O_O

[jhameia]

So UC Santa Barbara has this Cost of Attendance calculator which the advisor linked me to and I checked it out.

Tuition: $12192
Student Services Fees: $746
Books and Supplies: $1414
Food: $2484
Telephone: $281
Transportation: $1214
Health Care Allowance: $2345
Personal Expenses: $1512
Rent: $13198
Utilities: $422
Non-Resident Tuition Fee: $14694
Additional Non-Resident Education Fee: $408
Total:$50910

Given how the US Dollar keeps falling, my family could probably handle it, but.... but... BUT. The Non-Resident Tuition is more than 100% the tuition.

I have NEVER seen this before. EVER. I mean, HOW?

OK FINE IT IS LIKE ONLY 5% MORE BUT STILL. I'm used to seeing int'l student fees match tuition fees, NOT EXCEED THEM.

I'll be on my bed weeping and wondering if it's worthwhile to apply anywhere now.

Comments

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

California is pretty notorious for this. Years back, it helped also make college more affordable for folks IN CA, but that's not true anymore.

Anyway, most people end up moving here for a year to establish residency THEN going to school.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

I knew this was the deal, but seeing the numbers, like, WHOA. I mean, like I said, I've seen int'l fees _matching_ tuition, but not _exceeding_ them.

That's also sad to hear that int'l fees no longer benefit locals... that's the point of them! =/

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

That's also sad to hear that int'l fees no longer benefit locals... that's the point of them! =/

I mean, they do, but it's just that the tuition for everyone is going up so fast it really doesn't feel that way or matter.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

US schools usually treat out-of-state students the same way Canadian schools treat international students; someone going there from Nevada would get creamed the same way that you or I would. It's one of those things that guaranteed I wouldn't be applying to US schools. :P

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm still boggling over it. I'd still have to pay these fees either way, but this makes me really hope to get into a Canadian school, since then I can start applying for PR-ship.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, non-resident tuition is dire :(

The good news, such as it is, is that if the department offers to cover tuition (which grad schools do sometimes!) then that includes the non-resident tuition. And I think they do that more often than they offer actual money, but if you can swing that plus TA positions, it is livable, cause the UC system has a good grad student union.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but int'l students aren't often offered needs-based financial aid, so I'd have to earn all those scholarships.

[shweta-narayan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and that's basically rolling the dice & hoping. I know my department tries to find something for every student it accepts, but of course departments vary. But... it can happen? And they're all *aware* that intl students need the extra tuition covered, so I think the actual departments often try harder for us if they have the ability.

which is a big if, of course :/

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

*Hugs* :(

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thanks.

[karcy.livejournal.com]

You and I are in a very similar boat.

Are there any chances of you securing a TA position before you begin your first semester proper, though?

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Depends on the school. Mac, for example, guarantees a TA-ship for all their grad students.

[heyiya.livejournal.com]

Many PhD programs offer full funding such that you never even have to think about tuition. The UCs can be difficult and often don't guarantee it, but I think most PhD students there are not paying tuition, either. Often when you are offered admission there will be a funding 'package' where you will be offered a mix of TAships and fellowships; even in the current dire economic climate, I think you are very unlikely to expected to bear the whole cost yourself. PhDs are labor for the university at least as much as they are students, remember.

I only applied to fully funded programs in the US because I knew that I wouldn't be able to pay any kind of tuition, which is how I ended up at a private university; I know it gets more competitive every year and it's all pretty much a mess, but there are still a lot of programs that do this and it's worth taking into account.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about that myself. I'm just... boggling at the cost, really. And of course there's the whole WHAT IF I DONT GET FUNDING COS I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH AH AAAHH AAAAAHHHHH side-panicking.

[infi-chan.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, Non-resident tuition being higher is sort of normal some places. My tuition at York was about two or three times what it was for British students.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

That's ridiculous O_O

[melissagrey.livejournal.com]

Since the UCs are state schools, their tuition disparity is going to be greater than most private liberal arts universities in the US. It can sweet if you're a state resident but sucks for everyone who isn't.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it looks like even state residents are having s tough time =/

[februaryfour]

Yeah, I had to wait an entire year before applying to University of Colorado because of this. I won't start until January 2012 because I arrived in the USA in November 2010. Even then, because I only got my driver's license in _LATE JANUARY 2011_, they classified me as non-resident. Thank god the residency coordinator took pity on me and used Doug to classify me as resident.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Oh, yikes!