Financial FAQ’s
1)
What is
the Tuition Fees for 2005-2006 at University of South Alabama?
2)
What is the amount I should bring
and in what form?
3)
What is the general monthly
expenditure?
Job
1) How
easy or tough will it be to get a job?
2) What
kind of part-time jobs are available and how much is the general pay?
3) Are
there any Internship programs in the university?
4) Is
working Off-Campus allowed?
Before Arriving
1) Things to be done in Advance
There are two kinds of
tuition fees at
Per Credit Hour: $254 (for Undergraduate)
$334 (for
Graduates)
For
each semester (Spring & Fall) the approximate
“TUITION FEES” excluding Insurance is:
Undergraduate:
$3500/- (For the Minimum Credit Hours [12])
Graduate : $2500/- (For the Minimum Credit
Hours [6])
These figures are a
very close approximation to the actual.
Each semester undergraduate students are required to take a
minimum of 12credits and graduate students are required to take 6credits to be
in valid “F1 STATUS”. Apart from these there are other fees that are applicable
for each international student. Please visit the following link for detailed
fee structure.
http://www.southalabama.edu/bursar/tuition.html
There can never be a clear and precise answer to this
question. It all depends on the individual. The total expenditure for a student
would be the overall tuition fees and living expenses (which varies person to
person). An approximate
estimation follows:
The
following are the preferred ways of bringing Money in ‘Dollar’ currency:
2)
Cash (very unsafe while traveling)
3)
Personal Checks (time consuming for withdrawal)
4)
Traveler’s Check (American Express or similar is
preferred)
5)
Dollar-Draft (DD’s in the name of
6)
The average a student spends on living expenses
is about $250 - $400 a month. This amount however varies from person to person.
A reasonable break up is as follows:
7)
8)
Apartment Deposit : $100 (One time only)
9)
Apartment rent :
$500 - $550 (this is usually shared by 4 people)
10)
Electricity :
$70 - $150 (this is usually shared by 4 people)
11)
Telephone :
$25 - $50 (this is usually shared by 4 people)
12)
Basic Groceries :
$50- 150 (monthly)(Per Person)
13)
Utensils, Bed sheets, etc : $50 - $75 (normally brought from
14)
Other personal expenses: : $50 - $100 (approximately
per month)(You can save a lot here, if you don’t spend a lot).
15) A student with an On-Campus part-time job with 20hrs of work per week can manage most of the above expenses.
16)
17)
On
campus part-time jobs are fairly easy to come by. Though there are a limited
number of on campus jobs, a good hunt with some amount of luck should fetch you
a job.
18)
There
are different kinds of jobs on campus. A student is not just restricted to his
department alone. He can work anywhere on campus as long as his paymaster is
the
19)
20)
The minimum pay is $5.15 / hr which is usually
what is paid. A student can work 20hrs a week in a regular semester. Some
jobs can be full time (39hrs a week) during the vacations.
21)
Currently
Not much information available on this matter.
22)
23)
Working
Off-Campus is ILLEGAL. But if you can find a
job related to your Major, a special permission needs to be taken from the
Office of International Services. This is applicable only after 9 months of
stay in the
Bringing the most important text books you have used would be
a good idea. This is more relevant to the students doing their Masters. The undergrads normally wouldn’t need any
books from high school. Having a good idea of what courses that are being
taught for your curriculum will help you save some money for the books. The list
of courses for your major can be found at: http://www.southalabama.edu/bulletin/course.htm
Also browsing through our online bookstore (http://usabooks.collegestoreonline.com/)
should give you an idea of what books are being used for a particular course.
If you can manage to get these books in
The climate of
Apart from getting clothing to suite the climatic conditions
few sets of traditional Indian dresses would definitely create a homely
atmosphere. Wearing such clothing during festivals and other Indian gatherings
would bring out our Indian Culture. CISO (Council of International Student
Organizations), every fall semester hosts an International Banquet. This is a
formal dinner where international students are awarded for their academic
excellence. Students for this event usually prefer to be dressed in suites.
Banish the thought that somebody else is going to cook for you. Dining out is very expensive. Go through a few quick cooking lessons with your mom, so that you do not step into a strange new world – The Kitchen. Cooking is a very important aspect of your life here, which if neglected can create problems to your health and your ROOM-MATES. J !!.
Also bring basic utensils like a pressure cooker, nonstick frying pan etc… should help you start off as soon as you arrive. . Do not bring a whole lot of cooking vessels, as they are best brought here. However, we recommend that you bring a 3 liter Pressure cooker or pressure pan (with spare handle, safety valves, weights, base plate and gaskets), non-stick frying pan. Rice-cooker, Idli plates and tongs
Please don’t over load your luggage with bags of rice, lentils and other such common groceries. Most of them are available in the Indian Stores out here. You may carry a few spices to take care of the initial few days. When bringing home made food items make sure that they are properly packed. Pickles must be sealed in airtight leak proof containers. Remember, improperly sealed food items will be confiscated by the U.S customs upon arrival. Only condiments and dry foods are permitted. Try to get “instant” stuff as people generally don’t have much time to cook over here.
If you have not learned driving, it is a good idea to learn it
before coming here. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to secure a car
for practice. It would also be a good idea to obtain an International
Driving Permit (IDP) which is issued to any Indian driving license holder at an
additional charge.
The
Note: Please contact the Office of International Services to
get more information on the Health Insurance plans offered to International
Students.