Funding Your U.S. Studies

If you are going for higher studies abroad it’s always better to start planning for funds from the very beginning. Education is an investment that yields greater return, however, in order to get through universities abroad, one needs to spend almost a fortune for which planning is essential. To be able to make an investment in U.S. for studies, you need to make your funds available in a smarter way. One needs to do research to identify U.S. funding possibilities that match one’s needs and strengths.

Some of the best possible approaches you can adopt for funding your U.S. studies are:

• Planning
• Sources of Financial Aid
• Applying for More Information on Financial Aid Information

Planning

You should do a thorough research about the entire cost of your education for studying abroad. The cost would consist of tuition fees and living expenses during your stay. Categorizing an institution as expensive without knowing the availability of financial aid won’t be prudent. Expenses like

• College and university application fees
• Fees for standardized tests
• Tuition fees
• Travel expenses
• Housing and meals
• Books and supplies
• Health insurance
• Clothing, recreation and incidental expenses

Sources of financial aid

Funding is easily available at the graduate level. However, some undergraduate institutions also offer scholarships, depending upon the academic merit or less commonly, a background of community service, athletic ability, talent in the visual or performing arts, or other criteria.

Another way to get financial aid from the universities at graduate-level is graduate teaching or assistantship. Students with assistantships may be expected to teach sections of undergraduate classes or help professors with their research. In return, they may receive a remuneration to cover part of their educational costs or they may be excused from paying tuition fees.

Other sources of financial aid such as private associations and international foundations may award grants for education. These are in great demand and quite often provide only small amounts of funding rather than full support. Combined with other funding, however, such awards may be helpful in achieving your goal of U.S. study.

Information on Financial Aid

Some sources which can come handy for you are listed below:

Funding for U.S. Study: It is an excellent source providing grants specifically for international students. Most of the grants are awarded by government foundations and international organizations.

College Board Scholarship Search: For U.S. and international undergraduate students, it lists about 2,000 scholarships, internships and loans drawn from the College Board Scholarship Handbook.

Edupass: Specifically for international students which includes a list of U.S. colleges and universities and awards the maximum financial aid to their international undergraduate students.

Finaid: While most information specifically for international students appears on sister site Edupass, Finaid is also a valuable resource. For instance, it includes a list of web addresses for college and university financial aid offices and information on scholarship scams.

Foundation Centre International Visitor Information: It includes a section on aid for international students and provides links for a range of useful resources.

International Education Financial Aid: Specifically for those studying in a country other than their own, including international students in the United States. It includes a database of over 1,000 scholarships searchable by field of study.

Make sure to prepare your financial aid application and send it to all possible organizations, foundations, government bodies, universities and other resources that are already mentioned. The more places you apply, the better is the possibility to get an aid.