myUface Blog

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.

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.

Yes, it’s true:  Opportunity Grants offer up to $10,000 to help cover the costs of your U.S. education.

This is Michael Curtis, writing today on a very important subject.  On June 22, Nate made a very important blog entry focused on US Government financed educational opportunities. Nate hit some great points – there are numerous opportunities for students to study at little or no cost in the U.S. Perhaps more importantly, most of these programs begin recruiting students right now! September generally is the start of recruitment for most high school, undergraduate and graduate programs.

Many tens of thousands of students will apply for these fellowships. Unfortunately, not all will be chosen. That’s where myUface comes in. However, as we’ve mentioned, myUface doesn’t guarantee 100% financing for your education. In all likelihood, you will have to come up with at least a portion of the cost of your education and living expenses while in the U.S. While this is often difficult, don’t despair! The US State Department funds a fantastic program in numerous countries that can cover up to $10,000 for things like:

• test preparation
• visa and application fees;
• transportation costs;
• books;
• English language courses ; and
• (in some cases) top-off funds toward tuition.

The program is called “Opportunity Grants” and it represents one of the most exiting ways for many students to help with covering some of the costs of education. While these grants are not offered in each country, many students will benefit from them.

How do you go about finding out more about opportunity grants and how they might make your dream of studying in the US a bit closer to reality? Check out the website of your local US embassy! For instance, if you are a citizen of Kazakhstan, you would find the information here. You could also read the following, available  for download.

Don’t forget about opportunity grants when you are determining whether or not you can afford to study in the US!  Visit the website of your U.S. Embassy or Educational Advising Center to see if Opportunity Grants are a possibility for you!

Update: According to the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, students from the following countries are eligible for Opportunity Grants:

Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Beginning summer 2009, students from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama will also be eligible to apply through the local EducationUSA advising office.

Once you’ve exhausted all other options, if you still need more funds in order to study in the U.S. you might consider taking out a student loan.  But before we talk about the process of getting a student loan, let’s be clear about one thing up front:

Right now – the summer of 2009 – is probably not the best time to be looking for loans from banks.  As InternationalStudentLoan.com notes on its website:

We are also experiencing processing and funding delays due to the turmoil in the student loan marketplace. Borrow as little as you can — make sure you exhaust all other avenues for funding first.

The same site has a great description of the impacts of the “credit crisis” on student loans, so I won’t go into details here.  The money quotation:

Student loans will be harder to get, and for those that get them, they will be more expensive. The harsh reality is that there will be less students who can afford to go to school this coming year. Of course the majority of those impacted will be US students, but international students will face the same hurdles.

The problem stems from the fact that student lenders typically sell their student loans, to raise more capital to make more loans as well as for overhead and profit. Right now, no one wants to buy those loans.

Having said all of that, it is still technically possible to get a student loan, and if you need extra funds, it’s an option you should look into.

Three websites that will serve as good starting points for your search for a student loan:

InternationalStudentLoan.com – although the loan process is currently closed due to the credit crisis, this site is still a good resource for understanding the way international student loans work.

Global Student Loan Corporation – a company with a broad reach, the Global Student Loan Corporation claims to be the only company that will give you a loan without a co-signer in the U.S.  This is due to their partnerships with financial institutions and universities in a variety of countries.

SalliMae – the student loan giant that is familiar to every U.S. graduate, Salli Mae also offers loan programs for international students.

There are undoubtedly many options besides these particular companies, and if you are going to take a loan it’s worth your time to search for the best deal.

A few points that are worth bringing up in regards to student loans:

1. Many – even most – international student loan programs will require an American citizen to cosign the loan.  “Cosigning” means that someone guarantees that the loan will be repaid.  If you don’t repay it, they may be forced to.   Obviously, people will be hesitant to cosign loans and will do so only for people they trust.  Do you know anyone in America who might be willing to cosign your loan?
2. Many international student loan programs will only provide loans to students studying at a list of pre-approved universities.  Generally speaking, these universities have signed on as a partner of the loan company, and agree to follow all of their rules and regulations.  If you’re interested in a specific university, ask their admissions department if they work with any international student loan companies.

The bottom line is that loans are a good way to bridge the final gap between what you have and what you need for study at a U.S. university.  Just make sure the gap isn’t too big to begin with, or you’ll begin you life after graduation with a large pile of debt!

