The costs of studying abroad are roughly divided into three parts: tuition, accommodation, food/entertainment/transportation (living expenses), and the material fees that art students cannot avoid. You may add extra pocket money at your discretion; this article provides a basic estimate. Using the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as an example, this guide can serve as a reference for most art institutions in the United States.
Tuition
Most colleges charge tuition based on credit hours. Both undergraduate and graduate students must complete a specified number of credits to graduate, but students can decide how many credits to take each semester.
Undergraduate students are required to complete 128 credits for graduation. In the fall of 2019, tuition rose to $1,666 per credit, totaling $213,248. Tuition increases slightly every year; back in 2015, one credit was over $1,400, showing a significant increase. Let's estimate it at $215,000 (which is approximately 1.46 million RMB for the total tuition of an undergraduate degree). Averaging this out, it comes to about 365,000 RMB per year.
For graduate students, it depends on the chosen major. Most are two-year programs requiring about 60 credits. Graduate credits are slightly more expensive than undergraduate ones. In the fall of 2019, one credit was $1,730, totaling $103,800 for the entire degree. Including tuition increases, we can estimate it at $105,000, which is approximately 715,000 RMB for the total tuition of a graduate degree, or about 360,000 RMB per year.
Accommodation
During university, students can choose to live in school-provided dormitories or apartments, or rent housing off-campus.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has several different residence halls with various room types, including triples, doubles, and singles. The cost for one academic year (excluding summer) ranges from $10,000 to $17,000, or roughly $1,200 to $1,800 per month. The advantage of living on campus is the proximity to the school, and the dorms come furnished with utilities and internet included, allowing students to move in immediately. Renting off-campus might offer better value for money; by sharing rent with roommates, some options can be found for as low as $800, though you will need to split utilities and internet costs. Leases are generally signed for one year, so if you are not in the U.S. during the summer, you may face issues with vacancy. Most U.S. housing is unfurnished, so you will need to find a way to furnish it, though some people choose to renew leases and keep furniture left behind by previous tenants.
Overall, taking an average, the annual accommodation cost is about $14,000, or 95,000 RMB per year.
Living Expenses (Food, Entertainment, Transportation)
Food and Drink
School cafes generally sell food. Basic daily meal costs are about $30. It is normal to spend $20 to $30 per meal when eating out. Based on a base cost of $30 per day, plus $200 for eating out, that is about $800 per month, or 5,440 RMB. For a 9-month academic year, this is about 49,000 RMB.
Entertainment
Traveling to other cities within the U.S. costs about $2,000 for three or four days, but due to the variety of hotel options and transportation methods, it is not detailed here.
Daily Transportation
The local transportation card in Chicago is called the U-Pass, which costs $155 per semester for unlimited rides. Adding in occasional taxi fares, let's estimate $200 per semester, or $400 per year, which is about 2,720 RMB per year.
Medical Insurance
Insurance premiums vary slightly by school, generally ranging from $1,000 to $1,300 per semester. The designated medical insurance for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is $2,300 per year ($1,150 per semester), which is 15,600 RMB.
Material Fees
Computer: About $2,400, or 16,000 RMB.
The computer configuration requirements for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are as follows:
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13" 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Touch Bar and Touch ID, 512GB PCIe-based flash storage, 8 GB memory, and three-year AppleCare+
Software Fees
The school provides students with installations for all paid software, including all Adobe software, Word systems, etc. This costs $315 per semester, or $630 per academic year, which is 4,284 RMB per year.
Material Fees
Regardless of whether your medium requires paint, fabric, metal, tools, printing, or photo developing, annual material costs will be significant. You also need to buy books, etc. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago estimates about $1,790 per academic year, which is about 12,000 RMB.
The above lists the most basic expenses and does not include pocket money, travel, or annual costs for returning home.
The official website of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago also helpfully provides an estimated budget for students. The figures in the table below are in U.S. dollars.
Excluding computer costs, medical insurance, and additional personal expenses, and based on 30 credits per year, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago estimates an annual cost of $64,610, or about 440,000 RMB.