International Student Costs

Dazgaz

Our Son decided he wanted to go to University in America some years ago, so when the time came, we had planned our finances and sent him on his way. This was August 2007. The exchange rate then was in the region of $2/£1, but being realistic we planned on the rate dropping to a worst case scenario of $1.75/£1. Since then the exchange rate has dropped through the floor and today is $1.34/£1. This is making things very difficult and making it a real possibility that we will have to recall our Son back to England. Does anyone have any ideas or information regarding International Student Grants or anything else?

Voyager2002

He should ask his university there, and also explore whether he could work while studying.

Dazgaz

Thanks for the advice. We've looked into him being able to work and he's currently awaiting a response from the Department of Employment. Hadn't thought about asking the uni though. I presumed we would have to do things from here. Cheers.

whitfreak

America Uni's are know for being expense but they are also known for busaries and studentships. Many of which I believe are open to UK/international students (well more than the equivalents in the UK anyway) If he's not getting one, see if he can now. And if he is see if they can improve it. Either way I'd imagine the uni has an international students office, or a welfare office, or a finance office. Somebody in one of those offices should be able to point you in a direction of financial help if there is any to be had.

As to UK based help I'm completely clueless.

jennifernil

Our daughter fancied to go to the US to study, she could have got bursaries, but even so the cost was out of the question and the education no better.

She stayed here and is now a BSc and doing a PhD with extremely good funding.

A case of having good connections, being in the right place at the right time, and of course being an extremely good student.

Voyager2002

UK-based help is likely to be for people considering starting a course, rather than for someone who is part-way through.

As an "insurance" option, explore what credit he could receive at UK universities for any courses that he has already completed there. He should be able to graduate here without having to re-learn material that he has already covered there. Although academic standards are still much higher here, so that even if he got to the final year of a US degree course he is unlikely to have got beyond the stuff that first years learn here.

rjl89

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Although academic standards are still much higher here, so that even if he got to the final year of a US degree course he is unlikely to have got beyond the stuff that first years learn here.

Ermm, i dont think so. American Ivy League universities are probably the best in the world, along with Oxbridge. I imagine their final year standards are pretty similar to final years here.

And from my first year at a russell group uni, some first year exams, you could learn the whole module in a couple of days, and still get a 2:1 or 1st even, not that i did that... They was certainly less content than A-levels.

Voyager2002

rjl89 wrote: »

Ermm, i dont think so. American Ivy League universities are probably the best in the world, along with Oxbridge. I imagine their final year standards are pretty similar to final years here.

And from my first year at a russell group uni, some first year exams, you could learn the whole module in a couple of days, and still get a 2:1 or 1st even, not that i did that... They was certainly less content than A-levels.

Yes, they are outstandingly good research universities. Most undergraduates will never see the research stars, far less be taught by one.

Their degree courses are far less specialised than is the case in Britain, so while an Ivy League graduate may have learned as much or more than a British graduate, the latter will have far more in-depth subject knowledge.

I have to say that the typos in your final paragraph do not inspire confidence that you are well-placed to judge academic standards. Perhaps you were tired.

The_One_Who

OP, the American university might be able to help him out somehow, I would definitely get your son to investigate any options for that. Otherwise look to see if he can transfer his credits across to a university in the UK, that way he wouldn't need to start from scratch.

rjl89 wrote: »

Ermm, i dont think so. American Ivy League universities are probably the best in the world, along with Oxbridge. I imagine their final year standards are pretty similar to final years here.

Some American universities are excellent, but the researchers who make them so most likely will not be teaching undergraduates. The US system is a bit like the Scottish one, where you won't specialise until much later on in the course. I would say that the final year standards are probably fairly similar though.

And from my first year at a russell group uni, some first year exams, you could learn the whole module in a couple of days, and still get a 2:1 or 1st even, not that i did that... They was certainly less content than A-levels.

The Russell Group is a lobby group for universities, it has nothing to do with quality and much more to do with research quantity. Yes, for the first and perhaps second years you can get away with cramming in the few days before the exam, but to get a top grade in the final year will require a lot of work and a lot of reading.

Dazgaz

Thanks all for the advice, even if it did go a little off thread! :rolleyes: