Three different numbers, and only one of them is what you pay
Almost every disappointment in international admissions comes from confusing these three figures. They are not the same, they can differ by a large amount, and the one published on a university's homepage is the least useful of them.
1 · Sticker tuition
The published tuition figure. It covers instruction only. It is the number universities advertise and the number families most often plan around, and on its own it will mislead you in both directions — it excludes real costs, and it ignores aid you might receive.
2 · Total cost of attendance
Tuition plus the costs of actually being there: housing, food, health insurance, books, fees, transport and personal expenses. Health insurance in particular surprises families, and it is usually mandatory. This is the figure to plan against, and it is often substantially higher than sticker tuition.
3 · Net cost
Total cost of attendance minus any grant or scholarship you actually receive. This is what your family pays. It cannot be known before an admission and aid decision, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.
About scholarships
- Most international students do not receive a scholarship that covers most of their costs. Some receive nothing.
- Merit awards are competitive and usually partial. Need-based aid for international students is limited at most institutions and unavailable at many.
- A scholarship is not confirmed until it is in a written offer from the university.
- We will never estimate a scholarship figure for you before a university has made a decision.
How to plan
Plan against total cost of attendance for the full length of the degree, not the first year. Tuition and living costs generally rise between years. If the figure only works with a scholarship you have not yet been offered, it does not yet work.
Questions worth asking any university
- What is the total cost of attendance for an international student, not just tuition?
- Is health insurance mandatory, and what does it cost?
- What aid is actually available to international students, and how many receive it?
- How much have costs risen in the last three years?
- Can I work on campus, how many hours, and what does that realistically cover?
Why there are no figures on this page
Costs vary widely between institutions, states and years, and a figure published here would be out of date and misleading by the time you read it. We give you the structure of the question and the questions to ask; the numbers must come from the institution you are actually considering, in writing.