College is expensive, but it may not be as expensive as you probably think. In fact, if you know the actual cost of tuition, books, fees, etc. you are in a very small minority.

A major public university in the midwest surveyed several hundred people about college and university costs and found that, on average, people think college is far more expensive than it actually is. The difference between perception and reality was very dramatic.

Although the group surveyed was well aware that costs at public colleges and universities are substantially less than those at privates, they badly overestimated fees at both. Similarly, their estimates of the cost of online degree programs were well above the actual costs.

Why are people so inadequately informed about college costs? Perhaps the colleges themselves are partially responsible for not getting their real costs out to the public. The media, however, also bare responsibility for focusing on the costs of institutions like Yale, Harvard, etc. while ignoring the far less modest costs of the majority of institutions.

Some families do have a good understanding of actual college costs but little or no understanding of the fact that there are funds available to greatly reduce their actual expenditures.

If you or someone in your family is exploring higher education, it is important that you investigate and determine actual educational costs. Do not believe second hand information about college cost or the availability of financial aid…much of it is erroneous.

Whatever you do, do not assume that college is out of reach for you. There is a lot of financial aid available to students who need it and many college admissions and financial aid counselors willing to guide them through the financial aid process.

Jim Evans is an educational counselor who guides students wishing to earn an online degree or a traditional college degree.