Do you really need that much money to study in America?

Because I work in an American university, in recent years, many people have asked me in various ways about the specific cost of studying in the United States, how much money I need in a year, how much money I can earn from work-study programs, and related channels. I have always wanted to write a few articles about this, but I have never paid attention to it. Not long ago, by chance, I saw the Survey Report on Students' Intention to Study Abroad in China. According to the data, among the students who are about to or intend to study abroad, 52.28% of the surveyed people have an annual family income of less than 3, yuan. As a direct result, parents spend a lot of money to send their children away. Don't you know that the more difficult thing is yet to come, because it is the time for American university bills to fly in June and July every year. At present, the tuition fees in the United States are not only rising year by year, but also increasing considerably, which leads to some parents having to sell houses and cars, and three generations of the whole family raising money to pay the bills together, which makes me feel very embarrassed for a while.

Although the reasons behind the prevalence of sending children to study abroad are complicated, no matter what the purpose, as long as you choose this road, you have to raise money first (except of course the very rich), because this is definitely not a small sum. The expenses for studying in the United States mainly include the following parts: the part collected by the school: this includes Tuition, Room

charge and board. Personal expenses: travel expenses (including international air tickets), communication tools such as mobile phones, non-immigrant identity documents including visas and other expenses, medical care and personal insurance.

The possible income from studying in the United States includes scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs similar to those in China, which I will only briefly cover in this article, and I will write a detailed article in the future.

according to my own experience of studying in the United States and working in universities for more than ten years, I will talk about these expenses separately below.

1. Fees of American universities

Tuition of American public universities is greatly different between students in the state and foreign countries (including international students), while private universities treat them equally. The main reason is that part of the budget of public universities comes from the taxes of the state government, while the families of foreign students or foreign students do not pay taxes in the host state, so they cannot enjoy this kind of welfare. The regulations for students in this state are similar in different States, which mostly means that candidates and parents have lived in the state where the school is located for more than one year before applying for the school and have tax return records. However, because international students need visa documents from schools to support their student status in the United States, they all charge according to the standards of foreign students, and some schools even charge international students separately, which is higher than that of foreign students.

I'll make a simple comparison between the tuition fees of public universities in-state and out-of-state (international) students, and you can immediately understand why American universities especially like to recruit international students in the current economic downturn. Take the University of Virginia in 212-13 as an example:

Tuition)： $12 12,224 Room charge)： $5 5,17 Board rate)： $4 4,27

Books and supplies: $1, 22 estimated miscellaneous expenses: $2,47

Total amount: $25,354

Note: This figure refers to the cost of students living in the state. If you live off campus (most schools are not allowed to live off campus in grade one, but are allowed to start your own business after grade two), you can save some money.

tuition for out-of-state students (including international students): $38,236 Room charge)： $5 5,17 Board rate)： $4 4,27

books and supplies: $1, 22 estimated miscellaneous expenses: $3,71

Total amount: $52,66

The difference in tuition fees shown above is similar in American universities. Obviously, the current economic downturn has led to a decrease in tax allocations for universities, and out-of-state and international students have immediately become cash cows for American public universities.

let's take a look at the tuition fees of Duke University, a famous representative private university, in 212-13: Tuition)： $44 44,11 Room charge)： $6 6,14

Board rate: $5, 63 estimated miscellaneous expenses: $3,472 total:

$59,343

Comparing this set of data, we can see that the difference in fees between private and public universities is not significant for international students, so the statement that going to public universities can save money does not exist for international students. At the same time, I have listed all the expenses of other famous private universities in 212-13 here for the reference of interested people: Harvard (P > University) $54,496, Yale University )$58 58,6 and Stanford

University)$54. 56 Columbia University $61,642 Brown University $55,16 Carnegie Mellon University $59,71

From these data, it is not difficult to see that if you want to study in the United States, you have to pay the school $5,-6, before you start school every year before you have the opportunity to enter the American school.

2. Personal consumption

1. Travel expenses:

According to the round-trip airfare between Beijing and Washington, the economy class can range from 1,-3, dollars (including tax) according to different seasons. The students' holiday is just the tourist season, and the price is often extremely high if they don't buy tickets in advance.

2. Non-immigrant identity documents include visa fees:

Most students hold F-1 student visas, which are non-immigrant visas. Once a visa expires, they need to return to the United States with a valid I-2 form, so when considering international travel expenses, they should also consider the relevant visa fees.

3. Fees for mobile phones and Internet access:

American universities have wireless Internet access everywhere. If you live on campus, the tuition and fees have already included this part. If you live off campus, you need to consider it. Generally, TV cable Internet access is about 4 dollars a month. Depending on the signed plan, mobile phones can range from 3 dollars to more than 1 dollars a month.

4. Gasoline and driving insurance:

The United States is a nation on wheels. Without a car, universities in the suburbs can hardly move. Buying a car is a fixed expense, but repairing a car is hard to predict. Gasoline is now around $3 per gallon, which may vary depending on how many miles you drive every year. The driving insurance for unmarried young people is very expensive, and it is almost effortless to spend $4 or $5 a month on the car.

