College in China a choice

For Costa Mesa and Newport Beach students who can’t afford the cost of a higher education in California, there’s another alternative out there — way out there.

There’s a four-year university in China that charges $12,750 a year.

Multiply that by four years and the total comes to $51,000. That equals almost the cost of one year’s tuition at any Ivy League or private university stateside.

It’s just another example — and perhaps the wave of the future — in which China has managed to undercut American prices, only this time it’s in the realm of education, said Rick Popovic, president of the New York-based Study International, which handles registrations for interested American students.

“And the price includes room, board, classes, textbooks, food and two round-trip tickets back to the United States on a yearly basis,” Popovic said.

So far, there are more than 100 students who have enrolled at the Nankai University, near Beijing, Popovic said.

Although there are an estimated 24,000 Chinese students who attend the university, there are 3,000 foreign students, 100 of whom have taken advantage so far of the new American program, Popovic said.

He said all the classes are taught in English, and that knowing Mandarin is not a requirement, although it’s certainly something students will pick up after a four-year term.

Although the majority of the students are Chinese Americans, Popovic is urging everybody, especially California students, to weigh their options before taking out the student loans and footing the bill.

“Here’s a chance to learn Mandarin and experience first-hand one of the fastest growing economies in the world, if not the fastest growing,” he said.

What’s extra special about the program, Popovic said, is that credits are transferable to the U.S.

“They can get a degree just like they would at a school here,” he said, referring to American students. “It can be liberal arts, engineering, the sciences. This is a really highly rated school that’s been around since 1919.”

For more information, go to www.studyinternationalcorp.com.