Answers will vary

Here's a link to the spreadsheet with the answer for each of the 50 states. 

Questions:

• How did you do with your guess? Did you under or over-estimate the average cost?
• This question was about tuition and fees. What is another major cost for students going to college?
• How does knowing the “correct” answer affect the way you think about college?
• This research surveyed 9th graders. Do you think the results would be different if they surveyed 12th graders?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (from USA Today): 

Only 11 percent of ninth graders correctly estimated the tuition and fees for one year at a public four-year college in their state. Around 57 percent overestimated the costs, and 32 percent underestimated them. Across the board, students' forecasts were off by an average of $10,500, and parents by $8,800.

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About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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