April 23
The Benefits of a U.S. Education, Part Three: The Facilities
If you’ve done any research at all about U.S. universities, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about how expensive it can be to study in the U.S. Although I want to note that the difference in cost between universities in the U.S. and other countries is often exaggerated, I think it is safe to say that, in general, and with many individual exceptions, the cost of a higher education at a U.S. university is going to be higher than in other countries.
This is often brought up as a reason not to study in the U.S. Certainly, cost should be an issue in deciding what university to attend, but it should not be the only issue. It helps to remember that, in most cases, university costs are high for a reason, and that quite often the increased cost of U.S. university education reflects, at least to a certain extent, the higher expenditures made by U.S. universities upon the educational process. The OECD notes that the United States spends more per tertiary student than all but 3 OECD members (Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland). A large part of that comes from student tuition costs.
More money spent for each student means more money for state-of-the-art facilities. By facilities I don’t only mean classrooms, but also money for research, for top-notch professors, for sports venues, for student comfort, for libraries, for IT resources, and so on and so forth. Quite often, then, the high cost of a university can positively reflect the quality of the education you’ll receive at that university.
In fact, the situation is even better – many of the most expensive universities in the United States actually spend more – sometimes two or three times more – on each student than that student spends on tuition.
The point here is that when it comes time to look at individual universities, don’t look at the cost in a vacuum. An expensive school might be worth it because of the quality of education it provides. An inexpensive school might actually present less value because it doesn’t provide the same educational resources. Of course, in many cases, and depending on what you want to study, expensive universities will provide poor quality, and inexpensive universities will provide high quality.
Don’t be scared off by the high cost of U.S. universities. Look at the total picture, including the educational quality they provide, in making your decision. And keep in mind that in many cases, you’ll get what you pay for.
For Your Consideration:
Do higher tuition costs translate into better facilities? Do better facilities mean a higher quality education?
SERIES: Why study in the U.S.?
- April 20 – Introduction
- April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
- April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
- April 23 – The Facilities
- April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
- April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
- April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
- April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
- April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: it might not help in your profession
- April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
- April 30 – Other disadvantages
- May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?
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Tags: cost of U.S. education, disadvantages of a U.S. education, expenditure per student in tertiary education, financing a U.S. university education, international students, International students in the U.S., research about study in the U.S., Should I Study in the U.S.?, study in the United States, the value of U.S. degrees, tuition
