
Ask HN: Where are some low budget and good CS College? - HNLurker2
Where are some free or cheapest CS Colleges? (anywhere in USA)
Coming from an European background where education was all free until now.
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flafla2
I'm assuming you are asking about undergraduate schools since you did not
specify. University is not free or cheap in the USA, unfortunately this is a
reality that you will have to deal with if you want to study here. Most
schools offer merit-based (scholarships / grants) and need-based aid. Need-
based aid may be hard to come by if you are not a US citizen (perhaps other
users with experience can chime in). IMO for undergrad financial aid will be
the most important thing to bring down the price, so you should engage with
the office of financial aid early at whatever colleges/universities you are
applying to.

Public Universities tend to be cheaper, especially if you live in the state
where the school is located. This is especially important if you live in a
state with good public CS schools, like Illinois (University of Illinois @
Champaign Urbana is a top 5 program) or California (see the various UCs,
including of course Berkeley). So if you are lucky enough to live in those
states then that is a viable option.

If you win the admissions lottery and can get into an elite program
(unfortunately it _is_ a lottery, in many ways due to simple supply and
demand, and I say this as someone in a top-ranked CS program), it's gonna run
you up to $60,000 per year without any financial aid depending on the school.
Many people will take out student loans to offset this cost, and with a CS
degree it is easier to pay off the loans, but that is still a financial risk
you need to consider.

Honestly, if possible, just go to school in the EU if you're an EU citizen.
There are many great schools there and the cost of flying there and finding a
house is likely lower than the tuition on this side of the pond. Many
Americans would kill for the opportunity for a free education.

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passer_byer
In the U.S. we have what is referred to as land grant colleges. They are
publicly funded and they began in the late 19th century as technical colleges
focused on improving agricultural methods.

As an example, North Carolina State University has a very strong CS program.
In addition, they have developed under graduate and graduate level courses in
data analysis/statistics. Combining a CS degree with exposure to courses which
apply these methods is good value for the money.

Consider moving to the state you are interested in, establish residency for
one year. That way, you pay in-state tuition fees rather than out-of state
fees which are typically 3x or 4x.

Good luck!

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philipkiely
You'll want to look at colleges that offer financial aid to international
students, specifically colleges that are "need-blind" in their admissions,
even internationally. My school, Grinnell College, is one such institution,
which is why we are 20-25% international students. Total need-blind admission
and a 100% meeting of demonstrated need for international students is somewhat
rare for colleges but such schools do exist.

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orbifold
I would say that under almost all circumstances it would be better to study in
Europe if you can. German universities are free and pretty good (LMU and KIT
for compsci for example). The cost of living is comparable. Even favoring the
~1 year of language course that you would need, you would be far better off
financially.

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non-entity
Are you looking for graduate degrees? Georgia Tech's OMCS seems to have decent
reviews from what I've heard

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sesuximo
if you can look at eu schools, then this will be a lot easier

