The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA attempted to answer the question – Who are today’s first-year college students?

The institute surveyed  220,000 first-year students who graduated from high school in 2009 and now attend 1,555 four-year colleges.

According to StudentAid.com, here are 20 interesting factoids that cast a glimpse into the average American college student’s academic experience.

 1.   Percentage accepted by their No. 1 college: 79 percent.
 2.   Percentage attending their No. 1 choice: 61 percent.
 3.   Percentage who applied to four or fewer colleges: 67 percent.

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When I first started college, I was told that tuition would run about $4,000 a year. What they failed to mention is that fees, living expenses, books, and other necessary parts of college would run my first year total up to nearly $10,000! That’s a pretty big difference, and certainly one that my family was not expecting. Evidently my experience is a pretty common one.

Many students start college with a tuition figure they expect it to cost and end up paying a lot more than that number, which can lead to large student debts. If only there was a company that would help students see what their real costs for college are going to be. Oh wait, now there is!

A new website, StudentAid.com is offering students a “personalized, side-by-side comparison of the net costs of college and student aid eligibility to help students and their families choose colleges that fit their career goals and bank account.”

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