to the conclusion that PCOM might have a slight edge but even then its pretty comparable. imo most private DO schools have 1 or 2 [maybe a bit more] top notch sites which are usually large university hospitals and a ton of small community hospitals which can be a good or bad thing. Examples of these great rotation sites:

PCOM has Geisinger and some UPMC branches if i'm not mistaken

LECOM has a number of UPMC branches and their own community hospital which provides in house residencies and fellowships although people seem to put this place in a bad corner recently.

NYCOM has North Shore LIJ-from the experience i had with rotating MD students here, i can tell its a great site. then again, you also have a ton of small sites as well. Nassau med is a relatively small place filled with Stony brook med students.

i think the same can be said with western U, and other schools. schools like umdnj, osucom, oucom, untcom certainly have the edge in this regard. for me being an out of stater at such schools, when considering private schools, cost would be my primary concern, thus making LECOM-erie an attractive option.

i am just beginning to research rotation sites, so if anybody can correct me here it would be greatly appreciated

 

[donkeykong1]

i've never heard this before. is this true?

 

[nanaschool2000]

I heard the samething that elftown heard. However, you are not going to face any problem w/ clinical rotation during your 3rd and 4th year by attending LECOM. Remember. LECOM is the only osteopathic school that has its own teaching hospital. On top of that, LECOM-B had a 100% COMPLEX passing rate last year.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong w/ either PCOM or LECOM. Both institutions are currently producing outstanding osteopathic physicians. It comes down to how much efforts the student puts in

 

[jphwki82]

Im' pretty sure once you start school you are stuck in the tuition you began with. You must be a resident before school starts to get in-state tuition.

I know MSUCOM does not do this. In order to gain in state tuition, you need to be employed in state for a year, and not attending MSU. In other words, unless you are willing to defer your attendance for a year, you are stuck at the OOS. This was according to financial aide. Can't speak for the other schools though. On a random not, I think the Air/Army Nat. Gaurd tuition assistance programs can get OOS tuition knocked down to IS. Not a 100% sure though.

 

[pyropig]

Dude, if no one else is going to say it than I will, quit beig such a penny pincher this is your life and selling your self short to save a thousand dollars is ******ed. Now if were talking a 10 grand a year savings than that's a huge difference that should be considered. You're talking $3,000 per year difference, that's a ridiculously small amount of money, a literal drop onthe bucket of you debt for a medical education. When were talking much small differences almost every other factor of consideration should trump such meager savings in your decision.

 

[illegallysmooth]

i've never heard this before. is this true?

Yes. Some students have said this is a positive thing, because the affiliated hospitals WANT to take students and have a better attitude toward them. I don't think there's any way to know if this is true though.

 

[donkeykong1]

when comparing LECOM to the nycom/pcoms of the world. how is this a difference of 3k per year. isnt it more like 10k difference a year for 4 yrs which amounts to a saving of 40k. are u seeing something im not taking notice of. please explain

furthermore the matchlists speak for themselves. i dont see any difference between residency matches between the 2 schools.

sure PCOM might have a great reputation, but i think this is mostly confined to PA and the greater philly area, imo a residency director at some place like cali i think would not be familiar with PCOM but might be familiar with western. the same can be said with other PRIVATE DO schools. in summary i think since there are no formal DO rankings we cannot say that since one school has been there longer this would mean that residency directors will look at one school more favorably than another. that said, you can see why cost is a huge issue for people that didnt get into their state schools or top 10 private schools.

 

[donkeykong1]

has anyone actually called up LECOM and asked if they pay for their sites? not sure if that would be appropriate.

from their website i got the impression that their sites are legit as they have LECOM faculty contact numbers listed on their affiliated sites' website.

 

[illegallysmooth]

has anyone actually called up LECOM and asked if they pay for their sites? not sure if that would be appropriate.

from their website i got the impression that their sites are legit as they have LECOM faculty contact numbers listed on their affiliated sites' website.

I don't really see why anyone would care enough to do that. What do you mean by "legit?"

 

[donkeykong1]

from the fact that some say lecom doesnt pay for their sites i got the impression that legitimacy of these sites in terms of providing rotations for lecom students would be questioned year to year.

this is the first time i'm hearing abot this is regards to lecom. you normally hear this stuff in reference to carib schools, which are a totally different story altogether.

