1) Scholarship websites
Both International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search and
InternationalScholarships.com focus strictly on scholarships that are available to
international students. The basic search on both sites is free and can help identify potential
scholarship opportunities worldwide—including more than 500 scholarships for studying
in the United States. Many of the scholarship criteria are tied to a specific field of study,
which you can select from a handy drop-down list to narrow your search.
MPOWER Financing is also geared directly toward international students, offering
scholarships for a variety of specific areas of study, along with some awards open to any
student from outside the U.S.
There are also larger, less specialized scholarship search engines that can help. Fastweb
was created by the same company as EduPass, and boasts one of the largest databases
of scholarships. Not all of them are specific to international students,
but you may
uncover opportunities here that you wouldn’t elsewhere. Unigo, the parent company of
MPOWER, also has a robust scholarship search. You’ll need to create a free account, but
the many scholarship options make it worth it.
An important note:
Before you do any scholarship searching, it’s important to know that you
should never have to pay to find or apply for scholarships. If a scholarship
search engine or application asks you for a credit card or other financial
information before you can use it, stay away. Reputable scholarships never
charge to apply, and there are plenty of excellent free search engines, as
listed above.
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2) Your home country
We tell American students to “look close to home” all the time—and the same applies to
international students. Your home country may be a source of funding for your international
studies. However, make sure you’re extremely thorough when researching this option so
that you understand all the stipulations involved. Often, these opportunities require their
scholarship recipients to return to their home country and/or work in a certain field or
location upon graduation.
3) U.S. universities
One of your best sources of financial aid will be the college you attend. If you were born
outside the United States but are now a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, start by
looking at colleges within the state where you live. Generally speaking, state residents
pay a much lower tuition rate than out-of-state residents.
For example, a year of tuition and fees at the University of Virginia costs around $17,000
for students who live in Virginia, and around $49,000 for those who don’t. Establishing
residency in a state can instantly cut a great deal off of your ultimate college price tag.
If you don’t live in the United States, you can do some very thorough research on colleges
and financial aid opportunities at EducationUSA. This service of the U.S. Department of
State and the Institute of International Education provides a ton of online information;
there is also a frequently updated list of financial aid opportunities and, most usefully,
a guide to advising centers in countries around the world, where you can meet face-toface with experts in your country that can help you search schools, translate information,
and learn about your options.
No matter where you live, or decide to go to school, your college’s financial aid office
(and its website) should be your next stop. Most colleges have scholarship programs
specifically for international students attending their institutions. To use just one example,
Columbia University in New York City awarded $17 million in international-student aid
last year, to students from more than 100 countries.
Depending on the college, some of that funding is for students from specific countries,
some is open to students worldwide, and some requires that you study a certain field or
do a specific job on campus—it can be confusing, but college admissions officers and
financial aid experts are there to help you find as much money as you qualify for.
4) Scholarships specific to you
The resources above will go a long way in helping with your education in the United
States, no matter where you’re from; you can also seek out opportunities specific to your
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country or even your gender. If you’re a native of a Latin American or Caribbean nation,
check out the Organization of American States’s Leo. S. Rowe Pan American Fund. The
fund exists to provide interest-free student loans to students, and this brochure also
features a useful listing of scholarship opportunities, sorted by your country of residence.
If you live in one of the 17 countries (across four continents) where the Aga Khan
Foundation has a presence, and you’re doing graduate or postgraduate work, don’t miss
out on the Foundation’s International Scholarship Programme, though note that awards
made through this program are 50 percent scholarship and 50 percent loan, so you will
have to pay part of the award back over time.
And, finally, if you’re a female graduate student and a non-U.S. resident, the venerable
AAUW International Fellowship provides a tremendous opportunity; last year, 250 women
and women-focused community projects received $3.9 million in support for improving
life in their home countries. This highly competitive program usually opens in August
for the next academic year, so keep it in mind if you’re an exemplary grad or postgrad
student.