Studying in US: Cost of study | All Charges* Included

Don't Assume you can pay your own tuition -

Do not count on being able to scrape up the funding after you arrive in the US.  Getting a job is not an effective means of financing an education in the US.  There are numerous restrictions on employment by foreign nationals, and some types of visas prohibit it entirely.  Even when employment is permitted, it is usually limited to no more than 20 hours per week. Most international students are limited to on-campus employment.  Your spouse will most probably not be allowed to work. Even if you are able to find work, you will not be able to get a job that pays well enough to cover all your expenses. The typical on-campus job will pay no more than $10-$15/hr. If you are studying on an F-1 visa, you may not accept off-campus employment during the first year of study.  You may, however, take an on-campus job to help pay the bills.  You are limited to 20 hours a week while school is in session, provided that you do not displace a US resident. (The test for displacement is whether the position is normally filled by students.)  Full time employment is allowed during vacations if you will be returning to school at the end of the vacation period.  The student must be in good academic standing and enrolled as a full-time student. The foreign student advisor must certify the student's Form I-538 (Certification by Designated School Official).  The student must submit Form I-765 (Application for Temporary Employment Authorization) and filing fee, along with the certified Form I-538 and the student copy of Form I-20, to the INS for work authorization. The employment authorization will be valid for one year. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) permission is not required to accept on-campus employment, but you must first apply for a Social Security Number and complete a Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility). You may also need to get authorization from the foreign student advisor. Graduate students who are participating in a cooperative education program are sometimes allowed to work for an off-campus employer who has an educational affiliation or research contract with the school. After the first year of study, a student on an F-1 visa may ask the INS for permission to accept off-campus employment. Permission is often granted if the student is experiencing severe economic hardship through no fault of their own, such as major currency fluctuations, loss of financial aid, loss or lack of availability of on-campus employment, unusual increases in tuition or living expenses, unexpected financial changes in the student's source of support, and unexpected medical expenses.

Coursework Fees -

1. The Tuition for one credit is
   as low as $750 (Texas universities)
   as high as $2500 (Ivy-league universities)
2. The minimum and maximum no. of available credits you can take per semester are 9 and 13 respectively in most universities.
3. Tuition for a semester can range a lot, depending on how many credits you take per semester and where you study.
4. A student who is enrolled for one credit during the summer semester is considered full time.
5. You are allowed to enroll for less than 9 credits in your last semester if you have lesser than 9 credits left out to the required minimum total credits to complete your masters degree.
6. Minimum credits to graduate for:
   Bachelors degree: 60 credits
   Masters degree: 30 credits
7. Any courses taken online can incur an additional fee.
   
   

Other Costs per Month -

1. The living costs breakdown is as following:
   1. Apartment Rent (including all utilities) -
      this can range from $500 to $2500 depending on where you live.
   2. Food Cost -
      this can range from $50 to $500 depending on:
      
      1. where you eat, 
      2. how much you eat, and 
      3. if you cook your food yourself or not.
         Example - If you only eat Pizza and drink Beer everyday, Food Cost is $500
   3. Phone Service Cost -
      this can range from $25 to $100 depending on which plan you opt for.
   4. Miscellaneous Costs -
      Personal needs, inter-city travel, etc can be estimated at 50$-$500 depending on how you opt for services and also on how many things you brought with you from your home.
      
      Therefore, living cost can be (estimated) to range from $600 to $3500 per month. 
      
      
      
2. Health insurance -
   
   1. Religare provides health insurance at ~$350 per year.
   2. ISO provides health insurance at ~$50 per month.
      

Additional Costs per Semester -

1. Required fees per semester, for on-campus students, include: Fall, Summer and Spring Activity Fee (~$100)
2. The loan origination fee, ~$100 per semester, is charged to those students receiving federal loans.
3. Lab and Course Fees can be (estimated) as $70-$700 per semester. 
4. Books and Supplies can be (estimated) as $50-$500 per semester.

Additional Costs for International Students -

1. If you transfer all your tuition through Flywire, the transfer charges would be 1.625% of the total amount transferred, that is, an extra $500 to transfer your tuition fee from your home country to USA.
2. International students are assessed ~$200 surcharge per semester.
3. Newly admitted international students who are enrolling for the first time may be assessed a one-time, ~$100 international graduate student enrollment surcharge at the start of their first semester of enrollment.

Late Fees -

1. All students must confirm their enrollment each semester by paying their bills on time to avoid late fees and keep their course schedule.
2. If no money is owed or there is a credit balance, the student must confirm enrollment by clicking the button at the bottom of the online bill before the deadline.
3. If money is owed, payment of the amount due on the billing statement, or the amount due on your payment plan contract, must be made before the deadline.
4. Your enrollment must be confirmed by the due date. If you miss this deadline, a late enrollment processing fee will be assessed to your account. 
5. Your enrollment will be canceled if enrollment is not confirmed by first week of classes. 
6. A late enrollment/registration fee is assessed for students who reschedule their classes.

References -
http://www.mtu.edu/finaid/tuition/cost/
http://www.mtu.edu/student-billing/services/confirm/
http://www.edupass.org/immigration/employment.phtml