College costs vary quite a bit, depending upon the type of school attended. For example, at many of the more expensive private schools, annual costs (including tuition, room, board, books, travel to and from home, and other expenses) may exceed $ 20, 000. of course, public universities are much cheaper. At these schools, tuition is significantly higher for out-of-state students than it is for those whose permanent residence is within that state. Tuition at community colleges averages about half the in-state cost of public, four-year colleges and universities.

For those that cannot afford the cost of a college education, financial aid is the answer. Students in the U. S. A. receive about $20 billion per year in financial aid. In recent years, nearly 75% of students in postsecondary programs have been receiving some form of financial aid. There are three main types of financial aid: (a) scholarships (grants) , which are gifts that students do not repay; (b) loans to students and/or their parents; and (c) student employment (work/study) , a part- time job which the school gives the student for the academic year. Most financial aid is need-based; that is, only students who need the money receive it. Financial assistance to outstanding students who do not need the money (commonly called merit-based aid) is limited.

The funds for all of this aid come from three main sources —the federal government, state governments, and private contributions. Every American college and university has a financial aid office to help students find out what kind of aid they might be qualified to get and to assist them in completing the complicated application forms. Aliens who are permanent residents in the U. S. A. are qualified to receive government assistance, but foreign students (I-20 visa students) are not.

Questions 16-17

Look at the statements below (Questions 16-17) and decide whether they are “True” or “False” or the related information is “Not Given” . You should write