Hello
I have a Bachelor degree in Engineering from Norway and dreaming of a MBA degree.
GPA and TOELF ok, just need to nail GMAT!

However, the tuition cost at for example UCLA, Stanford, USC etc are too high.
For example: the first year at UCLA is about 97.000 dollars in tuition + living expences, which is impossible for me.
We in Norway dont get that much in student fund ( scholarship and loan) to cover an Ivy League school, and I dont have rich parents to help me!

Is it difficult to get sholarship as an international? Anyone from Scandinavia with experience here?

I looks like I have to apply for more affordable schools like Cal State ( LA, Long Beach, Northridge etc),
Are those schools a good choice for an international student?

Will it be very diffucult to get a good job in LA if attend any of thoose schools?
My longterm goal is to live and work in LA.

I don't know your professional background, but it's unlikely that a scholarship will cover more than a fraction of your costs. Many other students borrow their MBA tuition, and providers like Prodigy exist to help you supplement any cheaper money you can get. The investment needed to attend UCLA, Stanford and USC is no more or less possible for you than for any other applicant. In terms of the return on your investment, they are much better places to put your money, since the added fees more than return to you in greater certainty than the risky CSU campuses, which generally don't have great placement.

However, if your long-term goal is LA, maybe consider if there is an intermediate step for you which is more credible. As a Norwegian engineer, you'll find it most easy to get hired by an engineering-oriented business in mid-western states with a lot of people of Norwegian descent (Montana, the Dakotas, Wisconsin or Minnesota), perhaps in medical devices or manufacturing (Harley Davidson, GE Healthcare, Johnson Controls, Medtronic, Boston Scientific etc). Then after getting permamant residency move to LA. So, maybe do your MBA at Minnesota or the Wisconsin School of Business?

[Edited by Duncan on Oct 25, 2015]

Thank you for your response, it was helpful:)

I have been working as a Mechanical Engineer for about 2 yrs, but is now without a job beacuse the oil crisis. I also have 7 yrs of experience from the service business.
Will check that out. I did some research and found out the average salary from a top school is alot higher, huge difference from UCLA to CSU, so it will be a much better investment.
There will be no problem paying that back for sure, if get a job though:)

I have 3.21 GPA overall, and 3.61 for the last year. However, one of my worries is the GPA requirements,
beause not easy to go back and improve the some of the grades

Yes I have thought about it and have checked out the possibilities to work as an engineer, but it seems difficult though, because then the employeer have to pay and sponsor your work-visa.
I have applied for a greencard via the embasssy in Norway, maybe I`ll get lucky.

For me it is also about location. I have traveled around the US the last 3 yrs, each summer for about 4 weeks, and I absolutely fell in love with California. I want to live in a sunny place close to the sea, because I have lived for 29 yrs in the forrest in Norway, and that is depressing, haha!

[Edited by hansbjorgen on Oct 25, 2015]

I wasn't suggesting that you should work as an engineer, but that you should work for an engineering company after your MBA (so, in an MBA role rather than an engineering role).

I totally appreciate the appeal of California (I am a UCLA alum) but the choice for you is to work out the best strategy to make this long term transition. You are looking at making major shifts: country, role and perhaps industry. It would much easier and less risky if you spead these transitions over a series of career steps.

Duncan's Wisconsin + Minnesota suggestions are excellent. I'd also add Tippie and Purdue to that shortlist.

But overall, it really comes down to what your post-MBA career goals are. As an engineer, you'd probably find it relatively easy to transition into MBA-level roles in an engineering firm or large manufacturer. Unfortunately, a California b-school is not the best way to go about making this transition. However, if your real goal is go into a different industry - technology - for instance, an MBA from UCLA or Stanford plus some networking and thinking about your career would help get you there.