Any Canadians going to US college? (2010, credit, student loans)

[tabbcat]

I have a friend who has a 3 year degree from a college in Canada (Cambrian College - Full-time Programs) and he wants to come to the US to study further. A few questions:

(1) I *think* he'd need to transfer his credits to a university and some would probably go towards his B.S. He wouldn't just be able to skip to a Masters though, right?

(2) How does funding work for Canadians? I know he probably can't get student loans through FAFSA/US banks... but it seems like Canadian banks will only do a $10k loan unless he's in a graduate program...which as we all know, won't cover a semester

Thanks in advance for any help or resources!

[kkgg7]

With a 3 year degree, most universities won't allow him to do directly for a Master's program.
I think it will be pretty tough to get a loan in the US unless he has a guarantor or something.
Why doesn't finish a 4 year program in Canada and then go to the US for post-graduate study? He may be able to get a scholarship or teaching assistantship if he is excellent.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by kkgg7

With a 3 year degree, most universities won't allow him to do directly for a Master's program.
I think it will be pretty tough to get a loan in the US unless he has a guarantor or something.
Why doesn't finish a 4 year program in Canada and then go to the US for post-graduate study? He may be able to get a scholarship or teaching assistantship if he is excellent.

Wrong, many Canadian BS/BA's are 3 years as secondary in Canada goes to grade 13.

Canadian unis are, on average, better than american ones, seems foolish unless you plan to live in US, which with state of US dollar etc, doesn't seem like a wise move either.

[Jonotastic]

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

Wrong, many Canadian BS/BA's are 3 years as secondary in Canada goes to grade 13.

Canadian unis are, on average, better than american ones, seems foolish unless you plan to live in US, which with state of US dollar etc, doesn't seem like a wise move either.

LOL Canadian colleges are better than American? Come on now. Canadian grade schools I give to Canada as being better, but America is known for it's colleges. The US dollar is weak so it would be a great time for a Canadian to move to America. Your logic doesn't make sense to me.

[tabbcat]

He wants to move to the US (ideally)... so it just seems like a natural next step. Personally, coming from Toronto and having been through the Canadian system through OAC, and the US system (BS, MBA, JD), I'd choose a Canadian university any day. I just don't feel like I got a good education here compared to my friends and family at U of T and York.

But he seems hell-bent on moving to the US. I can't give him any of this information because I naturalized before college so I have no idea what it entails. I know that there were a lot of Canadian students in my Uni in Detroit, though, so I know it can be done.

[Robynator]

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

Wrong, many Canadian BS/BA's are 3 years as secondary in Canada goes to grade 13.

Wrong.

There is no Canadian "universal" when it comes to schooling - each province has its own way of doing things.

Ontario was the only province in Canada that had a grade 13. If a student wanted to go onto college/university, they had to take grade 13 and then their undergrad would only be 3 years. But Ontario phased out grade 13 in 2003.

In Quebec, students who wish to attend university have to attend a CEGEP, which is basically a stepping stone between grade 12 and university, but then they only do 3 years for their undergrad.

I grew up in BC and went to high school here. Grade 12 was as far as high school went, and then you went on to university afterward. An undergrad degree is 4 years here.

Pretty much everywhere outside of Quebec, grade 12 is the last year of high school for Canadian students and an undergrad degree is 4 years in length.

Here's the current grade structure across Canada:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educati...re_by_province

[smakawhat]

You'd be attending as a foreign student, so you'd be paying more... However the strong dollar will help no doubt, but depending on where you go cost of living can be quite high.

What also is common for foreign students at major colleges down where I am (Washington DC) which are really expensive and there is a high cost of living, is that you need to prove you have enough funds for the length of your ENTIRE program to get your visa. So there's a lot of rich foreign students who come because they are the ones who have the money already for such time to live here for 4 years to get the degree.

[Kristan]

Originally Posted by tabbcat

I have a friend who has a 3 year degree from a college in Canada (Cambrian College - Full-time Programs) and he wants to come to the US to study further. A few questions:

(1) I *think* he'd need to transfer his credits to a university and some would probably go towards his B.S. He wouldn't just be able to skip to a Masters though, right?

(2) How does funding work for Canadians? I know he probably can't get student loans through FAFSA/US banks... but it seems like Canadian banks will only do a $10k loan unless he's in a graduate program...which as we all know, won't cover a semester

Thanks in advance for any help or resources!

There is an exchange program between Canadian and US universities, so that you could attend either a single semester or a full year at a US university, as an exchange student while enrolled in a Canadian university and paying Canadian tuition.

That might be a lot less expensive for you, depending on the US university you were thinking of attending.

[smakawhat]

exchange and study abroad programs might also be a good foot in the door also.. maybe that could work or there's something to that.

Your best bet is to find places you'd consider studying and ask administrators questions. THey'll be happy to answer them, and get you enrolled and take your money

[tabbcat]

That's an excellent idea, thank you so much!