Study abroad at San Jose

San Jose (officially crowned as the 'Capital of Silicon Valley') is the largest city in Northern California and the tenth-largest in the United States, an internationally acclaimed technology, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and semiconductor powerhouse situated at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay in Santa Clara County, home to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC). World-famous for Santana Row and Valley Fair (Silicon Valley's premier luxury shopping and dining district), the historic Winchester Mystery House, Plaza de César Chávez, the Tech Interactive science and innovation museum, and its status as the corporate epicenter of the global high-tech industry (anchoring global world headquarters for Adobe, Cisco Systems, Zoom, PayPal, Western Digital, eBay, Broadcom, and major engineering facilities for Apple, Google, and Nvidia). San Jose is home to the legendary founding institution of higher education in California: San Jose State University (SJSU - established in 1857 as the Minns Evening Normal School, the oldest public university on the West Coast of the United States, enrolling over 36,000 students on a vibrant 154-acre urban campus in Downtown San Jose crowned by historic Tower Hall and the landmark Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library). SJSU is globally renowned as the #1 university in the United States providing the highest number of engineering and computer science graduates hired by Silicon Valley tech giants (Apple, Cisco, Google, Adobe, Meta, and Nvidia). SJSU is globally celebrated for the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering (ABET-accredited leader in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Silicon Valley Engineering collaborations), Lucas College and Graduate School of Business (AACSB-accredited), and College of Science. Degrees are taught 100% in English with prestigious US accreditations. International students benefit from direct on-campus Silicon Valley corporate recruiting, Silicon Valley Co-op internships, VTA Light Rail transit, and direct US F-1 / I-20 Student Visa support with 3-year STEM OPT work extensions.

Tuition fees in San Jose for international undergraduate students at San Jose State University (SJSU - #1 Silicon Valley Talent Supplier) range between $18,500 and $20,800 per academic year for Charles W. Davidson Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Lucas College of Business (making SJSU one of the highest return-on-investment ROI universities in the United States, given Silicon Valley starting engineering salaries exceeding $120,000/year). Postgraduate Master's degrees range from $16,500 to $22,000 per year. Modern on-campus university student residences (SJSU: Campus Village CV1, CV2, Suites, Washburn Hall, Joe West Hall - fully furnished student suites with high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, and dining commons) cost between $850 and $1,450 per month (inclusive of meal plans, utilities, and high-speed Wi-Fi), while off-campus student apartments in Downtown San Jose, Japantown, and Willow Glen range from $750 to $1,350 per month for private rooms in shared apartments. General monthly living expenses range between $950 and $1,550.

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. $36,000), International Student and Scholar Services (SJSU ISSS) 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 Silicon Valley tech giants including Apple, Google, Cisco, Adobe, and nationwide).