EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series #10: Cost to Study in the U.S.By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, November 04, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue with our Foreign Student Series. Today, in part ten, we discuss the cost to attend a college or university in the United States.

Students who want to come to this country to study must have enough money to pay for each year of their education. There are different costs to consider. The cost to attend classes is called tuition. Room-and-board is the cost for a place to live at the school and for meals. You will also need money for books and supplies.

If you want to take part in social activities or buy things like music and clothes, you will need money for that, too. Educational advisers say foreign students should keep enough money in a local bank to pay for at least two months of spending.

So how much will a year at school cost? We will use the University of Arizona in Tucson as an example. Almost three thousand foreign students from one hundred thirty-five countries attended the University of Arizona last year. The school says foreign students pay almost twenty-six thousand dollars a year.

Many schools in the United States cost less than the University of Arizona. Others cost more.

The university says it generally offers no financial aid to undergraduate foreign students. However, some foreign students can receive aid that lets them avoid out-of-state costs. These are costs normally paid by any student whose family does not live in Arizona. Such aid can save about ten thousand dollars a year.

Foreign students who want to attend an American school must explain how they plan to pay for their education. For example, when you apply to the University of Arizona, you must identify any person who will help you pay for your education.

That person must sign the documents and also send proof from a bank to show that he or she has the money. If you will be paying the costs yourself, a banker in your country must write to confirm that you have enough money.

Your government or your employer may help you pay some of the costs of an education. It is a good idea to seek such financial aid at least eighteen months before you want to start your studies in the United States.

Our Foreign Student Series is online at voaspecialenglish dot com. And for information from the State Department, visit educationusa.state.gov.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.