So, I know many of you charge your young adults for the privilege of attending university and I'm thinking of doing the same. I'm just trying to work out the kinks in my plan though and I'd like to ask how you work out university costs for your sims.

What I'm considering so far is that each term costs $1000, but that Sims can pay for this either upfront - if their parents can afford it - or pay for it on a termly basis, which adds an extra level of challenge as they have to raise that money from somewhere - or perhaps half upfront and half term by term. Students who hit the Dean's list every term will be fine, but those who get lesser grades will have to work alongside their studies to make up the short fall. If neither student or parent can afford the fees, the student has to drop out. This would make for interesting stories in which students have to drop out before their final term (ouch!). It would also mean that not every student would want to go to university. Knowledge sims would probably be quite confident of getting good enough grades to make it through, but pleasure sims might just not bother unless they have rich parents to pay for them.

I'm not quite sure whether scholarships just provide that extra bit of money or added bonuses yet, but I think that they're just going to be a monetary grant intended to help out those first few terms. I may use the idea from BACC, where sims going into the military career get a free ride, (but have to repay $1000 per term if they drop out before graduation), but I think I'd also like to find other ways of benefitting poorer students - perhaps a free ride for anyone who maxes a skill before going to college? I'm not certain of that yet.

How much do you charge? When do the sims have to pay it? Can they take out loans or do they have to pay it up front? How do you use scholarships? All thoughts welcome as I'm still fleshing this out.

I charge $2500 for each year of a Bachelor's (4 in total), $3500 for each year of a Master's (2 in total), and $5000 for each year of a Doctorate (4 in total). Admittedly, this was when my sims aged 3x slower than what they do now, so I should probably readjust for the game default aging.

I say Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate because I have three levels of higher education. A sim who wants to be a Natural Scientist needs to have a doctorate to get to the highest career levels, but they're generally repaid well if they do so (as Nat. Sci. is one career I didn't reduce the pay of).

I have a system that says that sims from low-income families (like the Marshalls or Kraemers in Cresdale) only pay half tuition. A sim's tuition must be paid by the time they obtain their degree, but if they don't have the money they can take out a loan to pay for it (Monique's Computer).

I use scholarships as partly free money, partly tuition payment. It all really depends on how much money a sim has and how wealthy their parents are. If one of the Kraemers had the need to go to university and had amassed quite a few scholarships (i.e. a Knowledge sim), they'd probably be able to go to university for 'free' for their first couple of years. If they couldn't manage it, then they'd graduate with a few thousand in debt, so the motivation to get a decent-paying job would be there.

If the sims have the money for it, I tend to set up college funds for the children as soon as I'm able (child age, again Monique's Computer). Sims from very rich families can and have amassed sums in excess of $20,000 by the time they hit university.

You could have a reasonably rich sim pass out some additional scholarships to sims -- business grants, help for low income, or alien sims. The caveats being that they have to stay above a certain GPA which would make some of the less academically-inclined sims perhaps a little more inclined to study well.

What mod do you use to get Master's and Doctorates?

There isn't one, these are rules that she applies to certain courses for sims that fit the needed criteria.

I have yet to introduce fees, my sims are mostly still too poor.

Tuition fees at SimHampton University are usually paid using Monique's computer to the royal family of SimHampton. Sims have a 12-hour window after each final exam to pay their fee, and anyone failing to do so is expelled. Royalty and anyone on a royal scholarship has always gone for free, and at the moment the fees are suspended due to a protest by Télanen students about giving their tuition fees to a competing nation. (The International Sim Bank is in the process of negotiating a compromise agreement).

So I recently remembered that people do get scholarships or grant money just for going to college (at least here in Tennessee you receive Pell Grant money and the Hope Scholarship). My sims can go to school without paying tuition upfront as I'm pretty sure I have AncientHighway's mod for higher tuition (that's the bill YAs pay once they move into the dorms). So I figure that balances out. What can I say, I'm a lazy simmer. As long as they meet University or Community College requirements, they're golden.