 

[illegallysmooth]

from the fact that some say lecom doesnt pay for their sites i got the impression that legitimacy of these sites in terms of providing rotations for lecom students would be questioned year to year.

this is the first time i'm hearing abot this is regards to lecom. you normally hear this stuff in reference to carib schools, which are a totally different story altogether.

I think you're a little confused about what this means.

The fact that the school doesn't pay hospitals to take third year students simply means that the hospitals agree to take the students without compensation. Some say this means the staff at the hospitals actually WANTS to teach students. I don't understand how you associate this with the "legitimacy" of the rotations.

If a school had a hard time getting a hospital to take their students, does it not follow they would have to pay or pay more? I also don't understand why you think you'd hear about hospitals taking carib students for free. Would it not follow that carib schools would be more likely to have to pay for clinical affiliations?

EDIT: from a LECOM thread-
"...LECOM says that they don't believe that it follows the osteopathic principles to pay for rotation slots. Thus, we get whomever is willing to take us on for free. Most other schools pay for their slots, including most osteopathic schools."

 

[donkeykong1]

thanx bro, that cleared some things up.

 

[illegallysmooth]

thanx bro, that cleared some things up.

Good, I was starting to get confused about it too. I think it all depends on perspective. It "sounds" like bad thing, but when you think about it, hospitals should WANT to take med students if they value the students and want to teach. The only negative aspect I see is that there will likely be a little less stability from year to year in terms of rotation sites.

Anyway, love your avatar. BB

 

[donkeykong1]

yeah it was weird at first. but in the end, based on prior matchlists i think we can all agree that LECOM has been doing something right for more than a decade, which makes it a great value for the tuition price~going back to the topic raised by OP.

BB rocks the house

 

[marshds]

LECOM is the only osteopathic school that has its own teaching hospital

Not true

 

[christina30]

hello, UMDNJ has MORE THAN ONE.

 

[Lewist02]

I have a few friends who attend LECOM. They said that LECOM doesn't pay for rotation sites in an effort to maintain low tuition, which puts them at a slight disadvantage for their rotation sites (not as many, and the majority of them are in the PA, NY area, and the ones further out are more difficult to be placed into due to the lottery), but they said all in all they are happy with the sites they were placed at.

As far as reputation, LECOM does have a good reputation although it may not be as well known as PCOM in the non-Osteopathic world. However, this is only opinion, no matter who you talk to. IMO, from what I have witnessed from shadowing and internships, all of the Doctors I talked with knew of PCOM and had great things to say their students (Obviously Doctors from PA, NJ, MD know about PCOM), including Doctors from Florida, Chicago, and Boston. Only all of the ones from PA knew about LECOM, some from NY and NJ knew about LECOM, and none from outside the area. HOWEVER ------ reputation will only help you in networking yourselves in certain areas of the country. If you want to be on the East Coast, PCOM will definitely help. If you want to practice in PA, LECOM or PCOM both have amazing reputations.

Lastly -- as far as the 100% pass rate. The students I talked to said that LECOM screens you before taking the test, so if you aren't prepared, you don't take it. Also - for LECOM-Erie, Dr. Moore said that the 100% pass rate included students that had to take it a second time (unless you were taking about Bradenton). So yeah, the pass rate looks awesome, but in retrospect, the school controls who takes it and who doesn't, contributing to their amazing rate.

Either way - LECOM no doubt is a great school for a great price.

 

[Darkskies]

Well, I'm back to assess this thread and it seems like all of the comments have just been comparing LECOM with PCOM. I apologize for not making it clearer in my original post but what I'm really wondering is how much per year should one expect to pay/take out in loans factoring in all costs(food, housing,etc.) for attending LECOM and living in Erie? This applies to PCOM and all other osteopathic schools as well since what I'm trying to determine is the total cost difference between attending some of the cheaper schools(LECOM foremost) and the more expensive but more prestigious schools. This is why I brought up the COAs of LECOM which I read was 55k or so and PCOM which is supposed to be around 52k.

