Table of Contents
While the US remains the world’s most popular destination for international students, it’s also among the most expensive choices. However, although the headline costs of studying in the US may be daunting, often involving a string of five-digit numbers, it’s worth checking all the facts on fees and funding options before you make up your mind, as it may work out cheaper than you initially think.
But before you abandon all hope of spending your student years playing baseball, going to the drive-thru and generally carving out your own version of the American dream, be reassured: there may be a way.
Check out the recent tuition and financial aid for these 10 US universities before you start enrolling for one.
1. Tuition for University of West Alabama
- Estimated tuition fees: $10,990 (in-state) / $20,090 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,200
- Living cost: $11,075 (on campus) / $10,705 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $4,010 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,852 (pell grants), $9,648 (federal student loans)
West Alabama is an above-average public university located in Livingston, Alabama. It is a small institution with an enrollment of 1,836 undergraduate students. Admissions is fairly competitive as the West Alabama acceptance rate is 40%. Popular majors include Liberal Arts and Humanities, Nursing, and Education. Graduating 31% of students, West Alabama alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $26,400.
2. Tuition for University of Arizona
- Estimated tuition fees: $12,711 (in-state) / $12,691 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $800
- Living cost: $16,506 (on campus) / $40,425 (off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $5,579 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,257 (pell grants), $8,538 (federal student loans)
The University of Arizona is a public research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885, the UofA was the first university in the Arizona Territory. As of 2019, the university enrolled 45,918 students in 19 separate colleges/schools. The University of Arizona offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees.
3. Tuition for University of Florida
- Estimated tuition fees: $6,381 (in-state) / $28,659 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $850
- Living cost: $13,980 (both on and off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $9,528 (grant or scholarship aid), $5,205 (pell grants), $5,997 (federal student loans)
University of Florida is a highly rated public university located in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and traces its origins to 1853 and has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September 1906. It is the third largest Florida university by student population, and is the eighth largest single-campus university in the United States with 54,906 students enrolled for the fall 2018 semester.
The University of Florida is home to 16 academic colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. It offers multiple graduate professional programs—including business administration, engineering, law, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine—on one contiguous campus, and administers 123 master’s degree programs and 76 doctoral degree programs in eighty-seven schools and departments.
4. Tuition for University of Houston
- Estimated tuition fees: $9,221 (in-state) / $28,659 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,300
- Living cost: $13,940 (on campus) / $16,575 (off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $6,612 (grant or scholarship aid), $4,722 (pell grants), $7,546 (federal student loans)
Located in Houston, Texas, University of Houston is a public institution. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Founded in 1927, UH is the third-largest university in Texas with over 46,000 students.
5. Tuition for University of Utah
- Estimated tuition fees: $7,697 (in-state) / $26,940 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,232
- Living cost: $13,557 (on campus) / $13,626 (off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $6,131 (grant or scholarship aid), $3,683 (pell grants), $5,344 (federal student loans)
The University of Utah is a public flagship research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret,[1] making it Utah’s oldest institution of higher education. It received its current name in 1892, four years before Utah attained statehood, and moved to its current location in 1900.
6. Tuition of Harvard Law School
- Estimated tuition fees: $44,990
- Book and supplies: $1,000
- Living cost: $19,570
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $48,524 (grant or scholarship aid), $7,389 (pell grants), $54,594 (federal student loans)
Harvard Law School is the law school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. Each class in the three-year JD program has approximately 560 students, among the largest of the top 150 ranked law schools in the United States.
7. Tuition of Johnson and Wales University
- Estimated tuition fees: $31,158 (in-state) / $32,249 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,500
- Living cost: $16,218 (on campus) / $9,409 (off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $16,493 (grant or scholarship aid), $4,909 (pell grants), $20,243 (federal student loans)
Johnson & Wales University is a private career-oriented university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU currently has 12,930 graduate, undergraduate, and online students enrolled in arts & sciences, business, culinary arts, engineering & design, food systems, health & wellness, hospitality, media communications, travel & tourism, and sustainable practices across its campuses.
8. Tuition of Oregon State University
- Estimated tuition fees: $9,075 (in-state) / $27,735 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,200
- Living cost: $14,049 (both on and off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $6,360 (grant or scholarship aid), $5,085 (pell grants), $6,199 (federal student loans)
Oregon State University is a public research university in Corvallis, Oregon. The university offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. With a student enrollment approaching 32,000, it is Oregon’s largest university.
9. Tuition of William and Mary
- Estimated tuition fees: $14,613 (in-state) / $32,425 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,400
- Living cost: $13,942 (on campus) / $14,449 (off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $16,715 (grant or scholarship aid), $4,612 (pell grants), $20,947 (federal student loans)
The College of William & Mary is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, after Harvard University. In addition to its undergraduate program, W&M is home to several graduate programs and four professional schools.
10. Tuition of Yale Law School
- Estimated tuition fees: $51,400
- Book and supplies: $3,670
- Living cost: $16,220 (both on and off campus)
- Number of financial aid (average per student): $49,051 (grant or scholarship aid), $6,695 (pell grants), $55,860 (federal student loans)
Yale Law School (often referred to as Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1824, it has been the top-ranked law school in the United States by U.S. News and World Report every year since the magazine began publishing law school rankings in the 1980s.
The school’s small size and prestige make its admissions process the most selective of any law school in the United States, with an acceptance rate of 6.7% in the 2017-18 cycle. Its yield rate of 85% is consistently the highest of any law school in the United States.
Final thoughts
To pay for college, always submit the FAFSA first. Accept grants, scholarships and work-study before student loans. If you need to borrow to pay for college, take out federal student loans before private ones. Federal loans have benefits that private loans don’t, including access to income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.
Scholarships, unlike student loans, don’t have to be paid back. Thousands are available; use a scholarship search tool to narrow your selection. While many scholarships require that you submit the FAFSA, most also have an additional application. For a starter, check out these full scholarships for international students in USA.
