The Real Cost of Attending New York University

By: Kimberly Anglin

The Real Cost of Attending NYU

A chilly Friday evening air greeted Kimberly Ballinger as she made her way down the hipster-ridden streets of St. Mark’s Place. As was her habit at the end of every week, she made her way down rows of seedy tattoo parlors and hole-in-the-wall eateries in search of a great place to unwind that night. “We should have sushi tonight. That should be a cheap dinner,” she said to a friend accompanying her that evening, as the two ducked into an unsuspecting Japanese restaurant. That night the girls spent a whopping $30 on appetizers and refreshments alone.

A bill of this size is not uncommon at restaurants in New York City’s Greenwich Village, the neighborhood that serves as a backdrop for New York University. For many students, unexpected expenses like the cost of a night out are just another financial sacrifice they must endure during their time spent in the city. Savvy students, however, are finding ways to deal with these steep costs. With a little planning and a lot of penny pinching these students are finding ways to enjoy the city without breaking the bank.

The average tuition per semester for an undergraduate in the College of Arts & Science is around $17,000 before adding room and board, meal plans, and other registration fees. After that, a semester at NYU can cost over $25,000.After incurring all of these costs, there is little money left at a student’s disposal to enjoy his or her time in New York City, noted by many as one of the most exciting and most expensive cities in the world.

The high cost of living in New York comes as more of an annoyance than a shock to most students. Many had an idea of what it would cost when they applied to the university. “I kind of expected it was going to be expensive. It’s New York!” said freshman Joanna Lau, a native of Singapore. Many students note that if the cost of living were cheaper, they would feel inclined to do a lot more “I would go to a lot more theaters and museums. A lot of museums are really interesting, but you always have to pay for the best ones,” said sophomore Alyssa Lapan, an art student.
Though some might be unaware of it, there are many activities that students can enjoy for free in the city. A quick internet search provides a number of websites that list plenty of great activities for students at little or no cost. One website in particular, http://www.freenyc.net, frequently posts low-cost activities going on at locations around the city. “There are so many things you can do for cheap, you just have to look for them,” said Kimberly, a college sophomore and native New Yorker.

Students also have the option of planning ahead by using guides like the annual Zagat Survey. The Survey rates New York City restaurants, theater, nightlife and shopping, among other things, on a point scale, and evaluates tastes, décor and prices. The Survey’s website notes that the guide is the world’s “leading provider of consumer survey-based information on where to Eat, Drink, Stay and Play worldwide.” Its reviews are based on those of over 300,000 surveyors from all over the world. For about $16, students can have their own personal guide to the city. At that price, the Zagat Survey may seem like yet another expense, but students should consider it a wise investment, as students often use the Survey as a tool for saving time and money, their most valuable commodities.
Some students have devised a clever strategy when dining out, choosing to share meals, a habit that tends to bring down costs. “The last restaurant I went to was Carmine’s in Times Square. It was family style, so it was cheaper. It [cost] about $25, but the plate fed three of us, so it wasn’t that bad,” said sophomore Brittany Gischner.

Another useful opportunity that students are taking advantage of is using “Declining Dollars” to pay for food at participating dining establishments on campus, such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. When any New York University student purchases a meal plan, he or she is allotted a varying amount of credit, called “Declining Dollars,” which can be redeemed at dining halls and participating eateries. Thought this program sometimes limited to out-of-the-way locations and the lines tend to be long, due to the amount of students taking advantage of the program, using declining dollars had a number of cost. Most notably, students are able to use the credits they have already received from purchasing their meal plans. This strategy can save a student upwards of a hundred dollars a semester. Similar practices are spreading among universities and according to David Puner, a representative for Dunkin’ Donuts, many of the brands franchisees work independently with colleges and universities to establish similar plans for students.

Though the cost of city living may seem steep at first glance, a little bit of know-how and a watchful eye for bargains can save a student a lot of time, stress, and money when planning a city outing.
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