YAs with scholarships simply have more spending money for supplies which ALL my University and Community college sims must buy. So everyone has to buy a backpack, or a laptop, or tablet. If they're an art major, they have to buy their own easel or drafting table and assorted clutter. Science majors will need to buy extra books and their own telescope.

I don't expect Sims to pay more for certain degrees. I don't have the attention span or patience for Masters/Doctorate degrees. I did figure something simple out that worked for me. For example, if my sim is going into medicine, he will need to graduate from University and write a dissertation while he's interning. Same goes for Law, Science, etc. It's just easier that way.

In my last 'hood, I had my sims paying $2500 a year for the first university I added, and it had a regular 4 season calendar. The next one I added cost 3000/year, and I replaced its spring with a second fall. I didn't add the third, but I planned to have it cost $5000 per year and have year round fall. I figure that the skill building/assignment boost would represent smaller class sizes and better tutoring sometimes available at more expensive schools.

I haven't figured out what I want to do with universities in my current 'hood. It is a medieval-inspired setting, and though most sims in my town will be literate, not all of them would be going to an academic institution. I think I'll have some dorms set up for trades training, one for military, one for agriculture, and one or two more traditional dorms. Which dorm they live in will probably affect the cost. I'm also going to have at least one or two lots set up for young sims travelling away from my island kingdom for reasons other than education, and they'll just happen to work on a degree while they are away. For example, Ginger and Gavin Newson are planning to travel to the mainland to buy or collect goods that aren't available on my island, and while they are gone they'll happen to spend a couple of seasons near a university while they wait for the weather to improve so they can sail home.

Everyone's tuition seems so low compared to mine. My sims pay a flat fee, $30,000. I toyed with the idea of different costs for different universities ($15,000 for tech; $20,000 for state; $30,000 for private/academie) but it just didn't seem fair to have wildly different prices for the same degree, especially since I don't like the idea of separating careers into tiers requiring associate's, bachelor's, or master's. That's too much work for me. And, since I don't use any increased bills, slower skilling, or lower income mods (which make things take way too long to happen for my liking), sims rack up quite the bit of money. So in my game, a $30,000 tuition keeps everyone from swimming in cash and requires me to be more selective in choosing who goes to uni, especially in poorer families.

Tuition has to be fully paid before the sim graduates/moves back home though, otherwise they are charged a hefty interest--another $10,000. My sims are allowed to take out loans and usually I have parents take out a loan for the kids, so paying tuition on time is usually only a challenge for any university premades I play (like Heather Huffington or Stella Terrano). Finally, my last rule is that anyone going to uni must have his or her own car. I decided a while back that I wasn't using Nightlife to its fullest and needed to use cars more. After BV I started having sims walk everywhere, to the point that I never used cars, despite the fact that I had downloaded quite a few cc cars. But, as I was cleaning out my downloads folder one day, I told myself that if I was going to keep all the car cc, I was gonna have to start using it. So I instituted a game-wide middle of nowhere rule and now all my sims in every hood have to have a car. Sims can only walk to another point on a campus or in a vacation hood. To visit between neighborhoods, they need a car.

I must say though, that I like AliaD85's idea of requiring laptops and certain items for certain majors, so I may add a few items to the requirement list. The only other thing I do is use a custom memory to keep track of who has paid tuition. I always either wrote down who paid on random pieces of paper or just plain forgot to document who had partial payments and if they finished paying tuition. To help with that I try not to make partial payments anymore and just let sims use Monique's computer to earn interest on their savings until they have the full balance. BUT, since I use DiLight's custom memories here on MTS and started going crazy with it, I created a memory for paying tuition and once a sim has paid (I have donate the money away), I give them the memory. That way I always know who's paid what and don't have to go through my stack of fifty+ post-its to look for a note I left somewhere.

Wow, where do your sims get all that cash from? Mine would have to sell their house and become homeless and even then would still not have that kind of money. My richest sims have about 10k.

