It is not cheap to study in a major US University.

In ULSA, for example, the cost for an undergraduate degree, for a US native student, amounts to $20,000. This is your cost for a 4 year programme, at whose end you will be the holder of a Bachelor's degree in either Sciences, or Arts, in your chosen major.

This is not the only cost, however. There is an additional cost of $8,000 per month to secure a room in the dormitories. Should someone wish to join one of the Greek Houses and get accepted, this is bumped up to $10,000 a month to cover the rent and facilities of living in a luxurious mansion.

All in all, when you sum everything up, it costs:

$20,000 for your degree
$96,000 per year for your dorm room
$120,000 per year to be part of a Fraternity or a Sorority.

This means that your degree (assuming you decide to live on Campus in some capacity) will cost you anywhere from $404,000 (living entirely in a dorm) up to a potential $500,000 (if you somehow start in a Greek House, right away).

Looking at these financials really leaves no room to wonder why so many young adults leave their education and enter the free market with a cripping student loan to pay off.

What's more, it makes it even more blatantly obvious how out of reach Higher Education is to communities and families on the low income scale. Sometimes, families may scrape together the necessary funds to cover the tuition but if they are too far from Campus, or if the area they live is considered dangerous, there is significant opportunity that the student may drop out mid-term, leading to a waste of potential - and money.

Parallel to the very real financial problem above, the first year of every University Student is always the most difficult. They are called to create new social groups, to connect with new people, to start forming relations that may or may not last them a life time. For a young, 18 year old person for whom this may be the first time they will live separate from their families, this is a very stressful, very important period of their lives.

Having the added concern and worry of how to make ends meet and whether they will be able to earn enough to stay in their dorm rooms, plus basic expenses can be soul crushing, especially if they do not have a parental financial cushion behind them.

This is exactly where the Open Doors Initiative seeks to be different. We wish to alleviate the weight from the shoulders of a young, newly enrolled student, and give them the opportunity to focus on their future - their studies, their potential new friends, their plans for their future selves.

After the first year, which is the most gruelling, most students have built up the self confidence to manage to balance their studies and a part-time job, or to secure an internship somewhere. Therefore, the financial struggle lessens.

Even if this doesn't happen, however, Open Doors Initiative will examine every single applicant on a case by case basis, to ensure that nobody is forced to leave their studies for financial reasons.

This means that Open Doors Applicants that get Accepted are entitled to the following:

  • One time payment of $20,000 to ULSA, in their name, to cover their full tuition
  • Monthyl payments of $8,000 or $10,000 to ULSA, in their name, to cover for either their Dorm or Greek House rents for their entire first year
  • Possibility to extend the financial coverage for subsequent years, should extenuating circumstances exist.

 

This is our contribution for the young students who cannot afford to realize their dreams.