Rising flight costs have made distance a bigger factor in college choice than it used to be, with more students opting to stay closer to home purely for budget reasons.
The hidden cost of "away"
Beyond tuition, a family needs to budget for flights home for breaks, holidays, and the occasional emergency. Several round trips a year add up quickly, and it's a cost that's easy to underestimate when you're focused on the aid letter's headline number.
How this is changing applicant behavior
Admissions offices increasingly report seeing applicants concentrate within a shorter travel radius. Some schools have responded by adding regional travel stipends specifically for aided students living far from campus.
"Distance used to be a preference. For a lot of families now, it's a budget line."
What to ask before committing to a far-away school
Ask the financial aid office directly whether any travel assistance programs exist, and build a realistic number of round trips into your total cost estimate before you commit.
Distance shouldn't be the only factor in your decision, but it deserves a real line in your budget rather than an afterthought discovered in October.
