This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue with our Foreign Student Series. Today, in part ten,we discuss the cost to attend a college or university in the UnitedStates.

Students who want to come to this country to study must haveenough money to pay for each year of their education. There aredifferent costs to consider. The cost to attend classes is calledtuition. Room-and-board is the cost for a place to live at theschool and for meals. You will also need money for books andsupplies.

If you want to take part in social activities or buy things likemusic and clothes, you will need money for that, too. Educationaladvisers say foreign students should keep enough money in a localbank to pay for at least two months of spending.

So how much will a year at school cost? We will use theUniversity of Arizona in Tucson as an example. Almost three thousandforeign students from one hundred thirty-five countries attended theUniversity of Arizona last year. The school says foreign studentspay almost twenty-six thousand dollars a year.

Many schools in the United States cost less than the Universityof Arizona. Others cost more.

The university says it generally offers no financial aid toundergraduate foreign students. However, some foreign students canreceive aid that lets them avoid out-of-state costs. These are costsnormally paid by any student whose family does not live in Arizona.Such aid can save about ten thousand dollars a year.

Foreign students who want to attend an American school mustexplain how they plan to pay for their education. For example, whenyou apply to the University of Arizona, you must identify any personwho will help you pay for your education.

That person must sign the documents and also send proof from abank to show that he or she has the money. If you will be paying thecosts yourself, a banker in your country must write to confirm thatyou have enough money.

Your government or your employer may help you pay some of thecosts of an education. It is a good idea to seek such financial aidat least eighteen months before you want to start your studies inthe United States.

Our Foreign Student Series is online at voaspecialenglish dotcom. And for information from the State Department, visiteducationusa.state.gov.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. This is Gwen Outen.