Post-bacc Options in the DC Area

[aceegreene]

Hi everyone,

A new immigrant to the US here (Green Card holder). I am planning on moving to the DC/Maryland/Virginia area by or before Spring 2021 and plan on starting a DIY post-bacc once I get there. Right now I am looking at enrolling in UMD's Science in the Evening SIE) program. However, that only offers two courses a semester at an instate tuition rate (which is great) but I would like to take more courses if possible.

For that I wanted to know, which state or DC is the easiest and quickest to become instate in so I may take the courses at a university there at instate rates? If that is not possible, what's the best cheapest option alongside UMD's SIE to take the courses?

Thanks in advance!

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[lumya]

Hi,

I'm a DC resident. I don't recommend being a direct DC resident because I have no in-state schools (I live where I do for work). For University of DC (which as limited classes), you need 12 months of residency to receive their instate tuition. It was really affordable, but I don't recommend it for all of your pre-requisite courses since there were limited offerings in advanced levels and a lot of the classes were only simply covered.

I did a quick search for Maryland and Virginia and it looks like you have to reside there for 12 months for in-state tuition (along with all other requirements like having an address there, paying taxes, registering your car, ect.). If given a choice, I would have chosen Virginia since there are more medical schools in that state than Maryland and in-state preference is always good to have on your side. It is a bit far from UMD, which I think would be your cheapest tuition option. You'd have to check if they offer any sort of reduced tuition for people in the DMV area if you do decide to live in Virginia.

 

[aceegreene]

Hi,

I'm a DC resident. I don't recommend being a direct DC resident because I have no in-state schools (I live where I do for work). For University of DC (which as limited classes), you need 12 months of residency to receive their instate tuition. It was really affordable, but I don't recommend it for all of your pre-requisite courses since there were limited offerings in advanced levels and a lot of the classes were only simply covered.

I did a quick search for Maryland and Virginia and it looks like you have to reside there for 12 months for in-state tuition (along with all other requirements like having an address there, paying taxes, registering your car, ect.). If given a choice, I would have chosen Virginia since there are more medical schools in that state than Maryland and in-state preference is always good to have on your side. It is a bit far from UMD, which I think would be your cheapest tuition option. You'd have to check if they offer any sort of reduced tuition for people in the DMV area if you do decide to live in Virginia.

Hi,

Thanks for your response! So yes, I’m thinking of living in Virginia and getting residency there and utilizing UDC’s discounted tuition for metro area residents to take courses there. But I’ll be taking Math, Psych, Socio type courses there while taking BCP courses at UMD. Ideally I would’ve wanted to take them at some Virginia college but getting residency in the state takes a year and I’d rather save time.

For UDC, I thought the time frame for getting instate or reduced tuition was 90 days of living. Are you sure it’s a year? Also, is there no workaround to these residency requirements? I ask because then it becomes very difficult for a new immigrant to instate tuition rates upon arrival.

 

[lumya]

Hi,

Thanks for your response! So yes, I’m thinking of living in Virginia and getting residency there and utilizing UDC’s discounted tuition for metro area residents to take courses there. But I’ll be taking Math, Psych, Socio type courses there while taking BCP courses at UMD. Ideally I would’ve wanted to take them at some Virginia college but getting residency in the state takes a year and I’d rather save time.

For UDC, I thought the time frame for getting instate or reduced tuition was 90 days of living. Are you sure it’s a year? Also, is there no workaround to these residency requirements? I ask because then it becomes very difficult for a new immigrant to instate tuition rates upon arrival.

You can try contacting their admissions/finance department to see what they can do you in your situation. I paid a year of non-metro tuition because for residency I had to show proof via tax returns and had not filed taxes that year. It wasn’t that bad even for “out of state” and if you’re going to take your non-science courses there it is a really cheap option. I believe when I applied I had to fill out a form and because I had not filed taxes in the DC the previous year, I was considered outside the metro area. Here’s their requirements but you can reach out to them for more specifics or clarifications.

 

[aceegreene]

You can try contacting their admissions/finance department to see what they can do you in your situation. I paid a year of non-metro tuition because for residency I had to show proof via tax returns and had not filed taxes that year. It wasn’t that bad even for “out of state” and if you’re going to take your non-science courses there it is a really cheap option. I believe when I applied I had to fill out a form and because I had not filed taxes in the DC the previous year, I was considered outside the metro area. Here’s their requirements but you can reach out to them for more specifics or clarifications.

Thanks for this!
So you took courses at UDC as a non-degree student? And $2720 for a 4 credit course is cheap? Or are you referring to their CC courses?
Maybe I’m just spoiled because of what UMD is offering at their SIE program.

 

[lumya]

Thanks for this!
So you took courses at UDC as a non-degree student? And $2720 for a 4 credit course is cheap? Or are you referring to their CC courses?
Maybe I’m just spoiled because of what UMD is offering at their SIE program.

Yes, I took two non-CC classes at UDC as a non-degree student. Compared to other options that I considered (Georgetown, GWU, American), UDC was pretty inexpensive as the other schools were ~5k for the classes I want to take.

I just looked it up and you have to be a Maryland resident for in-state. They do not offer metro tuition. I don't know if their SIE program is different but it looks like you'll have to reside for at least a year in the DMV for most options that are available. I don't know what your employment status is like, but previously I worked for a university and got free tuition where I took the majority of my pre-requisite courses. I think UMD has that option as well.

 

[aceegreene]

Yes, I took two non-CC classes at UDC as a non-degree student. Compared to other options that I considered (Georgetown, GWU, American), UDC was pretty inexpensive as the other schools were ~5k for the classes I want to take.

I just looked it up and you have to be a Maryland resident for in-state. They do not offer metro tuition. I don't know if their SIE program is different but it looks like you'll have to reside for at least a year in the DMV for most options that are available. I don't know what your employment status is like, but previously I worked for a university and got free tuition where I took the majority of my pre-requisite courses. I think UMD has that option as well.

Ah got it. I didn’t even look at GWU Georgetown etc. assuming that they’ll be expensive for me.

Yes so for the SIE, everyone gets instate rates. However, you can’t take more than two courses, which is a hindrance. And yes, UMD has the employee tuition remission and instate tuition rate options. So I’m definitely checking out part-time opportunities there which can offer me research or clinical experience as well. It’s a bit challenging because most opportunities are in faraway MD areas, obviously.

 

[DocJanItor]

If you're going to live in VA then the best answer is NVCC. They have accredited classes that transfer to almost every university in the state and most in the region. They're also pretty cheap. I did my DIY post-bacc there before entering into my SMP and eventually medical school. Feel free to message me if you'd like to know more.