Quick summary I moved to Canada around 2 years ago, and now I have the opportunity to move back with my family. ButI am not sure if I should move back to the US with my family, I have already been accepted to University of Toronto, my top school, but if I have to pay international thats 52 k a year. That price is so scary, but if I move back to the US I am not sure what would happen to me because when I moved to Canada they moved me up a grade. Would my high school in the US move me back down so I could start my senior year in the fall of this year? I would be up for that. Any advice or opinions that are actually helpful would be appreciated.
If you move back to the US, would you be considered as OOS student by the time you enroll college?
@girlwquestions Aren’t you graduating high school in June? I don’t see how you could do a senior year if you’ve already graduated.
US colleges and universities can cost a lot more than $52K. Did you apply to any?
@billcsho @bouders I am leaning towards moving back and taking a gap year because I didn’t take the SAT or ACT and I didn’t apply to any US universities because I was not planning on moving back. It looks like my family is either going to move during summer or close to the end of this school year, so the chance of me being a high schooler in the US are significantly low. If I take a gap year I would have state residency by the time I applied to University. I understand US universities are costly but 52 k/year is more expensive than any schools I am going to apply to in the US.
If you have Canadian citizenship or Canadian permanent residence, then you would pay the same price as any Canadian citizen at any public university in Canada (which means pretty much any university that you have heard of in Canada). This is true regardless of whether you apply from a US high school (as we did) or from a Canadian high school.
There are a few cases where “out of province” Canadian prices are slightly higher than “in province” prices. However, from the perspective of someone used to US university prices, the difference is not enough to care.
Your citizenship and visa status is going to matter, so you should be clear about what this is.
Im a US citizen, but I am not a a Canadian PR or citizen but because Im a dependent of my dad who is here under a work visa I would be eligible for exemption from international fees at U of T because I fall under their eligibility for exemptions, so I could possibly pay domestic fees but only for my first year because I can only be exempted when my dad is here ( its difficult to explain sorry). So best case scenario I get one year domestic then three years international. But anyways other than that I am only in Canada under my dads work visa so I need a study permit to study here.
Yeah, take a gap year and apply to American colleges. Or McGill. Some McGill degrees are reasonably priced.
Are you an international (American) in Canada or are you a permanent resident there?
Is UToronto affordable? I’d go there if you can. (I thought it was much cheaper than 52k though).
You wouldn’t be allowed to do a senior year if you graduate from the Canadian high school. If you don’t graduate, just bring your 9th grade is transcript, your Canadian transcripts for the two years you lived there, and ask to reintegrate 12th grade at your local school.
@MYOS1634 Tuition at U of T was $46K CAD for international students this year. It’s likely to be $50K for students starting in September. It’s been going up by $4K each year. Room and board will be around $15K plus fees plus books etc. $52K USD is a good estimate for an international for arts and science. Fees for engineering and CS will be higher.
@girlwquestions Have you talked to U of T about your situation? Is it possible that your tuition could be set at the domestic cost for all 4 years? A study visa is easy to get. U of T will help with that. Have you talked to your parents about your situation? Which state are they planning to move to?
I guess I meant “if you’ve attended school in Canada and graduate from a Canadian high school, are you sure it’s 52k, don’t you pay the more modest Canadian fee? And what’s your exact status?”
However, for certain, if you graduate from a Canadian High school, even if they accelerated you, you won’t be able to enroll as a senior in a us HS, unless you’re currently in Quebec and will graduate Year 5 there which is 11th grade due to the cégep system.
@girlwquestions I think your assessment of you situation in post #3 is correct. There are some Canadian schools that are cheaper for internationals than uToronto. But if you can find a cheaper school in the US where you have domestic or in state tuition and you don’t mind taking a gap year to study for ACT or SAT, it’s sounds like a fine plan. Since you got into uToronto, you probably have a good GPA. You could take your gap year to do other educational things too - ECs you never had enough time for, take open enrollment classes at a local college, etc. The timing of your family’s move back to the US is pretty unfortunate for you, but it sounds like you can make the best of the situation, so good luck!
@bouders the OP understands their fee status well. They would be international and not eligible for exemption. http://www.fees.utoronto.ca/sessions/2017_2018/tuition_fees/international_fee_exemptions.htm
@geraniol I’m not sure they do understand their fee status well. From the page you linked:
“There are some Canadian schools that are cheaper for internationals than uToronto.”
Yup. This includes many if not most of the universities in Canada. Where my daughter is (a small university in eastern Canada) the total cost for international students is only very slightly less than our in-state public flagship in the US. It has however been slowly sneaking up over the years (as have the prices at our in-state flagship).
Of course, taking a gap year and applying as an in-state US citizen to a US public in-state university is also a very reasonable option. There are good reasons to take a gap year which include a lot more than just qualifying for in-state tuition.
Since my dad’s job hasn’t set a date for moving back other than during summer or before I have decided on a) taking a gap year to do all the things that @geraniol suggested and more, or b) redoing my senior year in the US. Option a is most likely to occur because we haven’t set a moving date yet and I would be paying in-state for university by the time I applied so thats a plus. I decided I am not taking the risk of going to U of T and having my tuition for an undergrad sneakily get higher than grad school, which I plan on doing. There are many other factors, personal and financial which I have not talked about, but thanks to all who gave really good advice. It just works out better if I move back rather than staying here. I cant thank you all enough for giving me your opinions and advice, it was really helpful.