Ohio is ranked one of the most affordable states to live in the United States, according to US News.

The University of Cincinnati offers its international student population a variety of opportunities to help alleviate the cost of tuition. The Global Scholarship gives each student on average 9,000/year and between 5,000 US dollars – 15,000 US dollars to transfer students who earned their associate degree in an accredited U.S. college. You can find more details about it on our official page.

As for living expenses, Cincinnati’s website provides an estimate for the living expenses and tuition fees in total for main campus and for regional campuses.

There are few ways to help you earn a decent income:

1) Campus Jobs: Since as international students we can’t work off campus, our school provides many campus job opportunities; you just have to find which one you are most passionate about. Most of the jobs on campus work around your schedule and help you build your resume and network with other students and faculty.

2) Co-operative Education: UC is knowledgably famous for co-op programs that are offered through several programs in a variety of colleges. Students in all majors in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) and the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) are required to participate. Students in the Linder College of Business (LCB) and Communication majors in Arts & Science (A&S) have the option to participate. Students in the IT major in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services (CECH) also can participate. Through co-ops you can earn money as they are paid job opportunities.

3) Internships and research positions: These opportunities will allow you not only to earn money (if they are paid) but also they will get your resume ready to make you an outstanding applicant as you go into the workforce.

For me, what worked best was living off campus and commuting using either the free UC shuttle bus or walking to campus. It sure is less convenient but efficient to save money. I also just came back from a co-op in Seattle, Washington and during that time I was able to save some money to help with my tuition and living fees. The rent in Seattle has an average of over 1000 dollars monthly versus in Cincinnati where it can average of 500 dollars per month, and I spent about 1000 dollars for other living expenses such as groceries, transportation and leisure. However, I was getting paid 24 dollars/hour in my internship so it helped cover those costs and I was able to save some money from that co-op to use towards my tuition. I have learned from living in the United States that creating a saving account for emergencies is another helpful way to help you be at ease financially and better manage your money.

Be sure to also check out other posts on our blog about the cost of living!

Best of luck future Bearcats !!!