Problem is different states and their universities have various requirements as to who qualifies for in state tuition, but even in state is fairly expensive. Best way financially would be to attend community college and get their general education out of the way, then transfer to a university. However some flagship university like university of Texas Austin can be a bit hard to get into.
I didn’t know you could use FAFSA for foreign universities.
Taiwan’s education is too conservative, a few experimental programs might exist for someone like me, but fact is, the top 5 in Taiwan doesn’t give a crap. I might have a go at private universities like tamkang universities (for me it would be better as it looks like they have stronger science and engineering programs compared to fujen Catholic university), and they might be more desperate for students. I see lots of international students there. However, international students have different admission criteria. There’s literally a double standard here.
What about an online bachelor? I asked ChatGPT and it listed 7 reputable programs ranging from $4,000 to $60,000 that are completely remote and online. He could live home and save money that way and work at the 7-11 to help pay for it.
I don’t recommend this route for a young man for a couple of reasons.
University is a time to meet people, to socialize, to hopefully gain some confidence and a sort of social network for years to come. An online degree may make sense for an older person with those networks in place, but for young people? They already spend too damn much time online for their own good.
The second reason I think this is not a good choice is Taiwan’s deep official dislike of online degrees which can be and regularly are not recognized by official government bodies. I’ve seen this in my workplace, and it is not a happy outcome when someone’s qualifications are denied due to the online aspect of the degree.
Sure but beggars cannot be choosers. He can use his bachelor degree to get a better job and save up for an in-person masters degree.
In that case choose a program where it is not clear or apparent that it was done online. Many schools do not write it on the diploma and have in-person degrees as well.
You usually can’t, but there are a handful (something like 50 total?) of ‘approved’ foreign universities that are eligible for federal aid. MingChuan is one of them.
I guess I could try, not that I would really want to add to my student loan debt…
But I don’t recommend online for another reason, networking. It’s actually way more important than whatever information you might learn from universities. Fact is most these information can be learned online for free if you have the brainpower to digest them, but one reason why where you went to school matters is because who you might meet, professors connected to industry, feeder schools for certain industry, whatever. Tsmc for example might have feeder schools in Taiwan.
Also Taiwan’s academic culture is really something that takes getting used to. International students may be insulated from that, but if the kid doesn’t qualify, he will be expected to meet the same academic performance as every other taiwanese.
I think University of London would be a good option its constituent colleges including LSE, QMUL and UCL have good reputations, the online programs are set at good price point… and even Tsai Ing-wen did her PhD there.
I am sorry to say you are conflating different matters. If Tsai did her program online (she did not) she would not have been hireable as a faculty member in Taiwan, and she would not have built her reputation as a scholar and later as a skilled technocrat. Online degrees are simply not respected here.
How would you know… UK PhDs are research degrees they dont have a taught course element like they do in Taiwan and the US… she could have completed it from any location. Also the specific school in UoL that she did her PhD offer it online too.
I think the university choice counts too a distance degree from a country that readily recognises them can be from a renowned university for example Australian National University has some distance programs so does Monash University etc … I didn’t mention Australia before because Australian international student fees can be excessive. For many of these programs the transcripts and degrees make no mention of on-campus or distance in many cases the degrees are offered both ways and students have the choice to enrol in units either way when that is the case.
Where as, choosing distance programs in places like the US can be problematic as quite often the specific instutions are known to provide distance programs.
The Ministry of Education finds out about that these programs are online all the time and then refuses to recognize the degree unless it meets the Ministry’s in-person standard. It is very risky to get an online degree if you need to use it in Taiwan for anything.
In many cases even on-campus study in Australia is practically online these days with all lectures recorded on moodle or the like… no mandatory attendance…
Only for a relatively few programs (and it’s huuuge in some areas (high end law, IB, VC, etc)), but most people aren’t getting jack from University networks.
Here’s a post from a lecturer at the University of Sydney… lecturing to an empty room and a camera (which is now common). Not sure what so called university networks are being developed, with advances in technology that ship has sailed.
When I studied law a couple of decades ago (in Australia) students would only turn up for tutorials and leave, practically no-one hung around the campus… and now they just don’t turn up at all.
I’m in my final semester of a degree in Computer Science from the University of London. While the quality of the modules can fluctuate, it’s fantastic value for a degree from a well-known university in 2024. I can also confirm that the degree certificate makes no mention of distance learning.
It’s good sometimes for students to have the option, but if nobody is showing up maybe he’s a terrible lecturer. Maybe he should stop giving lectures and start doing something more interesting during class time.
Some professors literally read the slide that came with the textbook I would also not attend
I know at UT Austin a lot of professors sucked at lecturing, but did it begrudgingly because it was expected of him. They are there to do research. As a result the materials become hard to understand, or it’s REALLY boring if you attempt to do so based on his lecture.
