Study abroad at San Bernardino

San Bernardino is an energetic, affordable, and strategically located university and logistics-transportation hub nestled at the foot of the scenic San Bernardino Mountains in the heart of the booming Inland Empire metropolitan region of Southern California, located just 60 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles and 25 minutes from Ontario International Airport (ONT). Celebrated as the birthplace of the original historic McDonald's (First McDonald's Museum on historic Route 66), the iconic Arrowhead geological landmark in the mountains, San Manuel Stadium, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake mountain resorts (35 minutes away), and its role as one of North America's premier supply chain logistics, e-commerce, green transportation, and cybersecurity economic hubs. San Bernardino is the flagship campus home of a premier public comprehensive university: California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB - established in 1965, enrolling over 19,000 students on a picturesque 441-acre campus in University Heights against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains). CSUSB is globally celebrated for the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration (AACSB-accredited, consistently ranked among the Top 20 business schools worldwide for Entrepreneurship by European CEO Magazine), School of Computer Science and Engineering (housing the Cybersecurity Center, designated a national Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense CAE-CD by the NSA and DHS, and leading the national CyberCorps Scholarship for Service), College of Natural Sciences, and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, alongside San Bernardino Valley College. Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from an exceptionally affordable cost of living compared to coastal Los Angeles, generous CSUSB International Student Merit Scholarships ($1,500 to $4,000/year), Metrolink and Omnitrans transit, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in San Bernardino for international undergraduate students at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) range between $17,500 and $19,800 per academic year for Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Jack H. Brown Business, and Health Sciences (with CSUSB offering one of the most affordable public university tuition rates in California, plus competitive International Student Merit Scholarships discounting $1,500 to $4,000/year from tuition for qualified applicants). Postgraduate Master's degrees range from $15,000 to $18,500 per year. Modern on-campus university student residences (CSUSB: Coyote Village, Arrowhead Village, University Village - fully furnished student suites with private bedrooms, high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, and dining meal plans) cost between $650 and $1,150 per month (inclusive of meal plans and utilities), while off-campus student apartments in University Heights, Kendall, and North San Bernardino range from $500 to $850 per month for shared apartments. General monthly living expenses range between $750 and $1,200 (substantially more affordable than Los Angeles or Orange County).

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 approx. $32,000), the Center for Global Innovation (CSUSB CGI) 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 across Southern California and nationwide).