myUface Blog

This article at U.S News and World Report isn’t specifically about international students, but it does touch on all the issues that go into financial aid decisions at a U.S. university.  Also, it does comment briefly on international students:

The aid policy for international students: A few schools on this list, such as Princeton and Grinnell College in Iowa, commit to meet the financial needs of noncitizens. Many others, such as Northwestern and Adrian, don’t guarantee full aid for international students.

Here is the list of colleges and universities that claim to meet the full needs of students.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t specify if they will offer the same to international students.

Yes, this is a strange question.  When we talk about education in the United States, most people immediately think of all those articles in the newspaper or online that say you need $20,000 to $50,000 PER YEAR to study in the US.  Well, sometimes that’s true.  However, there are TONS of educational programs, good ones, in the US that don’t cost that much.

English Language Programs

We now have HUNDREDS of students registered at myUface.  Almost all of you say you want to get your undergraduate degree in the US.  However, many of you will not likely be able to get the 500 TOEFL score (paper based) to start an undergraduate program (let alone the 550 to begin most graduate programs).  If this situation sounds familiar to you, here’s an idea – think about a Summer English Language Program!  You will spend between 6 and 12 weeks in the US learning English and, in some cases, improving your study skills.

How much do these programs cost?  Some of the shorter programs cost as little as $3,000-$5,000!  This includes tuition, dormitory and meals (but sadly not airfare)!  That’s hard to beat and it will make you a much more attractive and successful student later.  Here are some of the programs we like (but there are literally TONS of others that are fantastic as well….just ask your local educational advisor):

1. Rochester Institute of Technology – great school, great location in New York and best of all….GREAT PRICE.  (7 weeks for about $4400)
2. Utah Valley University – some of the best skiing in the world right outside your dorm!  Very friendly and safe area not to mention it’s a wonderful program.  I visited this college and really liked it and the staff.  Even better, students who complete the ESL program are automatically eligible to register into regular degree seeking classes!
3. The University of Pittsburgh’s English Language Institute – Pitt’s ELI program even offers a three week cultural and language program during the summer where tuition is $1800.  They also offer a five week program for potential grad students that costs $2400 (tuition only).  Check them out!

Again, there are hundreds of great ESL programs out there that won’t break the bank.  If you think that an ESL program might be a better start for you, please go back into your myUface profile and choose “Special Program – ESL”.  Even better, if you think you might be able to afford the $4,000-7,000 price tag, indicate this on your profile.  This is important information for universities when they search your profile.

If there is one thing we love at myUface, it’s a 100% full scholarship that also fully covers all living expenses. When we find an opportunity like this, even if it’s not at a US-based university, we have to let our students know about it.

Thanks to the US Central Asia Education Foundation, citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan can apply for a limited number of full scholarships. Check out the USCAEF Student Fellowships here.

Let them know you heard about the opportunity at myUface!

If you want more information on this opportunity, let us know. We would be happy to get you in touch with the staff of this program.

A number of students at myuface (and international students elsewhere) are in need of a lot of scholarship support in order to be able to study in the United States.  There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and we here at myuface try to find universities that will offer the maximum amount of financial aid to students.

However, it’s also important to realize that universities very rarely offer international students a “free ride.”  When they do, it’s usually because the student’s application (test scores, essays, academic record, etc.) is very, very good.  Even in those cases, many universities require some contribution from the student.

For that reason, as you fill out your application on myuface, or as you apply to U.S. universities independently, you should have realistic expectations about just how much help you can expect from those universities financially.  Chance are, you’re going to either have to:

a) contribute some funds yourself; or

b)  work extra hard to identify funds from other sources.

We hope we can offer good advice on both counts:  our blog has a lot of information about finding financial aid.

A few students have asked us some questions about what exactly myUface provides for free, and, in order to be completely clear, we wanted to clarify exactly what it is myUface does.  We don’t want to mislead anyone!

We will send your application to appropriate US universities for free.  We will do our best to find universities that are interested in you as a student.  We will not offer to pay for your U.S. education, however.  We are not a sponsored program, and we are not a scholarship site.  There are definitely costs involved with studying in the US – application fees, travel to the university, room and board, tuition, etc.  myUface can offer advice for reducing these costs.  myUface can try to find universities who will offer you financial aid. However, we do not offer financing ourselves.  Only help finding ways to study.

Again, our service is free, but not the university itself unfortunately.

