Study abroad at Jonesboro

Jonesboro is a vibrant, rapidly growing university, medical, and agricultural-tech trade center situated atop Crowley's Ridge in Northeast Arkansas, located just 65 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee and 130 miles northeast of Little Rock. Celebrated for its historic Downtown Main Street, Craighead Forest Park, booming manufacturing and food processing sector (Frito-Lay, Post Consumer Brands, Unilever, and Nestlé), and state-of-the-art regional medical district (St. Bernards Healthcare and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital). Jonesboro is the proud flagship home of Arkansas State University (A-State - founded in 1909, premier public doctoral Carnegie R2 research university with over 14,000 students and a 1,376-acre campus). Arkansas State University is internationally acclaimed for the Neil Griffin College of Business (AACSB-accredited, with the Women's Business Leadership Center and Delta Center for Economic Development), College of Engineering and Computer Science (ABET-accredited Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Cybersecurity, and Data Science), NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State (NYITCOM - elite medical school campus on the A-State grounds), College of Agriculture, and College of Nursing and Health Professions. Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from some of the most affordable tuition fees and living costs in the United States, generous A-State International Merit Scholarships ($3,000 to $8,000/year), exceptional safety, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in Jonesboro for international undergraduate students at Arkansas State University (A-State) range between $16,500 and $18,800 per academic year for Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Griffin Business, and Pre-Med/Health Sciences (with A-State offering the automatic International Merit Scholarship discounting $3,000 to $8,000/year for students with a GPA of 3.0+, bringing net tuition down to an extraordinarily affordable $9,500–$12,500/year). Postgraduate Master's degrees (MBA, MS in Computer Science, MS in Engineering) range from $12,000 to $17,000 per year. Modern on-campus university residences (A-State Honors Living-Learning Community, Arkansas Hall, University Park, Pack Place) cost between $550 and $950 per month (inclusive of meal plans and utilities), while off-campus student apartments in Jonesboro, Caraway Road, and Red Wolf Boulevard range from $420 to $750 per month. General monthly living expenses range between $600 and $1,000 (one of the lowest in the US).

International students require a US F-1 Student Visa. Upon academic admission and verification of financial documentation (bank statement certifying first-year tuition and living expenses minus scholarship awards), the International Student Services Office (A-State ISS) issues the official Form I-20. The student pays the SEVIS I-901 fee, completes the DS-160 online visa application, and attends the F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. STEM graduates qualify for a 24-month OPT extension (total 36 months of US employment authorization).