• Boarding High Schools

The annual tuition rates of private American boarding high schools have a range from $7,332 to $45,000.The average annual tuition for a boarding student is $31,416.Average annual tuition for a non-boarding student is $18,640.The average costs for a boarding student at a British boarding school is $36,000, four and a half thousand more per year than the American boarding student annual tuition average of $31,416.

COMPARISON OF TUITION COSTS FOR BOARDING HIGH SCHOOLS

While many people will agree that a private boarding school education is not cheap, the table above shows that there are options for many budgets.Affording a boarding school education does take some planning, and most families employ several strategies to keep the costs within reach.In this planning, it is important to realize that the family bears the primary responsibility for financing a child's education to the extent that it is able.After that there are others out there to help you in your efforts.

The best source of information lies with both qualified study abroad agencies in Taiwan, and the financial aid officers at the individual schools you're considering. They can explain the full range of options that they offer and may be able to provide some information on the limited outside funding sources available.It is important to ask each school about the specifics of their various options and see how these options fit within your financial planning.

For more information please visit the Association of Boarding Schools Website.

• Colleges & Universities

Factors Influencing College Costs
When seeking a college to attend, there are many factors that influence the cost. Depending on what type of college, what region of the United States the college is in, what type of financial assistance is available, and simply varying costs within colleges of the same sector, the total cost of a student's college experience can change dramatically.What's important to remember however, is that attending college or university in the USA presents a huge variety of cost options for virtually any budget.

Comparison of Average College Costs from Different Sectors
In the chart below is a comparison of the costs of a two year Community college, a four year public college, and a four year private college.Community colleges are becoming an increasingly popular choice for many concerned about educational expenses.These institutions provide an affordable education and the opportunity to transfer to many quality four-year programs in colleges and universities throughout the United States.Public universities can be a bargain when compared to the higher range private school tuitions.However, there are also many private universities that have made an effort to make their programs relatively inexpensive so that they become more attractive for both domestic and international students.Referring to the sections in blue below can help to give a Taiwanese student an idea about the average annual costs he or she can expect while studying in the USA.

Taken from The College Board's “Trends in College Pricing 2004”

Comparison of College Costs by Regional Differences
The U.S. offers a wide variety of regional differences where cost of living varies greatly.Generally urban areas and the East and West Coasts of the U.S. have a higher cost of living than rural areas and Southern and Midwestern states.Maybe donning a parka and suffering through frigid winters in Wisconsin won't seem so bad compared to the savings offered there in room and board and living costs!There are high quality educational institutions in these lesser traveled regions of the U.S. that deserve careful consideration.

ANNUAL COLLEGE COSTS FOR FALL 2004

* Most US community colleges offer assistance for international students in finding “home stay” living arrangements in which students live with a local family and receive their lodging and two meals a day. The cost above was determined by multiplying US$650 per month homestay (including meals) times 10 months of residency (12 months minus 2 moths of vacation).Home stay prices will of course vary college to college.

Additional Regional Comparisons
Both tuition and fees levels and their rates of growth differ significantly across the country.Public four year tuition and fees in the Southwest still average only $4,569 compared to $5,132 for the nation as a whole and $6,839 in New England.

Public four-year institutions in the West, charging an average of $4130 in tuition and fees, have the lowest average tuition and fees, while those in New England have the highest.At $25,660, private four–year tuition and fees are also highest in New England.Two-year public sector tuition and fees are lowest in the West, where they average $1,297, and highest in the Middle States region, where they average $3,242.Despite the relatively low public four—year tuition and fees in the West , total charges ($11,839) including room and board, are higher than those in the South and Southwest, and comparable to those in the Midwest.

For more details on costs of attending US private and public colleges & universities, please check The College Board's “Trends in College Pricing 2004”.