Study in USA - Costs and Requirements Foreign Students Need to Know

Studying abroad is actually very costly. Yes, it is true that aiming to be in universities can cost an arm and a leg. You have to consider the fee for the visa application, tuition in the university, and finally the living expenses once you are already in the US. There will always be scholarship programs but still you need to have some money for your living expenses. Though everybody knows the expense in studying abroad, there are still a lot of students who long to experience education in the US.

Aside from the costs to be paid, there are also a number of requirements once should acquire prior to studying. The visa application can take a lot of time and is pretty costly too. The first thing candidates need to do is to get enrolled in the university of their own choice. This is done by completing the requirements of the said university. Usually, this will include an entrance examination in the form of essays where they can gauge how good an applicant is in using the English language. Another requirement needed is an English proficiency examination like the IELTS or the International English Language Testing System examination. Schools have particular scores required for their applicants. What applicants need to do is to get the acquired score. Students should learn more on these by visiting the university’s or college’s website. Once you are accepted and officially enrolled in that certain academic institution, then one can already start processing the other documents for his or her student visa. When you are granted a US student visa, the next thing you should be worrying about is the costs that you need to pay once in the US.

Of all expenses, the tuition is the most expensive item one must be worrying in his or her education. The tuition in the US can start from USD10,000 up to a whooping USD55,000 a year. Yes, that is a big sum of money. Scholarship grants are up for grants for those lucky and really smart individuals. The next thing you need to consider is the accommodation. Most often, freshmen are asked to live on-campus for them to adjust with the environment and living on-campus can be pretty more expensive than staying off-campus. Rent can range from USD3,000 to USD8,000 a year. People living in their own apartments still need to consider the utilities such as electricity, telephone, gas, travel allowance, clothing, and food. A budget of USD500 can cover these other expenses.

Studying abroad is promising yet one should be aware on the cost of living once there. Students should be prepared financially once decided to study in the land of milk and honey.