What is the average cost of sending a child to a college like Harvard in America?

Question

I am considering going to college in America (I'm Irish) and I am just researching it now and I have no idea what to expect with college costs because we have free education here. One of the places I was researching was Harvard. On average how much would it cost to send a child there?

There is another college I am considering and the education fee is 30,000$ per year for 2-3 years, Is that allot? It sounds ridiculous!

Answer 1

Are you sure that you can even get into a school like Harvard? It's probably the most prestigious school in the country and because you are not American it will be harder for you to get into! Also, the tuition to schools for international students is usually about triple what it is for local students!!!

Answer 2

You can go to any college's website and see what the tuition and fees are.  $30K per year is not that high for a private college in America.

Answer 3

I graduated from Boston University this year, and  Harvard is located just across the Charles river from us (along with MIT). Boston University was costing around $47,000 my senior year, and the tuition skyrockets every year (and I'm sure Harvard University is around the same price from what my cousin tells me. He graduated from Harvard in engineering a year ago). The city of Boston is very expensive, and many students are forced to not only pay tuition at school, but also find a way to afford housing in the city. If you're a foreign student--and can't afford to go home each time the school closes (i.e. for Holidays), you'll either have to pay Harvard to put you in a hotel during that break, or you'll have to get an off-campus apartment. My studio in Boston costs me around $1600 a month. Keep in mind that this is a studio meaning it's all one big room (My kitchen leads to a bathroom and there is no wall separating my bedroom from the kitchen).  

I think $30,000 is not even close to what the cost of attendance is right now. I don't mean to scare you, but besides maybe New York City, Boston is one of the more expensive cities in the country.

Harvard is definitely a mecca of academia. Just make sure they give you enough scholarship and grant money to come to America to study. If you're a competitive student with excellent stats, you won't have a problem

Good luck!

Answer 4

Harvard is considered one of the flagships of education in the USA.  It isn't the  "end all" school and yes, it is ridiculous.

Most folks in the US attend schools that are much more affordable.  ($2,000 a year in tuition) at a community college or around $5,000 a year at a university.  The schools located on both coasts of the USA have a much higher cost of living and this also makes a huge difference when determining your costs.  

If you want to go to a great school but don't necessarily want to be next to an ocean consider attending a school in the "middle" of the USA like the University of Oklahoma.  Housing is cheap relatively speaking and you won't have to give up your first born child to pay tuition.

Answer 5

Harvard is about $35,000/year right now, not including fees, room and board, or books and supplies.  There are a lot of schools in the $30,000 range.

Answer 6

Harvard is more than $40,000 a year.  The prices that private schools like Harvard quote usually include tuition, housing, and food.  While state schools are much cheaper (as little as $3,000 a year) they don't including housing or food in that cost.  That will bring it up another $10,000 or so.

If you're coming to the US for college, you're looking for a 4-year college degree, not 2 or 3.  2 years is community college - you want a bachelors (4 year) degree.