Senior year of high school is monumental. It’s your last year of high school when you do all the fun senior amenities like graduation, prom, and grad bash, but along with all the fun stuff comes a lot of not-so-fun expenses. A lot of seniors get jobs to pay for all these expenses, but maintaining a job can be hard in between school, homework, and extracurriculars.

Seniors all have different opinions on what the most expensive thing about senior year is but the majority have said Prom. Prom is a time for seniors to celebrate their send-off as a group for one last time before graduation. Prom is up to $175 per student as organizers must book the venue, catering, DJ, etc. On top of that price, students also must pay for their outfits. Prom is a formal event so female students usually wear dresses and males wear suits and ties. Prom dresses can range from around $350-$500 and with shoes, accessories, hair, makeup, and nail appointments the price of prom could be as expensive as $1000. Some students like to go the extra mile and rent a car and a photographer which is another additional cost. “The most expensive part of senior year is prom and grad bash since I have to not only pay for prom, but also my hair, dress, and transportation.” says senior Kai Duggins.

Coming in second place for the most expensive senior cost is graduation. When you graduate you are officially leaving high school behind. The graduation ceremony is a big deal for seniors, it is a day where they can celebrate their departure from high school with their friends and family. The students can display their accomplishments throughout the past four years with chords and they get to wear a cap and gown. However, the financial burden does not end here. Seniors will have to buy or rent a cap and gown. Buying or renting a cap and gown could range from $350-$100. Most people would recommend renting a cap and gown because it will only be worn once, but others say that it is good to have that lifelong memory.

Some seniors may choose to have a graduation party after graduation. Which is This will be a send-off party to congratulate the students on starting their new life after high school. Some expenses that go into planning a graduation party are catering, decoration drinks, and music. Although this is optional, it is a great memory to make which is why many seniors have one.

Another expense that seniors have to pay is the fee to apply to college. Colleges charge a fee to pay for the administrative costs of processing a student’s application. This fee could be as little as $30 but the more prestigious the school the more it costs to apply. Seniors wishing to commit to college usually have to pay to commit. Most colleges make you pay a $100-$300 nonrefundable deposit so they cannot back out of their decision.

Senior year is also a year of freedom for students as they can get senior privileges and have many events where they can hang out. Senior, Aryanna Blanco says, “Going out is one of the higher expenses of being a senior. Most of us have cars and either carpool with one another or give rides to others when making plans, so gas and the cost of food can get expensive quickly.”