Cheap US school for International Student

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Posted in College Search and Selection and International Students.</p>

<p>Hi guys,
I hail from a poor south-east Asian country and it has been 10 years since I graduated high school. I started studying in Germany but had to drop off due to financial difficulties.
After spending the last 3 years working at a software company, I am looking forward to continue studying in the US. </p>

<p>Which school would you recommend someone with :</p>

<ul>
<li><p>No letters of recommendation
never asked for one, my former teachers definitely have forgotten me by now.</p></li>
<li><p>a pretty good ACT score (I think...)
After not attending any class for years, tried my hand on doing a full ACT test from an ACT practice book scored 28 or 29. Almost full score in Reading and Science, pretty good in English and abysmal in Math. If I were to study Math, I am pretty sure I can get it up to 30-31 at least since I couldnt understand many math problems due to the language barrier.
Haven't tried SAT yet because it's so time consuming.</p></li>
<li><p>Weak financial capabilities
Can afford up to 10k $ per year. So will be looking for loans, grants, scholarship, etc. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Other things that might be relevants :</p>

<ul>
<li><p>TOEFL should be no problem at all.
Except for having to waste 250$ on it.</p></li>
<li><p>Not really caring for the college / university rank / reputation
As long as it provides an okay education with affordable price</p></li>
<li><p>Dont mind attending college with religious affiliation</p></li>
<li><p>Preferred majors would be Economics or History</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks for your help !</p>

<p>PS
By the way, I will be around 28 years old by the time I enroll as a freshman
if that has an effect on anything.</p>

2

<p>Really, a community college would be an excellent way to start. Beyond that, look at the State and City Universities of New York:</p>

<p>[State</a> University of New York Prospective Student Website](<a href=“http://www.suny.edu/student/index.cfm]State”>http://www.suny.edu/student/index.cfm)
[More</a> than 4000 courses throughout New York City - Continuing Education - The City University of New York](<a href=“http://web.cuny.edu/academics/academic-programs/con-ed.html]More”>http://web.cuny.edu/academics/academic-programs/con-ed.html)</p>

3

<p>im impressed with ur will and plan. u should start with community colleges, just find the state u like the best. maybe try with private colleges, they might give u a full ride coz u really are unique.
i really wish u all the best and hope ull manage to find something. please keep us updated</p>

4

<p>If you do go the community college route, try moving to Virginia. The Northern Virginia Community College system is not only topnotch, if you can maintain decent grades you have guaranteed admissions to almost all of the universities in Virginia (including top schools like William and Mary and UVa). It’s cheaper for you since community colleges are cheap, and you’ll only have to pay for two years at the university (which is still fairly cheap) instead of four. You can read about it [url=<a href=“http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/directories--offices/administrative-offices/academic/guaranteed-adm/index.html]here[/url”>http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/directories--offices/administrative-offices/academic/guaranteed-adm/index.html]here[/url</a>]. And since many of these schools are public, they will be a lot more affordable to you than a private university in another state.</p>

5

<p>Bemidji State University for sure. It is in Minnesota and offers degrees in history and economics. It is not difficult to be admitted. As long as you don’t mind the cold, this very inexpensive four-year college will be fine. Bemidji State offers resident in-state tuition to international students. You might consider going for a year and then transferring if it doesn’t suit you. This is a very beautiful part of the U.S. People like to come here on vacation because of the lakes and forests.
[Facts:</a> Bemidji State University (International Program Center list)](<a href=“http://www.bemidjistate.edu/students/international/facts.html]Facts:”>http://www.bemidjistate.edu/students/international/facts.html)</p>

<p>Tuition will be about $6500 per year. Living in the dorms, room and board will be about $6500 per year. You will need a place to live! That is one problem with community colleges, which are also inexpensive. They don’t usually have dorms. The price for a school year at Bemidji State would be around $14,000 per year total.
[Tuition</a> & Fees - Undergraduate Admissions - Bemidji State University](<a href=“http://www.bemidjistate.edu/admissions/undergrad/explore/costs/tuition/]Tuition”>http://www.bemidjistate.edu/admissions/undergrad/explore/costs/tuition/)
Many international students live on campus in the Open Borders Learning Community dorm area. This would be good because you would be likely to get a Minnesota student as a roommate. </p>

<p>(If you are worried about the cold, there are walkways and tunnels that connect the dorms and classrooms so if you don’t want to put on your coat and boots to go out in the snow in the winter, you don’t have to.) </p>

<p>International students can start fall semester or spring semester, but they can’t start in the summer. (I don’t know why.)</p>

6

<p>

You can get letters of recommendations from your supervisors and coworkers! I would not systematically exclude all colleges that require recommendations because most four-year colleges require at least one.</p>

<p>I used to maintain a list of colleges with full-tuition scholarship for international students, but that’s pretty outdated by now. Maybe the current college applicants have some suggestions for you in that venue.</p>

<p>

Have you considered going back to Germany? A college education in Germany should be much more affordable than a college education in the US because public universities in Germany don’t charge tuition. </p>

<p>Or you could take advantage of opportunities in both Germany and the US. For example, you could get a 3-year Bachelor’s degree in Germany and then a Master’s degree in the US instead of a 4-year Bachelor’s degree in the US. I got the impression that it is easier to get funding for a Master’s degree in the US, at least in the form of a tuition waiver. Or you could participate in a study-abroad program at a German university and get free tuition at an American university for a semester that way.</p>

7

<p>The NY State Schools are a good place to look. Many are considered Best Values for the dollar. </p>

<p>SUNY Geneseo was named the #2 Best Value for OOS Students (Kiplinger 2010 rankings). </p>

<p>It is a small LAC in Western New York that has been a rising star in the SUNY system for years. Functions pretty much like an honors college within SUNY attracting very bright well rounded students. </p>

<p>Geneseo continues to “expand their borders” so international students are appealing. </p>

<p>[SUNY</a> Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo](<a href=“http://www.geneseo.edu%5DSUNY”>http://www.geneseo.edu)</p>