The following are rough guidelines for international students:
| Private Institutions | Public Institutions | |
| Tuition Fee: | $35,000—$50,000 | $20,000—$35,000 |
| Room & Board: | $10,000—$15,000 | |
| Personal & Miscellaneous Expenses: | $5,000—$10,000 | |
| Total: | $45,000—$75,000 | |
Note: these are 2013 estimates. Fees tend to increase annually.
Besides government scholarships (e.g. PSC) and industry scholarships, tertiary education in the United States can also be funded through institutional merit scholarships, need-based financial assistance, and on-campus employment.
Merit scholarships are grants awarded to individuals with outstanding academic caliber, athletic prowess, and special talents. Financial circumstances are usually not considered when scholarship applicants are evaluated. A few private and public institutions offer merit scholarships to international undergraduates.
Need-based financial assistance are grants awarded based on students' financial circumstances. They help to defray part - or in some cases, all – of the full cost of attendance for students from lower-income households. This means that many students only need to pay the amount that their family can afford to. Good as it may sound, a significant proportion of college students in the United States receive need-based grants.
Many private institutions, mostly liberal arts colleges, extend institutional need-based financial assistance to international students. Federal financial assistance from the United States government is unavailable to international students. Public schools do not offer need-based financial assistance to foreign students.
Merit scholarships and need-based financial assistance may completely cover tuition fees, and sometimes even part of the cost of room and board. These grants do not need to be paid back post-graduation, and are bond-free in most cases.
Many institutions publish the number of international students receiving scholarships and financial aid as well as the total amount awarded last academic year on the CollegeBoard website. To view this information, look up a particular university or college, then click on the "For International Students" tab on the left.
International students are also allowed to work on-campus up to 20 hours per week. However, annual wages only amount to a maximum of a few thousand dollars, which is paltry compared to the full cost of attendance at any 4-year college.
A few elite private research universities as well as many private liberal arts colleges are known to have significant funds allocated to need-based financial assistance to internationals. Some notable examples are listed below. The list is not exhaustive. Click on each category to view the corresponding list.
Some universities and colleges offering full tuition merit scholarships for internationals are listed below. The list is not exhaustive. Click on each category to view the corresponding list.
Berea College and the College of the Ozarks offer free tuition.