The United States remains one of the most popular destinations for students. In fact, according to the Migration Policy Institute, around 1.1 million internationals were enrolled at American universities and colleges in the 2019-2020 academic year.
However, the US isn’t exactly cheap. Actually, student debt is at an all-time high and tuition at top institutions easily exceeds 50,000 or even 70,000 USD per year. So, should you just give up on your dream to study here?
Definitely not! There are various American universities that offer affordable — or even free — study programmes to international students. We’ve created two lists below with some of the cheapest Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees we could find in the US.
Before going through our lists, keep in mind a few things:
- We’ve created these lists based on the programmes and higher education institutions listed on Mastersportal and Bachelorsportal. This means the lists don’t feature every single university. You might be able to find other affordable degrees or universities in America.
- To discover an even larger number of academic courses, you can visit the official website of your favourite university.
- Universities can add or remove programmes periodically. If a university on these lists no longer offers an affordable degree, simply use the filters on our portals to find other universities that do.
Cheap universities in America offering Bachelor’s degrees
- United States Military Academy at West Point, New York – Bachelors start at 0 USD/year
- Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia – Bachelors start at 0 USD/year
- South Dakota State University, South Dakota – Bachelors start at 351 USD/year
- The City University of New York, New York – Bachelors start at 620 USD/year
- University of Central Florida, Florida – Bachelors start at 749 USD/year
- University of the People, California – Bachelors start at 1,215 USD/year
- Mercy College New York, New York – Bachelors start at 1,600 USD/year
- Western Michigan University, Michigan – Bachelors start at 1,920 USD/year
- West Virginia University, West Virginia – Bachelors start at 2,080 USD/year
- Cascadia Community College, Washington – Bachelors start at 2,320 USD/year
Find cheap Bachelors in the US
Cheap universities in America offering Master’s degrees
- University of Notre Dame, Indiana – Masters start at 0 USD/year
- Lynn University, Florida – Masters start at 0 USD/year
- West Texas A&M University – Masters start at 0 USD/year
- Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley, California – Masters start at 660 USD/year
- Seattle Pacific University, Washington – Masters start at 712 USD/year
- DePaul University, Illinois – Masters start at 735 USD/year
- Colorado Mesa University, Colorado – Masters start at 750 USD/year
- Hamline University, Minnesota – Masters start at 795 USD/year
- Murray State University, Kentucky – Masters start at 800 USD/year
- Concordia University Wisconsin, Wisconsin – Masters start at 834 USD/year
Scholarships for international students in the US
The US government doesn’t provide any form of financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships) to international students. But many other institutions do! These include:
- public or private universities
- businesses
- private foundations
- NGOs and non-profits
Although the government doesn’t give away scholarships, it provides a useful online tool to search for scholarships. You can also use the Education USA website to find other forms of financial aid.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to apply for our Studyportals Scholarship: International Distinction Awards.