Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Khuong, an independent study abroad consultant in the US, analyzes the expenses students have to pay during their 4 years of study here:

Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total cost of studying abroad, including tuition, food, accommodation, books, insurance, transportation and personal expenses. Typically, American universities divide these costs into two main categories: Direct costs and Indirect costs.

If you want to find out, you can Google the name of the school you want to attend, then add "COA" or "Cost of Attendance" after it. For example, you can search for "Duke University COA", then go directly to the school's website to see the most accurate data. You will see that Duke lists the costs for the 2023-2024 school year as follows: Tuition, housing and food, books, personal expenses, and transportation. The total is $90,366 a year.

Direct cost

Direct costs include: Tuition, room and board. These are the three largest expenses, often accounting for more than 95% of the total amount a family must pay for their child each year. This amount must be paid directly to the school, so families can negotiate with the admissions or financial aid office to reduce the cost.

I want to emphasize that when studying abroad in the US or anywhere else, you need to consider the cost of food and accommodation. For example, at the most expensive university in Vietnam, the cost of food and accommodation is only 2,400 USD (nearly 57 million VND) per year, but in the US, this number can be 6 or 7 times higher, ranging from 11,000 USD to 20,000 USD, depending on the location of the school. For example, the University of Notre Dame charges 17,378 USD (nearly 412 million VND) per year for food and accommodation, despite being located in a small city.

As for housing, most American universities require students to live on campus for the first two years. If you move out, you will save about $5,000 - $6,000 a year.

Indirect cost

These are fees for books, health insurance, transportation and personal expenses. These are usually not fixed, so students can spend flexibly.

For example, Emory University estimates that textbooks cost $1,250 a year, but that’s assuming students buy new, up-to-date books. But you can buy used books, rent books on Amazon, borrow books from the library, and download books online to reduce this cost.

As a result, as a student, I never spent more than $200 a year on books. As for health insurance, the best one can cost more than $2,000 a year, but the basic one is only $300.

Regarding transportation, students usually need to pay for international airfare and domestic travel. If students fly back to Vietnam once a year and only use public transportation, this cost will be low. However, if students return home three times a year and buy their own car, they may have to spend about 40,000 USD (more than 947 million VND) per year for this type of expense.

In fact, many US universities charge very high direct fees but are also the most generous with scholarships for international students. Last year, for example, 45% of international students at Notre Dame received scholarships and financial aid, paying an average of more than $19,600 a year, far below the school’s published cost of more than $83,000. Meanwhile, many schools charge $50,000 but award fewer scholarships.

Therefore, when applying, families and students should research carefully to make the right choice.

Nguyen Ngoc Khuong