I don't let my Sims pay anything - all education should be free.

Like what Jo said, it's my own gameplay mechanics. I do use InTeen and its Residential Graduates flavour pack to allow sims to stay on campus after graduation (and getting their Bachelor's). For Master's and Doctorate, I simulate that by getting them to write articles (Monique's Computer) and novels -- the articles are reasonably quick, but the novel is a good time investment. They do get money from all this, but given the costs of getting a Master's or Doctorate it's almost needed.

Sims can also do online study, but it's usually much more frantic as they tend to have a household to help look after. Some sims don't tend to be academically inclined even with an LTW that needs a degree of some kind, so sometimes they find themselves wanting to get a promotion and needing to get a degree while trying to look after their kids or somesuch.

Well again, I don't use any money limiting mods like you do--I tried them and it just wasn't conducive to the way I play. Either the mods didn't work quite right, like a lot of the higher bill mods I've tried (if you go awhile without buying anything, the bills become just as low as before and, if it's a large household with everyone in the house working, they end up with plenty of money to throw around, even when they're supposed to be poor) or they severely hampered my playstyle, like a lot of the lower wages mods I tried. (I couldn't find a happy medium with those, because while my poor sims might work as they should, my rich/middle class sims had too little money and would end up with half finished houses with renovations that were never going to get done and things like that drive me nuts). So again, with no mods, sims build up quite the bit of cash even just through job hopping and promotions. It helps that I tend to have larger households now so there's at least two people working and saving toward tuition. Finally, if a sim really wants to go, they work for it. Any teen, if given enough time, can restore enough cars to pay for tuition and have one to take to school. But if all else fails, I let them take out a loan.

In my game, I've set up costs to vary depending on housing. Since private houses in University hoods are discounted and much cheaper than they would be in the main hood, I decided to interpret it as the houses being provided by the university and therefore the fee should vary depending on what kind of housing you go for.

The university offers dorms, and private housing (just regular residential lots in uni hood). Students can also rent an apartment from private companies, or choose to live in the main hood in housing of their choice. If you choose to live in the main hood, you only pay for the education which costs 3500 per semester, so 28,000 to graduate. Renting an apartment at campus the housing is not from university, so those Sims also only pay for education. However, I use apthack so there's a deposit to rent the apartment, plus you pay rent and bills during your stay. Once they are done studying they have to move back to main hood and get new housing, so while it may seem cheap at first, it adds up quickly.

Sims that opt for university housing are relieved of bills (force error on them to make then vanish), because the bills are included in the fee. Bills in my game are three times maxis bills, so not having to pay them does make a difference. Dorms cost 1500 per semester, plus the education fee, so total 5000 per semester. If they want to, they can take a job cleaning the dorm. Cleaning the entire dorm once per semester grants you a 500 discount on your fee, so you the price tag for a degree living in a dorm is anywhere from 36,000 to 40,000 simoleons. Private houses are also relieved of bills, but there is no cleaning discount. A student living alone in a private house pays 6500 for housing, and 3500 for education, so 80,000 total. If you share with other students, each student pays 4000 for the housing, so a total of 7500 per person and semester, at a total of 60,000.

In summary
Dorm 36,000-40,000
Private housing 60,000-80,000
Apartment 28,000 + deposit, rent and bills
Main hood 28,000 + whatever costs they have where they live

I am a very introvert person (social, but need a lot of alone time) so for me, privacy is important, and that's why privacy costs more money. Living in a dorm is cheap, but shittier living standards and people around you at all times. Apartments are a fancier version of dorms, with your own kitchen/bathroom and a variety of standards. There are fancy options with high quality furniture and perks like libraries and gyms, but those end up costing more because the rent is higher. Private housing you get the most peace and quiet, but it's very costly.

