2004-11-3
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.