By Peter Zwick
Director of University Global Affairs
California State University, San Marcos

Many people are surprised to learn that the United States does not have a national system of higher education. Instead, all public universities and colleges are supported and operated by the individual states, such as California, New York, and Illinois. Consequently, the United States has fifty separate and independent systems of public higher education.

Each state's public university system has its own admissions standards, tuition amount, and graduation requirements. To complicate the matter even further, many states have more than one university or college system with different governing bodies, and even campuses within the same system may have different requirements. This diversity often leads to confusion on the part of international applicants to American public universities and requires that applicants learn as much as they can about these systems before applying.

California, for example, has three distinct systems of higher education, each with a different mission: the University of California system with nine campuses, the California State University system with 23 campuses, and the Community College (two-year) system with 106 campuses. The University of California system awards bachelors, masters, professional (law and medicine) and doctoral degrees, and is oriented toward research. The California State system offers bachelors and masters degrees, and its primary mission is undergraduate education and teacher training. The community colleges award two-year associate degrees, with a focus on job training and preparation for four-year institutions. While most campuses within each of California's university systems offer a full range of subjects and degrees, individual campuses do specialize in certain subjects and have reputations for excellence in particular areas. In the California State University system, highly specialized, technical subjects, such as engineering and agriculture, are concentrated on two campuses, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

While California has the largest and most complex state university system, most states have more than one higher education system, and one frequently encounters names like University of Arizona and Arizona State University, However, there is no pattern as to which of the two is the "main" system.

An important element of state university systems is their generally low cost. Because state universities are supported by tax money, the citizens of each state are charged comparatively low tuition to attend public universities in their own state. However, if they choose to attend a university in another state, they are charged "non-resident" tuition, which is substantially higher and is based on the actual cost of their education. The same applies to citizens of other countries who are not US residents. In the California State University system, the university fee for residents is about $800 per semester of full-time enrollment, but non-residents, including international students, must pay an additional $246 per credit unit (i.e., $2,952 for the minimum full-time load of 12 credit units). However, even with these higher out-of-state costs, state university tuition in general is still very competitive and offers excellent value. On the negative side, state universities may not have as many scholarships available for non-residents, or be able to waive non-resident tuition.

Generally speaking, state university campuses offer a wide-range of support services to international students, including housing options, dining facilities, recreational facilities, clubs and organizations, health centers, ESL programs, and international student centers. Of course, the range of services available will vary with the size and location of each campus.

Some state university campuses enroll large numbers of international students, while others have only a small number. Five of the ten US universities with the largest international student enrollments in 1995-96 were state universities, but the number of international students at most state universities rarely exceeds 5 percent of total enrollment. California has the largest number of international students studying at its public and privateuniversities and colleges.

Students looking for ESL programs will find them at state universities as well. Virtually every public university and college in California, for example, has an ESL program. The advantage of attending one of these ESL programs is that they frequently have arrangements with their universities to facilitate admission of those who complete the ESL course of study.

As a result of the high quality of the education offered and their reasonable cost, state universities are a popular choice for American student seeking their higher education degrees. Although international students will pay more than state residents to attend, state universities are an attractive option for economical higher education in the US Whether you are selecting a university by region, subjects offered, or cost, you will find a state university campus that meets your needs and interest.