Education in the United States: Useful Information->Financial Aid for Graduates #0

Financial Aid

OVERVIEW

Financial aid for foreign students studying in the USA is extremely limited. Though the competition is very keen financial aid is available for graduate study and research. Financial aid may come from either public or private institutions or private foundations and organizations. At a graduate level students should apply for admission and financial aid directly to the academic department, and the department decides who will be accepted and awarded financial assistance. Remember, that many schools want to internationalize their campuses. If a school has no students from your country, they may be willing to fund such a student to increase diversity.

Students will have a greater chance of obtaining financial assistance if they:

•Show evidence of high level of academic achievement;

•Have high standardized test scores (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT);

•Demonstrate financial need and/or have private funding to cover some of the cost. Financial need is not crucial for some awards at the graduate level;

•A field of study or teaching experience in a subject offered at the undergraduate level (opportunities for teaching assistantships);

•A field of specialization or research interest which parallels those of university's department and faculty or the private funding source (opportunities for research assistantships and grants).

Useful Information: Financial Aid for Graduates