I might be mistaken with regards to the actual COAs but my point is, how much more money would one be saving in loans if all factors(food, housing,books,etc.) are accounted for and one elects to go to LECOM over PCOM?

 

[pyropig]

Well, I'm back to assess this thread and it seems like all of the comments have just been comparing LECOM with PCOM. I apologize for not making it clearer in my original post but what I'm really wondering is how much per year should one expect to pay/take out in loans factoring in all costs(food, housing,etc.) for attending LECOM and living in Erie? This applies to PCOM and all other osteopathic schools as well since what I'm trying to determine is the total cost difference between attending some of the cheaper schools(LECOM foremost) and the more expensive but more prestigious schools. This is why I brought up the COAs of LECOM which I read was 55k or so and PCOM which is supposed to be around 52k.

I might be mistaken with regards to the actual COAs but my point is, how much more money would one be saving in loans if all factors(food, housing,books,etc.) are accounted for and one elects to go to LECOM over PCOM?

I have to ask. Would a difference of 3 grand really keep you from going somewhere? Like I said earlier, there are far more important factors to place above a measly 3 grand when making your decision.

 

[christina30]

I have to ask. Would a difference of 3 grand really keep you from going somewhere? Like I said earlier, there are far more important factors to place above a measly 3 grand when making your decision.

It may be a "measly" $12,000 (3,000 over 4 years) to you, but that is a LARGE sum of money to any other normal human being. If it's $12,000 less to be in debt, than it's something.

Location and cost are among THE most important factors people consider when choosing a school.

That being said, OP, you could also consider the cost-of-living/housing in the areas around schools you're interested in. Some places are bound to be more expensive. One of the huge reasons I chose NYCOM is that I can commute there from home (humongous savings, there!) Housing, etc, though, around the school is extremely expensive.

 

[pyropig]

It may be a "measly" $12,000 (3,000 over 4 years) to you, but that is a LARGE sum of money to any other normal human being. If it's $12,000 less to be in debt, than it's something.

Location and cost are among THE most important factors people consider when choosing a school.

That being said, OP, you could also consider the cost-of-living/housing in the areas around schools you're interested in. Some places are bound to be more expensive. One of the huge reasons I chose NYCOM is that I can commute there from home (humongous savings, there!) Housing, etc, though, around the school is extremely expensive.

I'm flattered you think I'm super wealthy but I'm not even kinda sorta close. I'm just saying that of all the considerations 3 grand per year shouldn't be in the top two factors affecting your decision on where to spend the next 4 years of your life. Like I said earlier if we were talking 10 grand per year than ya, the more expensive school better offer some serious advantages. I personally feel that Location, Quality of Education, Post-grad Matches, then Price should be (in that order) the top factors to consider. It could be free but If your not happy where you are than what's the point of being miserable? All I'm saying is a 3 grand difference per year shouldn't trump everything else, money isn't everything.

 

[Cheshyre]

I personally feel that Location, Quality of Education, Post-grad Matches, then Price should be (in that order) the top factors to consider. It could be free but If your not happy where you are than what's the point of being miserable? All I'm saying is a 3 grand difference per year shouldn't trump everything else, money isn't everything.

Agreed. My personal list of priorities is, of course, different, but otherwise I feel the same.

I won't go into the specifics, but even though I was impressed by the program, I turned down LECOM-E for WCOMP. The tuition difference is staggering and something I think about fairly often now. However, it will not stop me. WCOMP fits me. LECOM fits, but not as well. The difference is worth the years I'll spend living frugally to pay my debts. It will be hard, but nothing good was ever easy.

The advice I got from one of my interviewers was to choose the school that made you feel most at home in the first five minutes. I won't say to ignore the facts that you've gathered through your research, but I think it's good advice. I believe your gut feeling will have taken into account all of the factors that are important to you.

 

[Darkskies]

I have to ask. Would a difference of 3 grand really keep you from going somewhere? Like I said earlier, there are far more important factors to place above a measly 3 grand when making your decision.

