I've never thought about this to get an exact dollar amount, but I'm going to right now.
When I went to college, average cost for everything including room and board was $22,000 per year.
I had half off the price for each year right off the bat, so down to $11,000 per year.
I took out a total of $7500 in loans, so the total is now down to $9,125 per year.
$9125 x 4 = $36,500.
Of that, the very first year, I paid $5,000 of my own money that I made working all through childhood (paper route, McDonald's, selling worms, working as a helper for an elderly woman, etc.)
Down to $31,500.
Sophomore year I paid $4,000 (combination of workstudy and working at McDonald's during breaks)
Down to $27,500
Junior year I paid $5,000 (combination of workstudy and a writing job I got working for a magazine that reported on the prescription drug industry)
Down to $22,500
Senior year I paid $5,000 (money I made working as a sports reporter for The Columbus Dispatch newspaper)
Down to $17,500
During college I won two additional scholarships totaling $6500.
Down to $11,000.
So, my parents paid $11,000 toward my college education or $2,750 per year. That's actually a little more than I thought it would be. Thanks mom and dad.