The reality is that there is very little financial aid available from US sources for international students. International student scholarships are very hard to secure. The great majority of international students in America must rely exclusively on themselves and their relatives for funding. If you need to obtain financial aid or an international student scholarship to afford an American education, the best place for you to look is your home country. There may be international student scholarships and international student loans available for study abroad from your government, or from local businesses, organizations, and foundations in your home country.
Other places to look for international student scholarships, international student loans and other forms of international student aid are international humanitarian organizations that want to promote international education and cultural exchange with the USA. Included in these organizations are the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the League of Red Cross Societies, and the World Council of Churches. Some of these organizations have restricted financial aid, international student scholarships and international student loans. For example, the international student scholarships or aid may only be available to graduate students, students from a specific ethnic group, or students who have chosen a specific course of study. Financial aid and scholarships from these organizations are very competitive, so you need to start your search early.
Furthermore, competition for international student
scholarships and aid is fierce, and
schools are careful to help out the most deserving international students.
Good grades and exam scores are extremely important in securing an
international student scholarship. Find out whether any of the schools that you would
like to apply to have grants, loans or scholarships for international students. If they
dont, and you have not been able to obtain enough funding on your own, you
may have to consider other schools that will help.
Many financial institutions offer credit-based low-interest loans to international students who qualify. This loan is a student-initiated procedure based on the budget and criteria of the student. Here are a few international student loan programs
www.educationfinancepartners.com www.wellsfargo.com/student/loans/graduate/
More Resources
Below are some links for websites that
provide information on international student scholarships and financial aid for
international students:
ScholarshipExperts.com
- This site helps international students who want to study in the USA with
time-saving international student scholarship search tools. It also contains advice sections for
international students.
International Education Financial
Aid (IEFA) This site provides a searchable database that contains
various sources of aid available to international students. It is a free
service.
International Student
Loans This site offers loans to international students, so long as the
international student loan is co-signed by an American citizen.
Fulbright Fulbright grants are available for international students in
graduate school.
Rotary International This organization provides some limited
international student scholarships.
The Soros Foundations
Network This foundation offers international student scholarships for undergraduate and
graduate students. Many are restricted to students from specific countries.
AAUW This
organization provides fellowships for international graduate students who
are women.
American Councils for International Education The councils provide
international student grants and fellowships to international students from the former Soviet republics.
AMIDEAST This organization provides
grants for international students from the Middle East and North Africa.
Institute for
International Education The institute publishes a book titled
Funding for U.S. Study: A Guide for Citizens of Other Nations that
provides information on hundreds of grants and international student
scholarships offered by governments,
foundations and international organizations.
Cornell University
Graduate School Fellowship Notebook This database contains a list of
funding and international student scholarships available to graduate international students.
King Faisal Foundation This
organization provides an international student scholarship program for Muslim students to undertake
post-graduate studies at any USA university.
Green Card Lottery: US Green Card Lottery Application