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans (This post)
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

An often-overlooked source of financial aid is ethnic communities in the United States.  Quite often, immigrants to the U.S. from particular countries create scholarships for students from their native countries.   Sometimes these scholarships are created by an entire community, and are awarded through open competitions; and sometimes they are created by individuals, to benefit specific groups in their home country.  Here’s two quick  examples:

• The Lithuanian Foundation offers scholarships to students from Lithuania for study in the U.S.
• The Armenian Scholarship Foundation offers support to Armenian students already studying in the U.S.

There is an interesting list of so-called “ethnic” scholarships here.  Keep in mind, however, that it is almost certainly an incomplete list, and it also includes information about scholarships for study outside the U.S.

It can be difficult to find information about these kind of scholarships, as many of the organizations that offer them do not have a large presence on the web.  One strategy is to search for online versions of newspapers published by / for immigrant communities in the U.S., or for national organizations representing those communities. You may also try asking around in your own community for people who know of links to immigrant communities in the U.S.  Remember, a lot of these kinds of opportunities are not well-publicized, and you may need to do a lot of research in order to find what’s out there.

Not every country will have a link to an immigrant community in the U.S., and not every immigrant community will offer support to international students.  But it’s certainly worth your time to find out!

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States (This post)
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

A potential option for many students is scholarship support from international organizations.  The Open Society Institute, for example, offers scholarship and fellowship support for students from many countries.  Other international organizations may offer some forms of scholarship support in your country, depending on their priorities.

It’s relatively easy to find out about potential scholarships from international organizations:  a good place to start is at an Educational Advising Center, which should have a current and updated list of opportunities in your country.  If you aren’t near an Advising Center, you can always do research the old-fashioned way.  Simply compile a list of the international organizations and/or Non-Governmental Organizations that are active in your country, and then call them, one by one, and ask if they offer any scholarship support to students looking to study abroad.  Many organizations won’t offer scholarship support.  When you call them, try asking if they know of any organizations that do offer scholarships.

In fact, it’s quite possible that by calling those organizations yourself, you may get access to information that even the Advising Center doesn’t possess!

You’ll also come across quite a lot of information about scholarships offered by international organizations in the course of researching financial aid opportunities in general (something we’ll cover in a later post).

A few things to keep in mind about scholarship opportunities of this sort:

1. Usually, the organization offering a scholarship will have very specific goals for the students on its program.  Make sure you read all descriptions of the program carefully so that you understand the purpose of the program and any obligations it places on you.
2. As you research scholarship opportunities, make sure you keep track of the most important information – the deadlines.  Each scholarship opportunity will have a different deadline and procedure for applying.  Make sure you understand and safeguard this vital information.
3. When applying to these opportunities, try to understand as much as you can about the organization and its mission.  Doing so will help you when it comes time to write your essays for applying to the program.

One note – we here at myUface are always interested in learning about the opportunities available to students in their countries.  Feel free to send us information about scholarship opportunities you’ve found, an we’ll share that information with the rest of the myUface community!

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations (This post)
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

Over the past two days we’ve discussed the first two “steps” in getting the financial aid you need in order to study at a U.S. university.  Step One was to identify the cost of the education you’re pursuing; Step Two was to identify the assets you yourself possess (or that your family is willing to give you).

Once you complete these two steps, you should have a good idea of the amount of financial aid you’ll need to identify from outside sources:

Cost of your education – Assets of you / your family = needed aid.

So, for example, if you have researched a program that will cost $150,000 over four years, and you and your family can contribute only $60,000 over those years, you’ll need to identify $90,000.

Step Three is identifying the sources of those funds.

Over the next couple of days we’re going to delve deeply into the different potential sources of aid, but for today’s post I just want to breifly note the traditional sources of financial aid:

• Aid from your country’s government. Many countries have programs designed to subsidize the costs of education abroad.
• Aid from private institutions in your country. Domestic companies or foundations will sometimes sponsor students, particularly as part of a training program for employees.
• Aid from individuals in your country. Often, wealthy individuals will offer support to students as a way of “giving back” to their society.
• Aid from international organizations. Certain international organizations offer scholarships or support to international students.
• Aid from the U.S. government. The U.S. government administers several scholarship and fellowship programs for international students.
• Aid from private sources in the U.S. A very few foundations or other private sources in the U.S. offer scholarships to international students.
• Aid from universities. Some universities offer financial aid to international students.
• Loans. International students often take out loans to finance the cost of their education.  Banks or other lending institutions in your country may offer student loans. U.S. lending institutions will offer international students loans; usually, however, a credit-worthy U.S. citizen must co-sign the loan.
• Work-study. Some institutions will offer students the chance to work part-time as a way of financing part of their education.

