University,
College
Funding - Scholarships & Assistantships
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It is
important to understand that most universities offer financial
assistance to international students based primarily on merit
and rarely on need. The amount, and type of assistance offered
varies, based on the university, department and level of study.
Assistance of funds is more likely in Graduate studies and less
in Undergraduate courses. Also funds are more likely to be
available in fields like Engineering, Physical Sciences and
Biological sciences, rather than in courses like Humanities,
Social Sciences and Management.
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You must
submit a financial aid application if you intend to seek
financial assistance for your studies abroad. The policies
regarding financial aid vary considerably. The profile of a
college usually indicates the type of financial aid it offers.
For aid, Undergraduate students have to submit the
institution�s own financial aid forms, as well as the Foreign
Student�s Financial Aid Form, which is provided by the college
and administered by the College Scholarship Service of the
College Board. A bank statement will also often be required.
Some details, usually asked in these forms are : |
- Your total personal
annual income
- Total annual income of
your Parents
- Your average annual
living expenses
- Some details of your
and your parents' assets
- Sources of funding for
your education other than from the University
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: Even if no assistantship is available at the time of
admission, most Indian students manage to get some kind of
financial aid from the university after one or two semesters. So
it makes sense to go to the US for education if you can manage
one year�s expenses on your own. |
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Postgraduate
students have to indicate their requirement for financial aid at
the time of filling in the application form.The different types
of financial help available:
Types of Assistance
Merit based assistance is awarded in many forms, from tuition
waivers, various types of assistantships, to fellowships.
The most common are listed here : |
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Tuition
Waiver : This means that the student does not
have to pay the tuition fees at the university. However,
general fees (for the use of university facilities like the
library, computers, and sports and health services) usually
have to be borne by the student. A tuition waiver is
frequently awarded in conjunction with a scholarship or
teaching/research assistantship.
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Scholarship
/ Fellowship : This is usually an outright grant
based on the student�s academic ability and performance.
Hence, Only a truly outstanding student may be considered
for this type of award, before enrolling at the university.
A full scholarship would pay for a student�s entire living
expenses at that university, whereas a partial scholarship
would require additional funds from the student.
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Assistantship
: Most students who receive assistance usually do
so in the form of an assistantship, i.e. a cash stipend
sufficient for their living expenses, and/or tuition waiver.
To get this, they have to work for a maximum of 20 hours per
week. This work normally consists of teaching and research
activities. These are usually for graduate courses. Teaching
assistantships are more likely to be in universities, which
have large undergraduate classes whereas research
assistantships tend to be more common in those fields and
universities in which considerable research is in progress.
Information brochures of most universities give this
information. Often, teaching and research abilities must be
proved before assistantship is granted. Hence, many
universities grant this only after the first semester. You
may also be required to take TSE (Test of Spoken English) to
qualify for a teaching assistantship.
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Who
Should Apply?
Students have a greater chance of getting financial aid if they
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- show evidence of a
high level of academic achievement
- achieve high
Standardized Examination scores (GRE, GMAT, TOEFL etc.)
- demonstrate financial
need but have private funding to cover some of the cost.
Financial need is not crucial for some awards.
- enroll in a field or
have teaching experience in a subject offered at the
undergraduate level (to increase opportunities for a
teaching assistantship)
- specialize in a field
or have a research interest which parallels that of the
department and faculty or private funding source (which
increases opportunities for research assistantships and
grants)
- have outstanding
letter(s) of recommendation and an impressive statement of
purpose.
- send a sample of
professional writing, published or otherwise.
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| Note
: Even if no assistantship is available at the time of
admission, Most Indian students manage to get some kind of
financial aid from the university after one or two semesters. So
it makes sense to go to the US for education if you can manage
to cover one year�s expenses on your own. |
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