Best Financial Aid Resources For International Students

By Danielle Wirsansky on July 6, 2016

Secondary education is expensive nowadays. It can be expensive even if you are an in-state student, and the high rates can limit students from studying at universities in other states.

But for international students the cost can be astronomical. Just tuition, room, and board at an undergraduate institution will cost from $15,000 to $40,000 a year, depending on the school. That is without taking into account the other necessities of life that you will need to pay for, like food. And do not forget, a graduate education can be even more expensive.

Keep reading to check out some of the best financial aid resources for international students!

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Edupass

Edupass.com is a great online resource for international students looking to find sources of financial aid. They explain why it can be so difficult, particularly for international students, to do so, saying:

“There is very little financial aid for foreign nationals to study in the U.S., with the possible exception of citizens of Canada and Mexico. Most grants, scholarships, and loans from public and private sources are restricted to U.S. citizens … The bottom line is that there is very little financial aid available, and many international students do not study in the U.S. because they cannot afford the expense. This is especially true for undergraduate education.”

They have a college cost calculator so you can figure out how much aid you might need in order to have the education experience of your dreams. They have financial planning worksheets which can help you make sure you cover every aspect of possible payments so you are not surprised by unexpected fees. They offer a directory of undergraduate institutions that actually do offer financial aid to international students. Edupass even includes a list of scholarships just for international students to apply for as well as information on loans available. The financial aid offered to Canadian and European students is also listed.

Additionally, they provide other valuable information on the college admissions process, English as a second language, passports and visas, traveling to the U.S., cultural differences, and living in the U.S.

The National Association of International Educators

The NAFSA resource provides information primarily for students with nonimmigrant visas (F-1, J-1, etc.) Their homepage describes the situation for international students as such:

“The Institute for International Education (IIE) reports in Open Doors 2005 that of the paid tuition and fees to attend a U.S. undergraduate institution in the 2004-05 academic year, 80.9 percent of payments came from personal and family sources.

Minimal scholarship aid is available to international students, and most of it is reserved for graduate study. Generally, U.S. institutions offer little, if any, discount on tuition, although both private and public institutions may waive application fees in some situations.”

The site gives you specific costs to consider, including:

-Application fees

-Test/entrance exam fees (e.g., TOEFL)

-Visa/SEVIS fees

-Tuition and fees

-Room and board (accommodation and food)

-Books and supplies (including laptop, CDs, paper, etc.)

-Travel to the United States

-Travel within the United States

-Health and medical insurance

-Personal expenses during term-time for on-campus accommodation (including clothing, telephone charges, entertainment, and leisure); and personal expenses during term breaks for on-campus accommodation (including travel, food, extra housing fees, telephone charges, entertainment and leisure)

The site also has a nifty feature that can show you how the geographic location of the school you are considering will impact your expenses as a result of differing costs of living and can help you compare costs between two U.S. cities.

Another unique feature of the site is the section that shows employment opportunities for international students. Sometimes, it may be impossible to get a scholarship to cover your expenses so a job might be your best way to offset your costs.

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International Student

Internationalstudent.com repeats many of the same resources that the above resources offer. It is always good to check out multiple sites and make sure that no opportunities or options for financial aid slip through the cracks so it is definitely worth your while to go back through the same sections and make sure that you do not miss a single opportunity. What is nice about this site is how easy it is to navigate it to find what you are looking for.

But what is unique to this resource is the blogs and forums it hosts so that like-minded international students can discuss their thoughts, fears, confusions, questions, and answers together in one spot. Who better to answer your questions or help you along the way than other international students in the same boat as you? They have or are considering studying in the U.S. So if you have a question you have not been able to get answered, remember that you are most likely not alone. They will either have the same question or have found the answer. Build yourself an online support system to help you through all the hoops through which you may have to jump.

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