Sims can opt out of paying for university right away, at a cost of 150 simoleons per semester, in a symbolic administrative fee. Sims have one year (four seasons) after graduation to pay for their education, once the year is up they are charged 4% interest on the remaining amount every Sunday. This way Sims have some time to work and get promotions and try to pay off their loans, but they can't put it off forever. Some Sims that don't earn much and don't care to work settle for paying the interest, never trying to pay off the loans. For other things my Sims have to use Cyjons loan jar with 1% interest daily, so as far as loans go in my game, university loans aren't bad.

Sims send the money via Monique's computer, to the minister of education. At some point I will move my University-hood to a shopping district, so that I can have owned business lots. The idea is that the minister of education uses the money from tuition to run a cafeteria for students (with nicer food than the dorm rooms), where food is sold at a discounted price, and an academy that gives additional scholarships to certain Sims by hiring them and setting them to study things. I'd also like to add more things Sims can do to earn a discount on their tuition, since not everyone lives in dorms, but I haven't decided what exactly.

Most of my Sims move several times during their adult life, so after they are done paying for their degree they will be paying off house loans, and once that loan is done they'll probably have a new one to pay off. Because of that, parents generally don't have money to pay for their kids degree, even if they are well-off. That's intentional, I'd be bored if the Sim has nothing to work for, but a few select families are allowed to earn enough to pay for their kids.

gummilutt, I thought my sims had it hard but after reading your system, I think they may have it easy! As for ways to earn discounts, you could always have them work on campus as baristas, cafeteria workers, and even personal trainers and tutors. It might be easier to do once you've set up your university as a regular subhood (that way you can hire them as employees), but you'd still have to get rid of their earnings so you could donate what they earn away then give them a flat tuition discount. Or perhaps use their earnings as tips and let them keep it and then they could use it to pay off their loan faster?

And here I am thinking my Sims have it easy, compared to things I read I don't use any mods to lower wages, and those that don't have a maxis job have mods to make it easier to live off alternative methods, so while things cost money, they can earn a bunch too. One of my fortune YAs managed to save up 30k and get straight A's during his studies.

I'm not sure I see the point in doing things that earn you money, and have it count as discount. Why remove the money just to "add" it somewhere else. I also find it extremely boring watching my Sims fill in for NPCs, I'd rather they get a regular maxis job (I use mods to let YAs have jobs). A few have done, but it's not something I'd want to do on a regular basis. I was thinking more along the lines of X amount of time researching a specific topic, browsing the web or reading novels, and have it count as helping a professor with research or something such. We'll see, at some point I'll think of something that I want to do

I'm a lazy simmer too and I use AH's bigger bills mod with tuition. My students always live in dorms (one for female YA and one for male YA). They pay 1200§ per semester no matter what. If a sim fails to pay s/he will be expelled. This haven't happened yet but now YA come back to the main hood with less money (I have no 20k handout).
@AliaD85
I like the idea of buying things related to the major. I'll steal the idea.

I use Amura's custom bills mods to make the game harder off the bat. And depending on what Uni my sim student wants to go to, if the parents have enough, they can pay for a semester or two. If not, off to the loan jar when the sim comes back from completing university

I've never used a higher bill mod, my sims can't afford that either!
Very few of my sims go to jobs and those that do get halved wages. Most of my sims have to make money from an owned business, a business they went into debt to get, add to that no money perks for most of them and loan repayments on top. They are very poor, as in will we have enough money to buy a crib and where will we put it poor. 1K tuition would be a struggle for some of them.
Try playing a mayor who only makes $320 when he goes to work with a 250K debt who has to pay the school 7K per weeks end. All he does is work and give financial advice on the computer and hope he doesn't die and pass on this debt.
But it's all relative, if you have tons of cash, then huge uni fees make sense. My sims have no cash but education is free.

I do charge my sims university tuition - specifically, the same as what I paid (er...am paying) between 6,500 and 8,000 simoleons per term. University money goes to a Bursar, who has an office in the Town Hall. This Bursar uses this money to manage the education programmes of public school students from preschool to high school. The schools are entirely funded by sim teens going to uni because all that money had to go somewhere, and I hate wasting simoleons. With tuition fees that high, scholarships are just that - scholarships! They simply lower the cost of attendance.

