I’m a British Citizen and I completed my IGCSE examinations at a boarding school in Switzerland. I attained four As, two As and two Bs at this level. After this I moved back to my hometown in England to complete my last two years of school and A-Level examinations which I have not yet completed but have predicted A-A grades in all taken subjects. I have not yet taken my SATS
I would like to go somewhere new for university. It has always been a dream of mine to go to university in California, however my parents are not willing to pay for any of my further education after I finish high school. I have seen that it is also exceedingly difficult to get financial aid and visas to work to support myself whilst in college in the US as a UK citizen. Plus, I feel like this may be a problem for me as my boyfriend of 3 years who moved in with me in January is planning on coming with me to where I decide to go to university and get a job for himself whilst I do my degree (he did a degree in music which took him 3 years to complete and he has finished it now). It will most likely be nearly impossible for him to attain a visa in the states.
Because of this I explored my other options. I saw that universities in Australia seem a like the new experience I was looking for, plus both me and my boyfriend would be able to work since getting a visa is exceedingly easy as a British citizen. The only thing is that I always wanted the whole university experience with all the parties and sororities and fraternities which I don’t think I’d be able to get with a university in Australia.
I would have to take out a loan whatever I decide to do as my parents will not be supporting me financially. Any advice you guys may have is greatly appreciated, I am really not sure what to do?
I assume you have done the math for Aussie unis? They will be $$ for international, plus the out of control cost of living, Australia is now having it’s own financial crisis and while a study visa will be easy (because education is a consumer product) working is not guaranteed. Who is going to guarantee your loan? How can you get a loan for education in country you don’t live in? Would it be a private parenteral loan?
Anyway, the schools all have financial pages for internationals for math, plus you need $18,000 AUD just to land in Aus as a student so you can support yourself. The up side is if Sydney or Melbourne were on the cards, these are top universities. If you are not looking at top schools, UK options would probably be superior.
Hi there! I’m also an international applicant and I chose Pomona College (a prestigious liberal arts college in California) over the University of Melbourne. I agree with @Alfonsia, although the Australian visa allows you to work, getting a job is hard, and even if you do, chances are that you will end up with a low-paying that might even interfere with your studies. On the other hand, US colleges give out really generous financial aid and I think you should check out their policies. The scholarship money I got from Melb was like half of the financial offer from Pomona.
Australia has much friendlier immigration policies than the US does. So go there. Or, if you don’t mind the weather, go to Canada.
You are absolutely correct that your boyfriend would not be able to get a visa to work here. If you were married and you were to be able to find an affordable college or university here, he would be able to accompany you as your spouse, but he would not be able to get a job.
If your parents will not help you pay for your education, in order to study in the US you would need to receive a true full-ride scholarship that covered everything - tuition, fees, books, materials, housing, food, personal expenses, transportation from your home country, the income taxes owed on scholarship money that covered things that aren’t specifically required by the college/university (yes, the money for anything beyond the cost of tuition, fees, books, and materials is considered to be taxable income), etc. You cannot borrow money in the US without a US citizen or legal resident who is willing to co-sign your loans.
You do not state why your parents were willing to pay for that Swiss boarding school, but now are unwilling to pay for your tertiary education - even if you were to remain in the UK. Does this have anything to do with the boyfriend who has moved in with you?
Your situation is complicated. I second the suggestions that you should be wary of being able to work in Australia after graduation, and taking the degree there may not be the most promising for you long-term. Yes, if you can get close to a full-ride in the U.S. for undergrad, that may be an option. Why haven’t you considered one of the educations in the EU? It would cost you much less in many locations. Or you could investigate the Erasmus programs, etc.
I am not clear what your educational goals are, but with strong undergrad and academic plans, a graduate program such as a PhD track will often offer full tuition plus stipend, if that is a career goal. That may be a better option for coming to the U.S. in terms of finances; possibly Australia as well.
There is much more involved for an undergraduate education than just an easy passport. Reesearch your plans carefully before committing.