Public vs Private Universities: Which is Better for International Students?

If you're an international student trying to study in the US, you've probably seen two types of universities, public and private. But what is the real difference? And more importantly, which one is better for you? Now, I am a international student from South Africa and I've studied at both public and private universities. So, I have experience both sides. Now, in this video, I'm going to break down exactly what's the difference between the two and which one is best for you. So, let's get started. [Music] Now the biggest difference between a public and a private university is who funds them. Now public universities are actually funded by state governments. And basically what that means is that the state's government such as the state of Texas or the state of New York, that government actually funds the public universities. And the way it funds it is through taxes. So it collects taxes from the residents of that state and then it gives that money to the public universities. Now the big thing about this is because public universities are funded by the government. It means that they typically offer lower tuition for instate residents or basically what that means is for people who are a resident of that state they typically get lower tuition rates. So they usually have larger campuses with more students than private institutions. Now let's actually look at private universities. So private universities are funded by private donations and tuition. The endowments that these private institutions have are what they use in order to run their campuses. And the way the endowments work is that people who've previously attended the institution or have connections with the institution will typically donate to that private university. So those donations along with the tuition that the university collects from its students is the way it gets money or the way private universities get their funding. And basically what that means is that there's no difference between the instate or outofstate tuition. And that means that everybody who attends that institution regardless of where they come from will pay the same price. So the price that everyone pays is going to be the same unlike at public universities where people who are residents of the states will usually get a lower tuition rate. Now the other big thing about private universities is that they're usually smaller and they have more personalized education. So they have smaller campuses, smaller student population and also typically a smaller subset of majors for you to major in. So in simple terms, public universities are supported by the government and private universities rely on tuition and private donors. All right. So let's talk about the cost now because as an international student, this is a huge factor. Now the average tuition cost for international students at public universities is typically going to be between 30 to $45,000. And this is typically the outofstate tuition that international students would be paying. Now, this is typically three times more than the in-state tuition that residents will be paying. And I actually made a video on that and I'm going to be putting it up here somewhere whereby I show how you as an international student can get instate tuition. Now, the average tuition cost for international students for private universities, they range between $40,000 to $60,000 plus. And there are private universities that are charging up to $80,000. So, the price is definitely increasing. So, at first glance, public universities seem cheaper. Private universities often offer more financial aid even to international students. For example, Harvard University, which is a private university, says that if your family earns under, I believe was like $75,000, then you pay nothing to attend. So, if you get into Harvard University and your family makes less than $75,000 per year, then you can attend Harvard for free. So, this is an example of while public universities look cheaper, private universities might actually be more affordable if you qualify for financial aid. Now, I have created a full video on how tuition works in the United States. Again, I'm going to put it up here somewhere, but here's a quick summary, right? So, public universities charge different rates based on whether you're a resident of the state or not. So, again, goes back to that whole thing. If you are actually a resident of the state, then you pay less in tuition than somebody who is not a resident of the state. The next thing is that private universities charge the same tuition for everyone whether you're from the US or another country. Now, the third thing is that instate tuition is much cheaper. But usually international students don't qualify for it unless they follow a strategy like I had mentioned where you go to community college first then you transfer. And I actually made a video about that and I'll put it again up here somewhere so that you can watch it. All right, having said that, let's answer the big question. Which one is better for international students? Public universities or private universities? Well, I'm going to actually say it depends. So, public universities are actually better for international students if you can qualify for instate tuition because then your prices are going to be much lower. If you want a big campus experience with like sports and social life and lots of programs, if you're looking for practical career focused degrees in like business and engineering or healthcare, this is because there's just so many majors on public universities than there are on private universities. So, if any of those three things are attractive to you, then definitely consider going to a public university. Now, as for private university, you should go to a private university as an international student if you need financial aid or scholarships because there's a lot of financial aid and scholarships that private universities give to international students. Another reason to go to a private university is if you prefer small class sizes and a more personal education. So again, private universities have smaller campuses and smaller student populations. So what that means is that the class sizes are typically smaller than that of public institutions. So if you want to get a small class size, then definitely look at private universities. Another reason to look at a private university as an international student is if you want a degree with global recognition. This is a degree such as the ones you get at the Ivy League or Stanford or MIT. So, if you want a degree with global recognition, then definitely consider going to a private university. So, here are my recommendations based on your situation. If you can afford it or if you can get financial aid, then choose a top university such as the Ivy League or Stanford or MIT, etc. If you can't afford it and you're looking to save money, then definitely start at a community college, then transfer to a public university as that will allow you to get instate tuition and it will allow you to save a lot of money. Now, either way, do your own research and compare your options before making this decision as it's vitally important that you get this right. If you found this video helpful, then definitely smash that like button, subscribe, and turn on notifications so that you can get more insights from me about international student topics. Now, having said that, thank you so much for watching and I'll be seeing you in the next