Once we have your application, we will find the best opportunities for you given your personal needs.  If you have absolutely no financial means, we can work with you to identify fully funded programs for you to apply to.  For instance, in some countries the US Government offers a fully funded 1 year undergraduate program.

Also, if you are in one of the countries that offer an “Opportunity Grant”, you can apply for up to $10,000 in funds to help you pay for things like testing, application fees, travel.

Here you can find an archive of our advice on finding financial aid.

As always, feel free to ask any questions you have.

Our blog readers will know that we at myUface are BIG fans of the US Government funded “Opportunity Grants”. Why? Where else can students apply for up to $10,000 in financial support to help them afford college? We just can’t emphasize enough what a great program this is. Therefore, we wanted to take the time to once again encourage the myUface community to look into Opportunity Grants and explain them here in a bit more detail.

We talked with one of our colleagues from American Councils for International Education  and here’s what we learned:

1. What Are Opportunity Funds?

Opportunity funds supports underrepresented students of modest means by covering the up-front costs of applying to university in the United States. Such costs may include: test preparation and fees; visa and application fees; transportation costs; books and settling in allowance, English language courses, and when appropriate, top-off funds toward tuition. Opportunity support can be used for both graduate and undergraduate education at accredited, degree-granting institutions in the United States. The total amount of support per recipient may not exceed US$10,000. Opportunity support has been provided since 2006 and currently is offered in 23 countries worldwide.

2. Which countries do you have to live in to be eligible?

Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama

How can the myUface community apply? First, you MUST be a citizen and resident in one of the countries listed above. Second, you have to apply to an accredited US university (no short term programs, non accredited universities, etc). Third, you have to apply at your local office of EducationUSA in your country. You can get a list of education advising centers here. Better yet, write us on the blog or email us at contact@myuface.com and WE will get in touch with an educational advisor in your country and start the process for you!

Don’t let this great opportunity pass you by! Remember, myUface wants to help you get into U and there might be up to $10,000 available to help you do just that!!!!

You can find our ninth podcast here.  In it, we talk about the steps you need to take before you go looking for scholarships from U.S. universities.

Over the past week we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of new users visit the site.  I wanted to take a moment and share with you some resources we have that may be of interest to you:

First, we have two myUface guides:

1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of a University Education in the United States
2. Looking for a University in the United States

You can donwload both of these guides (for free of course) here.

Second, you should check out our Series:

1. Should you study in the U.S.? A comprehensive and honest guide to the benefits and disadvantages of a U.S. education (April 2009).
2. Looking for a U.S. University – All of the information you should consider in selecting a U.S. university – including some things you may not have thought about (May 2009).
3. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education – Need help paying for a U.S. education?  Here’s a guide to how to look for and secure financial support.  It’s not easy, but it’s worth a try (June / July 2009)!
4. Preparing For A Visa Interview – A three part series on the misconceptions many students have about student visa interviews (July 2009).
5. Universities in the Fifty States – we look at what it would be like to live as an international student in each of the fifty states.
6. Writing Essays for University Applications – full of advice on how to write, edit and submit an essay with your university application.

The myUface application asks students to estimate the amount they will be able to devote to their own education.

A lot of myUface users are intimidated by these questions.  Some think that, even if they can pay for their education, they should answer differently in order to increase their chances of getting a scholarship.  Other students, who are able to contribute very little, may feel pressured to say they can contribute something, in order to be more attractive to universities.

Let’s clear up the confusion:  the best way to answer these questions is to tell the truth regarding your financial situation.   Even if you can pay your way, many universities may still be interested in offering you a scholarship.  Even if you can’t pay for any of your costs, a university may be able to offer you full tuition.  So no matter what you write, don’t feel that your answer is “disqualifying” you from consideration.  Just give the best estimate you can as to how much you’d be able to contribute.

It’s much better to give universities an accurate picture of your situation now, at the beginning of the process, than later, when the situation may be much more awkward.

Do you haveother questions about the application?  E-mail us at blog@myuface.com or visit the myUface Help Section.

That depends on the student and the university.  myUface simply facilitates a connection between U.S. universities and students.  If a student is very appealing to a university, there’s a good chance they will offer the student a tuition discount of some kind.  If, on the other hand, a student is not a great fit for a university, the university might not accept the student at all, and probably will not offer any financial assistance.

So by using myUface you’re not guaranteeing yourself financial aid.  HOWEVER, by increasing the number of universities who see your application, you do increase the chances that at least one of them will be interested enough to offer financial assistance of some kind.