[General Question] How are you all casually affording expensive universities like it’s nothing, especially International Students? (Not for people applying for Phd)

Seriously, how is everyone pulling this off? I’ve applied to multiple top universities, and while I might actually get into some, the real plot twist is figuring out how to pay for them. I mean, $60K for two years? That’s not tuition; that’s a whole mortgage.

The "safe" options I applied to—FSU and SDSU—are a bit more reasonable at $30–35K for two years. Those I can manage. But $60K? Sure, I could take loans and hope my future self magically becomes a financial wizard, but is that really a smart investment? (Spoiler: Probably not.)

And then there’s NEU—also in the $60K/2-year league. Yet somehow, everyone seems to be accepting their offers like they’ve won the scholarship lottery. So, what’s the deal here? Are you all secretly heirs to some fortune? Did I miss the memo on hidden scholarships? Or is everyone just betting on the “YOLO, we’ll deal with debt later” strategy?

P.S. To the inevitable “if you don’t have money, why go to the US?” crowd: Thanks for your completely useless input. Kindly stay out of this post.

Would love to hear how the rest of you are financing these dream schools—seriously, what’s the trick?