Over the next few days we’ll cover each of these sources in greater detail.

For now, I want to ask you all the following question (and please leave your answer as a comment):  have you looked into these sources of aid?  All of them?  What have you found so far?

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available (This post)
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

A lot of students begin their search for financial aid by trying to find 100% support from U.S. sources.  After a few weeks of effort, most of them realize that a full scholarship isn’t likely.  Discouraged, they all too often give up their dreams of studying in the U.S.

But what if you don’t need 100% financing?  What if you need, say, only 50%?  What if you need only 25?  If you can find significant contributions from your own assets, you’ll significantly increase your chances of being able to find enough financial aid.

So, the very first place to start looking for financial aid for your U.S. education is . . . (drum roll please) . . .

Yourself.

First, do you have any savings?  Do you own any assets that you might sell?  How much money could you set aside over the next year if you started saving now?  Are there part-time jobs you could take in order to supplement your income?

What about your parents?  Now is a great time to have a frank, serious discussion about what, if anything, they can commit to your education.  In the U.S., families often take out loans on their homes or other real-estate property to finance college education for their kids.  Is that an option in your country?  Are your parents holding onto a piece of land without a clear plan for using it?  Do they have an extra car they’d be willing to sell?  It’s imperative that you identify as much as possible from within your own family.

Now, let’s pause for a moment.  Right now you might be thinking, Ask my parents to help?  Yeah, right.  They want me to stay at home and study at the local university, which costs MUCH less.  No way they’re going to help me go to study in the U.S. And besides, we don’t have nearly enough.

If you’re afraid your parents won’t help you, try  telling them how important studying in the U.S. is for you, and showing them how seriously you take it.  Don’t just ask for money and hope they’ll take care of everything.  Instead, show them how you’re looking for support from multiple sources – including yourself.  You might want to ask them to give you a loan instead of simply paying for your university (generally speaking, parents offer very good interest rates).  Involve your parents in the process of identifying and applying to U.S. universities, so they can see firsthand the advantages.  And most importantly, share your conviction that  a U.S. education is a great investment in your future.  Remember, the worst thing that happens is that they say “No.”  In which case, you won’t be any worse off.

After you’ve had a frank (and possibly awkward) conversation with your parents, go have the same frank conversation with other relatives.  Remember, you’re NOT asking for someone to pay for the entirety of your education.  You’re simply identifying small pieces of funding that, when added together, can reduce the amount of financial aid that you need from other sources.

Once you’ve identified as much funding as possible from yourself, your parents, and your other family members, it’s time to look for outside sources.

Closing Question: I’d be curious to know whether asking parents for money for university is considered “normal” in your culture.  Do parents generally fund their children’s education?  Do students ask their parents for financial assistance?

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets (This post)
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

It’s the most common question we get from international students:

Can I get financial aid to study in the U.S.?

In order to fully answer that question, we’re introducing a new Series, “Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education.” It will start today and run off and on over the next month.

Right at the outset, though, I want to be clear about a few things:

1. I don’t have any “secret” to tell you that will allow you to easily get financial aid. That’s because there is no such secret.  Getting financial aid for study in the U.S. is extremely difficult.  According to the Institute for International Education, 81% of undergraduates finance their own education in the States.  Very few institutions offer any financial support to international students, and the competition for those scholarships that do exist is incredibly fierce.  So you should not expect that you will be able to get financial aid. You should certainly research the possibilities and try to get financial aid, but you should also keep your eyes open to other possibilities.
2. myUface does not have any financial aid available. This is important to note because already many students have asked this question.  We certainly will try to help you find financial aid, but we do not offer any ourselves.
3. If you’re interested in trying for financial aid in the U.S., you need to be very serious about it. There will be more forms to fill out, questions to ask, deadlines to meet, and so on and so forth.  Don’t expect the process to be easy.  We’ll try to sort out as many of the details as possible, but remember, you’re going to have to do some very serious work in order to secure anything.

Now, is it all doom and gloom?  No!  Thousands upon thousands of international students do get financial aid every year, so it is a definitie possibility.  What’s more, out of the 81% of students who do not get financial aid, many are from families without huge cash resources – and yet they manage to find a way to finance their U.S. education.  This series will therefore not only be about financial aid, but also about how, with a little creativity, you can survive without it.

As always, during the course of the series, feel free to ask questions by either leaving a comment or by e-mailing us at blog@myuface.com.

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education (This post)