<p>(I apologize if this thread is in the wrong place, a bit new here)</p>
<p>I've been looking at various colleges, and while a lot in the US are promising, I really have my eyes set on a university in the UK, namely St. Andrews.
I don't wish to get into talk of grades or weighing the benefits of overseas studies or anything like that. I just wish to speak from a strictly financial standpoint.</p>
<p>My high school had a rep from the college come visit a while back. He told me there's not much the school can do in terms of financial aid for American students, and that competition for scholarships is intense to say the least.
He put the tuition per year at around 32k. Now, my parents having been busting their butts and are already in debt from paying 60k+ per year for my sibling and I to attend a college prep school and have said that the really do not want to pay more for my college than what they're paying now for our high schools (30k each as you might gather). And here comes into play that problem of wanting to have a chance at my dream school and at the same wanting to keep my family off the streets.
I've looked at St. Andrew's website and there don't seem to be many options available. Any ideas?
All advice is appreciated.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you won’t be able to afford St. Andrews unless you get lucky and are one of those students who receives a very substantial merit award from the school. The fact is that there aren’t any other options or magic money trees waiting for you to find.</p>
<p>Remember that beyond tuition, living costs in the UK would be quite substantial, along with travel expenses (round-trip plane tickets could run up to $1,000) and health insurance payments… and depending on your visa, your ability to find work to help pay for all that could be quite limited.</p>
<p>I would go ahead and apply on the chance that, hey, maybe you’ll be one of those few who beat the competition and get enough financial aid to attend. But don’t get attached to the school and realize that if you don’t get significant funding, you’ll have to select another university.</p>
<p>You are not alone or even close to alone. Financial realities drive a large part of college choice. We can’t always afford what we want, and we have to learn to want what we can afford :)</p>
<p>What about room, board, books, int’l travel costs, and personal expenses. I’m not sure, but I don’t think you can work there.</p>
<p>My friend’s D went to Trinity in Ireland and she wasn’t allowed to work there. And the family had to show that she was coming to the country with enough money to fund everything while she was there…pocket money and all. I think her dad told me that it cost them about $55k per year to have her go to school there.</p>