Once an international student myself, I know the door to financial aid is not always open for international students. Even though I understand the face that the funding from most government sponsored aid come from tax payers and thus not available for non-tax payers. The good news is that international students are still eligible for scholarship, especially merit based scholarship. I was one of the lucky recipients many years back.
When we help international students apply for U.S. colleges, they indeed face double challenges: the tuition typically is higher (out of state and international) and the need based aid is not available for them. From counselor’s perspective, it makes things easier sometimes since the door is not even open, there is no need to figure out the path behind the door. At the same time, we may also feel a bit helpless since we can’t maximize the help or support we can potentially provide to these kids.
Good news – these students are indeed still eligible for many different scholarships, no matter it is school specific or company specific or whichever type. We can still help them to navigate this bumpy water. And there are many sources available to provide help in such searches. I am actually thrilled to find out that I am not alone even within our UCLA extension class. Multiple classmates have put in efforts in this direction and have gained new knowledge in this domain. I found reading their posts gave me a lot of help. I have been checking on the websites they posted such as:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/international-financial-aid/
http://www.nasfaa.org/
www.finaid.com international student section
http://www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/funding/sports-scholarships
http://www.grantspace.org/tools/knowledge-base/Individual-Grantseekers/Students/funding-for-international-students
All of these sites above have provided useful information to me. I have also looked at few scholarship search sites in general including the one I shared on my own post. I know I will continue to search, to learn, to summarize and to internalize my learning and share with my students. I do hope to find an article or blog which provides step by step guidance to international students who indeed have financial needs and need help in finding support. Maybe I should be one to give it a try.
When we help international students apply for U.S. colleges, they indeed face double challenges: the tuition typically is higher (out of state and international) and the need based aid is not available for them. From counselor’s perspective, it makes things easier sometimes since the door is not even open, there is no need to figure out the path behind the door. At the same time, we may also feel a bit helpless since we can’t maximize the help or support we can potentially provide to these kids.
Good news – these students are indeed still eligible for many different scholarships, no matter it is school specific or company specific or whichever type. We can still help them to navigate this bumpy water. And there are many sources available to provide help in such searches. I am actually thrilled to find out that I am not alone even within our UCLA extension class. Multiple classmates have put in efforts in this direction and have gained new knowledge in this domain. I found reading their posts gave me a lot of help. I have been checking on the websites they posted such as:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/international-financial-aid/
http://www.nasfaa.org/
www.finaid.com international student section
http://www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/funding/sports-scholarships
http://www.grantspace.org/tools/knowledge-base/Individual-Grantseekers/Students/funding-for-international-students
All of these sites above have provided useful information to me. I have also looked at few scholarship search sites in general including the one I shared on my own post. I know I will continue to search, to learn, to summarize and to internalize my learning and share with my students. I do hope to find an article or blog which provides step by step guidance to international students who indeed have financial needs and need help in finding support. Maybe I should be one to give it a try.