US students are looking overseas for higher education

Continuing your education is costly.

Currently, U.S. residents have racked up a total of $1.2 trillion in student loan debt. Many students have steered away from the traditional four-year university route and have instead looked at other options.

That’s what Redwood High School alum Casey Mitchell did.

The Visalia native discovered she could earn a bachelor degree overseas when her cousin, who had been through an exchange program, told her about international higher education. Soon, she began looking into it for herself.

She settled on the University of Camerino, in Italy. The university, established in 1336, became a state university in 1958.

It was the only school in Italy that offered an English-taught biology program. It was also a fraction of the cost of what she would be paying if she attended a US school.

“I was kind of shocked,” Casey said. “Tuition was only €600, and it was a three-year program.”

The family opted to sign Casey up with the UNICAM International Package, an all-inclusive package for international students.

The full-year package includes tuition fees, accommodations in a campus residential complex, two meals a day Monday through Friday, registration in Italy’s National Health Service, and various other school assistance — all for €6,500 or $7,150.97.

“The library is in a castle. This is the closest she’s going to get to Hogwarts, and it’s only €6000 a year,” said her father Steven Mitchell. “We were waiting for the shoe to drop.”

Full-time students enrolled in a California State University pay a tuition fee of $5,752 per academic school year.

This does not include food, housing or specific university fees.

Fresno State students can expect to shell out around $19,493 each year for tuition and fees, housing, food, books and supplies, transportation and personal items if they live in on-campus housing.

That’s more than double of what Casey and her family are paying.

Around $7,000 is the most families can expect to pay, said Jennifer Viemont, co-founder of international college adviser site Beyond the States.

“In Italy, tuition costs are based on family income,” she said. “Some students choose places like Germany where education is free to Americans.”

And the benefits don’t stop with the cost, Viermont said.

“The primary benefits are the cost, and the escape of the admissions madness here,” she said. “But also, the quality of education.”

The number of students who go abroad for degrees is small, and Viemont attributes that to a lack of knowledge.

“It’s important people know about the different options,” Viemont said. “I didn’t know about it until about two years ago. I was blown away by the number of options.”

Quality education for a fraction of the price

US universities heavily focus on context-based learning, while European universities have a different approach, Viemont said.

“Context-based knowledge is really obsolete,” she said. “Overseas programs prepare for the workforce, but it’s still a bachelor degree.”

European universities do not have required general education courses like the American university system.

Students, instead, immerse themselves into a chosen field of study right off the bat.

“They gain skills needed to be employed after college,” Viemont said. “They’ve got the jump in employment.”

In Italy, Casey’s schedule consisted of two or three two-hour classes per day. Like U.S. students, optional tutoring sessions were made available.

“There wasn’t much that was new,” she said. “There was plenty of time to do it. It was just really relaxed.”

The biggest change was the testing system, she said. American college students can assume that they will take multiple tests per course, including a midterm test and a final test.

At the University of Camerino, Casey must take only one oral exam per course - and she has seven tries to get the perfect score over the course of her three-year stint at the school.

The immersion in the culture is also a rich educational experience, Casey said.

Is it safe?

The idea of going halfway around the world to college can seem like a safety concerned parent’s nightmare.

But, it’s not as bad as families may think, Casey said.

“It’s the safest town I’ve ever been in,” she said about Camerino. “There’s a very low crime rate. In general, crimes are mostly petty theft.”

In Italy, the legal drinking age is 18. Steven credits this as a factor when it comes to the difference in college culture.

In the US, about 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from unintentional alcohol-related injuries each year, according to a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism survey.

NIAAA also reported that each year about 97,000 students, ages 18-24, report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

“It’s a really different atmosphere,” Viemont said. “They don’t have the binge drinking and the rape culture students have here.”

For Casey, the small 6,000 resident town of Camerino also plays a part.

“Here (Visalia), I would be scared walking around certain part of town,” she said. “There, I would feel fine walking around at two in the morning.”

The next steps

Beyond the States supplies students and their families with the tools needed to choose an international college.

The company hosts free monthly webinars and offers monthly membership options that allow families to research each international school.

There, students can learn about the different academic requirements, how to apply, and how to obtain a visa.

Viemont suggests families start looking into universities as soon as possible.

“I really encourage students to take a look without a country in mind,” she said. “I would say to know you want to go abroad by your junior year.”

Students who are seriously considering overseas education as an option can then research different programs and different requirements.

Casey was asked that she take three Advanced Placement courses in high school, but not all universities have such requirements.

“If it works for your major, do it,” Casey said.

She will travel back to Camerino to begin her second year of college in the fall.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Steven. “I could not have done that when I was her age. I’m so proud of her.”

Information: www.beyondthestates.com