Is it Expensive to Study in the United States?

After two years studying at a university in the United States, many people has come up to me and asked how my life as a student there was and they are interested to know more about my experiences. One of the most common comments that I have heard is “I would love to go study to the United States, but I have heard that it’s incredibly expensive and I can’t afford it”. And that’s what I am going to talk about in this post, about whether it is expensive or not to study in the US, both for national and international students, and I will also talk about ways to make this process cheaper.

 

 

 

The cost varies and depend of the type of university

It is true that studying in the United States can become something very expensive. However, not every college has the same prices and, to begin this post, I will talk about the different types of universities that you can fid in the US to explain how prices may change. There are three very broad types of schools in the United States: community colleges, public universities and private universities.

 

Community Colleges

Community colleges are cheaper schools than public and private universities and they are a very popular option for students in the United States who can’t afford a 4-year school. These are 2-year schools where students do not obtain a degree like you would in a public or private college. However, if the student wants to obtain a regular degree, they can apply to a college right after graduating in the community college. It is a simple path to take if you want to save money. One advantage of a community college, and one of the reasons it is becoming increasingly popular among international students is because it is way cheaper than another type of school. Also, the requirements to get into a community college are easier than the ones if you are getting into a regular school, so it is easier to get accepted. The total cost of a community college, including enrollment and housing may vary from $7,500 to $15,000 per year approximately, even though there will be some schools that are more expensive and some others that are cheaper.

 

Public Universities

Next up in the list are public universities or state universities. These schools are not very different than private schools when it comes to prestige. Although the best of the best are all private schools, there are many public schools that are considered as some of the bests schools in the country. Public schools are, in part, paid by the government, and that’s why their price is significantly lower in comparison to private schools. Moreover, public schools have two different prices. The first one is for in-state students, students that are residents in the same state where the school is located. These students usually pay half the price compared to the people in the second group. This second group includes out-of-state and international students, who pay up to twice as much compared to in-state students. The total price for an out-of-state or international student at a public school goes between $20,000 and $40,000 per year approximately, way more expensive that a community college.

 

Private Universities

Last but not least, there are private universities. These universities are the most expensive ones because they are not paid by the government. Instead, they receive money from students’ tuitions and private donors. As said above, the most prestigious schools are private. Also, these are the hardest universities to get into, since the requirements are stricter compared to other types of schools. The price of a private schools can vary from $35,000 and $60,000 approximately per year.

 

 

Scholarships available for students at American universities

It’s true that many of these prices can be scary. However, there are many possibilities to obtain scholarships to reduce the total cost of attending an American university. To begin with, there are academic scholarships. These scholarships are obtained based on your academic merits. In other words, the better GPA you have, the greater chances of obtaining a scholarship you will have. Not only your grades count, but also your test scores in the TOEFL and SAT/ACT exams. In the Mooxye website you will find tips to prepare yourself for these standardized tests. Having said this, I want to give you two tips. First of all, if you are considering going to the United States to study, get the best grades you can. Even if you think you are too young and your grades don’t matter, they truly do. Schools look at your high school years before accepting you, so if you have good grades along the way, you may have a better possibility of obtaining these scholarships. Mi second tip is to prepare yourself as good as you can for the standardized tests. Get as much practice for the TOEFL and SAT/ACT as you possibly can in order to be able to obtain an academic scholarship. It depends on yourself and your effort and dedication!

 

Academic Scholarships

Besides academic scholarships, there are two more types of scholarships that you can obtain if you want to go study to the United States. Scholarships for internationals are given to international students that are interested in studying abroad in America. These scholarships are offered to provide the college with a greater demographic diversity, and in order to attract people from other countries they provide many scholarships for them. These scholarships are not as common as the academic ones, but there are many universities that offer them and it can be a simple and interesting option to make your experience cheaper.

 

Athletic Scholarships

The last type of scholarships are athletic scholarships. These are offered to students that will become a member of a university’s varsity team. To obtain these scholarships, you need to reach out to coaches and provide them with all the information they ask for. If coaches think you can be a good fit for their team, they will offer you a spot in the roster and an athletic scholarship.

 

 

To sum up, it’s true that American universities can be very expensive. It all depends on the type of school you are looking into and the possibility of obtaining any kind of scholarship that will make the whole cost way cheaper. There are hundreds of scholarships available, and each of them asks for different requirements. My last piece of advice is that you take a look at Mooxye’s “Scholarships” button, where you can find new available scholarships on a daily basis. I bet you will find your perfect fit!

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful. See you on the next one!