5 Cheapest States for International Students to Study in USA

If you're an international student trying to study in the US, then your biggest problem is probably going to be tuition. And unlike American students, you don't automatically qualify for instate tuition or even financial aid. But I want to give you some good news because in this video, I'm going to show you some of the most affordable states in the United States. In fact, I'm going to show you five of the most affordable states where basically international students on average pay the least amount of money. And I'll also show you how to find like hidden tuition hacks that can save you thousands of dollars. [Music] Now, a little bit about me. I'm actually William and I came from South Africa to the US in 2013. I actually started out at a community college. Then I eventually went on to get my master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Now, I've spent years helping students just like you figure out how to do this whole thing smarter and of course cheaper. So, without further ado, let's actually just dive right in. So, here's what most people don't realize. Public universities in the United States are funded by each state and not by the national government. So each state actually decides how much to charge their international students. Now some states treat international students like cash machines while other states are very surprisingly generous and offer lower tuition and also give scholarships to non-citizens which include international students. So let's actually count down the most affordable states where international students pay less on average for their tuition. So number five is actually New Mexico. Now the average international tuition there is like 13,000 to 17,000 per year and New Mexico has schools like the New Mexico State University which offer you know lower base tuition. They also offer scholarships specifically for international students and plus also their cost of living is super low compared to other states. Now, I'll be honest. New Mexico is a very underrated state, but if you want affordable education and a beautiful desert landscape, then New Mexico is worth a look. It's definitely underrated. Number four, North Dakota. Now, in North Dakota, the average international tuition is like 12,000 to 15,000 per year. And I agree, it's cold, but it's also crazy affordable. You know, there are schools there like North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota where they offer instate tuition rates to Canadian and some international students and they also have some automatic merit-based scholarships and they are also growing in STEM and engineering programs. So, they have pretty great schools. Now, for international students who want affordability and a strong degree, North Dakota is actually a hidden gem. You know, not many people go there. So, you will have a great chance at getting in and also getting a scholarship. Now, number three is actually Texas, but you kind of need a hack here. Now, the average international tuition rate here is 17,000 to 23,000 per year, but it depends if you do this hack. Now, the hack is to firstly start at a community college. Then, you're going to join FTE Kapper, and then you're going to transfer. Now, why this works is because Texas Low allows international students to get instate tuition if they earn a scholarship, even if it's just a $1,000 scholarship. Now, 530 Kappa actually guarantee scholarships to many Texas universities. And basically, what that means is that you could save over 10,000 a year by just, you know, moving smarter and going to community college first and then to university in Texas. Now, I did a whole video on this and it's one of the most powerful tuition hacks for international students. So, I'm going to list it up here so you know exactly how to do it. Now, state number two is actually Florida, where the average international tuition is 14 to 18,000 per year. And Florida is very international studentfriendly. And you'll find that especially at like Florida International University or even the University of Central Florida. These schools actually offer many scholarships to international students. And also the cost of living can be low if you avoid like the tourist heavy cities. And also the weather is paradise. So if you want paradise, if you want great weather, then Florida is for you. Oh, one other thing is there's a very strong Latino, Caribbean, and African student community in Florida, which makes it very, very welcoming. Now, the number one state to go to if you want cheap tuition is Wyoming, where the average tuition is from 11,000 to 14,000 per year. And this is the cheapest in the country. And by no exaggeration, you know, there are schools like the University of Wyoming which offer, you know, some of the lowest tuition for international students. They also have high quality education in like engineering, energy, and business and also offer scholarships and low competition for those scholarships, right? Yes, Wyoming is rural, but if you want an American degree with minimal debt, then this is your move. Wyoming is a great place to go if you want to save money. Now, I'm going to throw you guys a bonus. You know how to pay less no matter where you go, right? So, no matter which date you go to, here are three tuition hacks every international student should just know in order to, you know, benefit from paying lower tuition. And what I'm going to say is the first hack is start at a community college. You know, this is a 2 years of cheap tuition and then you transfer, right? It's going to save you a ton of money. Again, I made a video on this, but after you start there, join FTHEA Kapper because this opens doors to scholarships for even non-citizens or should I say international students. So, look for instate tuition for international students and try and Google that with different colleges to see if they offer instate tuition for international students because this will save you a lot of money. But again, just to recap on everything, you know, Wyoming is going to be your cheapest option if you want the best tuition. Florida, there's very big schools over there. There's great international student support. In Texas is going to be the next one where if you use this scholarship hack that I told you guys about for instate tuition, then you'll be fine. Of course, the next one would be North Dakota because of the low tuition, but it's very cold there. And then New Mexico. Again, low tuition. And if you like desert, then New Mexico is for you. But basically, these are the five states where you can get the lowest tuition as an international student. And of course, it's going to change as time goes by, but it's still going to allow you to start thinking about how you as an international student can pay less in tuition. So, the goal here is not just to study harder, but to study smarter, right? Your US education doesn't have to cost a fortune. And I've made a couple of videos now to show you how you could decrease the cost of actually studying in America. Now, I'm going to put some tags up here so you guys can actually see some of those other videos as it will definitely help you out when it comes to trying to figure out how you're going to be paying for your college and university in America. So, thank you so much for watching. If you like this video, then definitely like and subscribe as that lets me know that these are the type of videos that you want to see. And also leave a comment down below, you know, detailing which state you're thinking about studying in and why. It would definitely be interesting as you know your insights will help other international students figure out where they want to study. So definitely leave a comment down below. So thank you so much for watching and I'll be seeing you in the next video.