I guess I'm still not being very clear. Weighing all the intangibles like location, weather, and the quality of the education, all areas in which PCOM has the upper hand, I would probably choose PCOM if the cost difference is really only 12k over 4 years. However, what I'm surprised by is that the total cost difference could really be that low. This is why I'm asking if all costs(including food, housing, gas,etc.) are accounted for(this number would the total debt load one would have to pay back after graduating) how much higher a debt load would one have if he attends PCOM? Only 12k?

I know that the tuition at LECOM is in the low to mid 20k range and at PCOM it's in the mid to upper 30k range. Yet somehow based on what I've been able to glean(could be totally off) the cost of attendance at both schools is similar.

 

[Cheshyre]

Darkskies --

Realize that the Cost of Attendance is an estimate made by the school. As I understand it, the COA is important because it is the maximum amount that a student may borrow in loans. They don't have to take the maximum amount. It could very well be that LECOM sets a high COA because their tuition is low, giving students the ability to spend or live frugally. On the other hand, PCOM's website doesn't really show the COA. In fact, I couldn't even find it. They direct applicants to a blank budget worksheet, heavily encouraging students to take out as little in loans as possible.

 

[Darkskies]

Darkskies --

Realize that the Cost of Attendance is an estimate made by the school. As I understand it, the COA is important because it is the maximum amount that a student may borrow in loans. They don't have to take the maximum amount. It could very well be that LECOM sets a high COA because their tuition is low, giving students the ability to spend or live frugally. On the other hand, PCOM's website doesn't really show the COA. In fact, I couldn't even find it. They direct applicants to a blank budget worksheet, heavily encouraging students to take out as little in loans as possible.

All Right, Cheshyre, that makes sense. Like you, I've had a difficult time finding the real COA for PCOM as well as some other schools which is why I'm asking here. Realistically speaking how much should one expect to save in loans(assuming tuition and all other costs are taken out in loans but with a plan of living frugally) if one decides to attend LECOM over a school like PCOM? I'm sure students from both schools should be able to chime in. Better yet, does anyone have a rank list of the average debt of graduates from every osteopathic school?

 

[Cheshyre]

Better yet, does anyone have a rank list of the average debt of graduates from every osteopathic school?

Rank list? No, I don't think that exists. However, the average indebtedness is in the CIB for each school. PCOM's in 2007 was 173,467$. LECOM's was 129,314$.

 

[jslo85]

Dude, if no one else is going to say it than I will, quit beig such a penny pincher this is your life and selling your self short to save a thousand dollars is ******ed. Now if were talking a 10 grand a year savings than that's a huge difference that should be considered. You're talking $3,000 per year difference, that's a ridiculously small amount of money, a literal drop onthe bucket of you debt for a medical education. When were talking much small differences almost every other factor of consideration should trump such meager savings in your decision.

I'm not exactly sure how everyone is coming out with "3K difference".

http://www.lecom.edu/dec_financialaid.php/college-of-medicine-tuition-fees/76/0/2006/6890

http://www.pcom.edu/Administration/Administrative_Departments/Bursar_s_Office/do_tuition.html

For an OOS student at LECOM if last year is the standard, tuition is 28,100. For a student at PCOM the flat tuition is 40,032. That is a 11,932 difference. How is that 3K unless you somehow believe that living in Erie is going to be close to 8K more expensive than living in Philadelphia. I would even say that with the room and board, food, and transportation fees, PCOM's COA would at least be 15K more expensive (if 11932 is the difference in tuition only) to attend PCOM than LECOM. Then you multiply 15K by 4 over 4 years and you could very roughly save 60,000 dollars per year hypothetically by attending one school over the other.

 

[Cheshyre]

I'm not exactly sure how everyone is coming out with "3K difference".

Read original post.

 

[jslo85]

I am and his quoted figures don't make sense. The LECOM COA is in the ballpark but that's almost a 32K increase from the school's tuition rate including all other factors such as room/board, food, books, transportation etc.

How is PCOM if their tuition starts at 40,000 supposed to only be "52,000" like what the OP says if a blue collar small town like LECOM already charges 10,000 as room and board.

ps. 10,000 for room and board? Really? 833 dollars/month as an estimate for rent in an area where rent for students is on average around 350-500 is a bit steep in my opinion...

