I was able to graduate with an EE degree, within the past five years and with no debt at Cal Poly (a university with one of the highest ROI on the west coast). <$7000/year is certainly doable if you're living at home with your parents.

To be honest, I spent a year living at home, but my college of engineering was 60 miles away. I lived near campus otherwise.

With the new tax regulation, as a U.S. citizen, do you have to pay taxes on tuition and stipends you receive when you do a Ph.D. overseas? (I'd assume so, since overseas income is taxable AFAIK, but I don't really know what the situation is).

Tuition would be much lower, I think you are credited for the taxes you would pay in country, and generally - while you have to report foreign income - you have to make quite a bit before tax would be assessed.

I thought it was "only" $100,000? Seems like a lot of engineering types would be close to that limit.

For a job after university probably, but I meant to speak to a tuition waiver at a foreign university. I doubt tuition waiver plus stipend would approach that in most other countries.

Even for the job scenario, you get a tax credit for foreign taxes paid which in most industialized countries would probably neutralize any US tax burden and then some. If the job is in a developing country, I would think the cost of living advantages would make it worth it if you were above the limit.

However, not a CPA or finance pro. I went to grad school abroad and looked into the implications of staying a bit.