When it comes to higher education, sims wanting to study counseling, or parenting can enroll in a graduate school programme in their original university or a new one. You can also earn these degrees long-distance. Tuition there pays professor salaries. Certain careers (I have a psychology career that I just play as a business) and higher teacher salaries (and some private schools) require post graduate qualifications.

I have a community college which offers the OFB skill badges for any sim that didn't attend a four year institution. There are also beauty schools and Spa training colleges. All of these cost - but are cheaper than Under and Post Graduate courses at the traditional universities.

Sims in the Law Career must pass a dissertation (novel) that must be written during a Post-Graduate law school course. (Not every uni offers Law School and sims need a certain amount of Logic skill and a political, family, or Law Enforcement LTW, to get in)

Medical students are the best. They graduate uni and then become resident doctors if their grades were good enough. This is their intern phase. They assist in the hospital but do not perform surgeries until after their intern phase ends. They need to build up their mechanical skills and pay exorbitant tuition fees to live in the medical college where they study logic, mechanical, and cleaning skill until they've maxed them. (In my hoods, the cleaning skill is basically biology). (The fees pay for the meals, uniforms, building upkeep and staffing.)

I guess that's it--the idea of not being able to pay off a debt within a sim's lifetime freaks me out a bit. So I decided halved wages and such is not for me. I was toying with the idea that Maxis jobs are only for rich sims and those who go to college--which sorta justifies the high tuition price tag I've set, as university careers especially will set up a sim very nicely. Add in chance card bonuses available in several careers or OP career rewards (education bookcase I'm looking at you), it would definitely create a clear middle/upper class. But I looked at custom careers like NPC jobs and those just seem like too low wages. Having a sim not be able to afford a crib drives me nuts--but what makes me really crazy is having sims not be able to afford new clothes! I mean, why do I spend hours downloading them crap if they never use it? And don't get me started on that sewing badge. It takes forever in a busy household. THEN when I consider that I like to have poorer sims have larger families--I want some of them to be able to move out but that definitely won't happen on half wages. Maybe I should consider tiny lots, though? Idk. You're making me think that I probably should do different levels of college, if only to pass on that darn sewing badge faster. I could use the vocational training controller at simswardrobe to pass on badges, to make things a bit easier for poorer sims... Hmm. But then, what would poor sim kids and teen do all day? No need to skill if they're not going to college or getting fancy careers...
Anyway, lots to think about. I swear between this and the integrated hood thread, my brain has been exploding with ideas today.

I use NPC jobs quite a lot, they start at $50 per day. Given your economy, yes that would be way too poor but within my economy they are poor but not unreasonably poor. Since Uni is free a child who comes from the home of NPC workers has as much opportunity as one who comes from a better home. That all comes down to their own motivation level (neatness+activity-playfulness) The number decides if the sim is free to study, study only to wants or only pick up skills autonomously. This decides a sims future not their family finances. I use to play with more money but found it boring. I enjoy having sims struggle for money.

Must admit I cheat the clothes, I just use closet gussy up or the clothing hook and outfit them in each category. Any clothes after that they have to go buy, but they always get a nice grow up outfit for free.
Try sewing badge with the slower skilling mod, it would literally take a sim a life time. I don't use slower skilling now I just set limits with the sim blender.

I use 1 by or 1 by 2 lots, a wealthy family will have what I consider a large 2 by 2 lot. Wealthy means they have at least 5K to hand.

My kids skill at my playable school, but again it depends on motivation level. Teenagers can just hang around and loaf off if they haven't got the motivation. I do this so sims end up with varied amounts of skills so it's easier to say this one will fit an NPC job and this one will have a college degree.

Believe it or not, Phaenoh's Product Design Major gave me this idea. Her sims obtain items into their inventory as they continue through their college semesters. But I was like, "And they don't pay for them?! SimCity strikes again." So my uni and community college sims pay for items any college student would actually need. I know just my Spanish book cost $150 dollars! My sims need to suffer too.