 

[pyropig]

I'm not exactly sure how everyone is coming out with "3K difference".

http://www.lecom.edu/dec_financialaid.php/college-of-medicine-tuition-fees/76/0/2006/6890

http://www.pcom.edu/Administration/Administrative_Departments/Bursar_s_Office/do_tuition.html

For an OOS student at LECOM if last year is the standard, tuition is 28,100. For a student at PCOM the flat tuition is 40,032. That is a 11,932 difference. How is that 3K unless you somehow believe that living in Erie is going to be close to 8K more expensive than living in Philadelphia. I would even say that with the room and board, food, and transportation fees, PCOM's COA would at least be 15K more expensive (if 11932 is the difference in tuition only) to attend PCOM than LECOM. Then you multiply 15K by 4 over 4 years and you could very roughly save 60,000 dollars per year hypothetically by attending one school over the other.

The OP will enlighten you

 

[Cheshyre]

I am and his quoted figures don't make sense.

I never said they did. You simply asked where everybody was getting the 3K difference from.

 

[jslo85]

I would think the OP needs some enlightening on more accurate figures for either school if he wants a somewhat accurate comparison.

 

[pyropig]

I am and his quoted figures don't make sense. The LECOM COA is in the ballpark but that's almost a 32K increase from the school's tuition rate including all other factors such as room/board, food, books, transportation etc.

How is PCOM if their tuition starts at 40,000 supposed to only be "52,000" like what the OP says if a blue collar small town like LECOM already charges 10,000 as room and board.

ps. 10,000 for room and board? Really? 833 dollars/month as an estimate for rent in an area where rent for students is on average around 350-500 is a bit steep in my opinion...

The loan packages aren't configured to the dollar. Med students don't have every meal and expense planned. A lot of the figures have a certain "overage" that provides a cushion if you will. The 3 grand is a figure the OP gave us based on his own research of averages and whatnot.

 

[jslo85]

I never said they did. You simply asked where everybody was getting the 3K difference from.

Ah. Okay I get it now. I feel slightly embarrassed with an even greater sense of disgust at how far some people will research into schools of interest if they can screw up one of their "main deciding factors" (cost) this badly.

 

[Cheshyre]

I would think the OP needs some enlightening on more accurate figures for either school if he wants a somewhat accurate comparison.

He's been asking for that for the entire thread. Note that PCOM does not publish a COA (not one I've been able to find, anyway) in the public areas of their website.

 

[Everglide]

ps. 10,000 for room and board? Really? 833 dollars/month as an estimate for rent in an area where rent for students is on average around 350-500 is a bit steep in my opinion...

COA is much higher than most people need for all schools. It's the maximum you can take out in loans for that school. There is some "safety/cushion" room calculated into COA as some have mentioned earlier.

 

[jslo85]

Well yeah, even if PCOM does not publish a COA. If one wants to attempt to use common sense and infer that the COA would be marginally higher than that of a small blue collar town like Erie and coming out with some terrible estimate like 3K difference when the tuition difference alone is already 11932. If Erie can estimate that their students can spend 32,000 more for living in that relatively cheap town, I can imagine Philadelphia would be at least substantially more. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Cheshyre]

Well yeah, even if PCOM does not publish a COA. If one wants to attempt to use common sense and infer that the COA would be marginally higher than that of a small blue collar town like Erie..

Probably. However, the school I'm going to in the fall (WesternCOMP) has a pretty tight COA compared to other schools. As I've said earlier in the thread, Stony Brook (MD school, first on the list when you search for budgets in Google) gives their students more for housing, transport, and misc. costs even though their tuition is much lower and their school year is shorter.

 

[Darkskies]

jslo85, I don't know if it's my writing style or if people are just not bothering to read my posts but the whole premise behind making this thread was because the difference in figures I found for the two schools seemed ridiculous. I think I stated something to this effect in EVERY post I've made here. Since I have failed to find more accurate information I wanted to get some ACTUAL rough estimates from more knowledgeable individuals on these forums on exactly how much real money in loans one should expect to save by attending a reasonably priced school like LECOM.

You are one of the few who have attempted to give me some calculations. That being said, would you explain to me how you arrived at savings of 60k per year? Shouldn't it be 60k for all 4 years? What extras account for the quadrupling of the ~15k difference in costs ?