5. Medical and life insurance:

This is extremely important, and it is also neglected by many parents and international students in China. In particular, a series of recent cases have prompted American universities to step up their requirements in this respect. In April this year, Ke Wang, a China student at California State University Northridge, was paralyzed by a car accident. Although the perpetrators were brought to justice, medical and insurance problems related to the case surfaced. Similarly, Maherina, an international student from China, lost her student status because she couldn't go to school because of waist disease. Her parents couldn't get a visa to visit relatives, and at the same time she faced economic and medical problems. In response to this series of thorny issues, many American universities have issued a series of rigid new regulations. For example, Harvard University requires international students to produce medical insurance certificates from American insurance companies, otherwise they must pay an annual health insurance fee of $2,168 to enter the school, and the medical insurance they buy should cover the cost of international medical transportation in an emergency. Medical insurance of more than 2, yuan a year is not very expensive in the United States, but once you get sick, it will cost 4 to 5 dollars to see a simple cold and fever without insurance, not to mention other things

Third, scholarships, grants, loans and work-study programs in American universities

As mentioned above, I will only briefly describe this part in this article and will write a special article in the future.

1. Merit based scholarship

This is somewhat similar to the scholarship in China. Some universities in the United States offer such scholarships, including Johns Hopkins, Duke University, University of Southern California, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and University of Washington. Students need to apply for this kind of scholarship separately (writing application composition, providing recommendation letter, etc.). However, in recent years, the economy is not good, this kind of scholarship has shrunk seriously, and the competition is fierce. If you want to keep this kind of scholarship within four years after entering the school, you must maintain a certain GPA and other attached conditions.

2. Need-based scholarship

This is a bit like China's scholarship. Most schools in the United States offer this kind of scholarship. As long as it meets the admission criteria, whether or not to get this kind of scholarship depends only on family conditions, and has nothing to do with academic performance, talent, sports performance, etc., but domestic media often call it a scholarship. Almost all Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT, California Institute of Technology, etc. in the United States only set up such scholarships based on needs, but not on achievements. It is worth noting that in recent years, this kind of scholarship has been seriously shrinking, and the opportunities for American students are getting less and less. The award to international students has attracted protests from American students and media attention. Because the rights and interests of taxpayers in the United States are inviolable, the prospects for international students in China are extremely pessimistic.

3. Loan:

This is a subsidy that needs to be repaid, so it is basically impossible for international students.

4. Work-study program:

Students' visas are not allowed to work outside the campus. Once they are found to be in violation, their visas will be revoked directly, because it violates the immigration law. It is allowed to work on campus, but looking for a job on campus is in competition with American children, and both language and experience are at a disadvantage; In addition, full-time students are not allowed to work more than 2 hours a week. This kind of work generally pays the federal minimum wage of $7.5 an hour. In this way, they can earn up to $5 to $6 a month before tax, and the opening time of a university is about eight months. In theory, they can earn no more than $5, a year before tax, which is really a drop in the bucket compared with the huge tuition fees. Moreover, according to my experience of bringing nearly 2 student assistants every semester in recent years, it is a bit overwhelming for American students to work 1 hours a week. If they work 2 hours, it is simply impossible for foreign students who are still under pressure in language to maintain good grades.

Fourth, the trend of tuition fees increasing year after year

According to the statistics of Sallie

Mae, the largest private student loan institution, the latest trend of American universities is not only that scholarships and grants are decreasing day by day, but also that tuition fees are rising every year. According to a recent survey released by the National Statistics Center of the US Department of Education, the tuition fees of American public universities have increased by 9% on average in the past academic year, with California as high as 21%, and the tuition fees of public universities have been adjusted year after year. The non-profit private universities have also increased by 4%. Due to the relatively large base of tuition fees in private universities, the absolute value of this 4% is definitely not small.

V. Conclusion

Considering the above factors, I think that after studying in the United States for four years, $3, is a conservative base, which is still a situation where everything goes well and children are frugal. Therefore, families studying abroad can earn at least $75, a year to reconsider this choice. Otherwise, parents are really stretched and can't make up enough money, and if something happens, you will be gambling with your children.

In recent years, despite the triple blow of high tuition fees, rising year after year, and low financial aid, parents and international students in China have not been discouraged. According to the statistics of the Institute of International Education, the number of China students in the United States increased by 23% in 211 compared with that in 21, reaching 157,558, accounting for 21.8% of the total number of students studying in the United States, 5% more than that of Indian students.

At the same time, the domestic media gradually broke the reality that the returnees have difficulty in finding jobs, and over 4% of them earn only 3, to 5, yuan a month. At the same time, in the United States, I also saw that many foreign students attended ordinary or poor schools. Although the investment was not small, they could not get into graduate school and could not find a job after graduation. As a result, they could not maintain their identity and had to return to China in a daze. In the current economic downturn, not to mention undergraduates, even masters and doctors are facing the dual constraints of immigration status and job hunting, which I will specifically describe in the future.

Finally, I would like to remind that American universities follow the famous principle of "lenient entry and strict exit", and almost every university has a certain drop-out rate, especially after the first academic year. The school I teach is 2-3%, and the elimination rate of some famous universities even exceeds 5%, so remember, sending the children out is just the beginning, and what will be faced in the future will be a big test for parents and students.