And to make it better, I've removed a lot of the skilling items from the dormitories. What dorm has a telescope already?!

Simmer4Lyf, I love that you use such detail to track your tuition payments, but that's exactly why I created a created a custom 'paid tuition' memory for my sims! I'm way too busy making up rules for neighborhoods I'll probably never play more than a generation or two. That said, I would love to see your sim stock market investment chart; I've been trying to think up ways to set up and run a banking system in a semi integrated style hood.

joandsarah77--That's for the tips. Maybe I'll looking into increasing the wages for NPC jobs to make it work for my hood. And have kids/teens focus more on hobbies. I don't mind if they learn a lot of skills, especially since that can point out a sim that should get that rare chance to break out of the slums and go to university, but it's hard (for me) not to make sim kids sit down and skill, if only to avoid things like burning down the house and not dying when they fix the dishwasher. I'll have to look into more ways that they can earn cooking, mechanical, and cleaning points on their own. Charisma is easy cuz toddlers love the bunny head but, for some reason, playing with blocks on the activity table just isn't as attractive as drawing. Sims do it, but it's like a 90/10 split. And children will need more fun building skilling activities too. So I guess I'm off to go downloading!

And AliaD85, I hear you. As an English/Communications major I was not happy spending hundreds of dollars on math and science texts that I only need for one semester, to fulfill a core requirement. Renting wasn't really a thing yet when I was in school and the science and math texts were always so expensive. In the sims world, though, I like the idea of them acquiring stuff as they move along in their academic career. All my sims who major in lit, for instance, should definitely have an inventory full of books they're never going to finish reading and can't resell because everyone on the planet already has a copy of it.

Wow, so many good ideas! Sometimes I think I put a lot of thought and extra rules into my game but then I come on here and see all of this and think I'm actually quite generous to my sims. :P

I don't think I'd want to charge too much more for college just because I don't want to put my sims in debt for too long. I'm not that keen on realism. I do like the idea though of it costing more than it does. For the challenge more than anything else. I also like the ideas of certain sims needing to purchase equiptment for their major as they go along. Even if it's just clutter. I might steal that one, @AliaD85!

I am going to insist that sims who want to go into certain professions need degrees - or at least, they need one to advance over a certain level. Medicine, Science, Law, Education come to mind. I figure that anyone can apply to the first few levels but beyond a point they need a degree.

@Simmer4Lyf I love how much detail you go into, and your extra scholarships. I think I am going to award something for maxing a skill, and also something for my poorer sims/teens living in care

I've so much to think about before I start playing my new rules. Luckily I'm in the middle of building a hood, so I've plenty time.

The pay does increase as the sim gets promoted, but changing the amount in SimPE is quite easy.

This is why I have a playable school, that's when I make the kids skill. If a toddler+ is highly motivated they will spend a fair amount of time skilling but since I use double aging and took out slower skilling I have to watch out they don't gain too many skills. I limited my highly motivated/gifted toddlers to 5 points in each area, and if my latest one didn't nearly acomplish that! Brainy child of brainy parents. I think she got 4 in a couple of areas and 5 in the rest. A little too much for a toddler. I never use the bunny head I find the sound aggravating. I use a whole heap of cc toys and charisma is a silent puzzle.
Then I use summer holidays so kids can just play.

What I find hard are low motivation toddlers since by my own rules I can't direct them to skill. So if their pastime of choice is toilet play I have to grin and bear it.

I added a mod to make the activity table less attractive. It's all in the coding along with how they will draw over play with the blocks. Maybe a modder might look at why that is.

One mod that has helped is by iCad which made career rewards like the putter autonomous. These are the type of things I use at my school, so now kids/teens will go and learn charisma without being told to. Really good for those with low motivation.

It's finding a balance between too many skills/not enough/time spent skilling. I would rather my sims be doing something else. I may make the limit on my genius toddlers to 4 for each skill since I didn't think she would actually get close to 5 on each. o_o