When should I take this step?
If you want to seek school's financial aid, the information will be given to you after you receive the application packet from the. For other types of financial aid, you can start around twelve (12) months before school starts.

Why do I need financial aid?
Put simply, because education is expensive. It isn't just that education is expensive, but that it is often more expensive than students think. There are all kinds of expenses that are difficult to predict accurately. Most students, even American students, need at least some help paying for school.

Notable Fact: Two thirds of international students are funded solely by their families. This could be because their families can afford the expenses, but more likely, it is because international students are unaware of their options for getting financial aid.

What kinds of financial aid can I get?
As an international student, your financial aid options are quite limited because most scholarships and financial aid require the student to have U.S. citizenship. Our scholarship page in the Finance center includes one of the most comprehensive list of scholarships avaible to foreign students.

Another source of financial aid is your school. After you arrive in the U.S., you can look for research assistant positions, on-campus jobs, or institutional grants. However, most of them are merit-based, meaning that they are given to the people with best qualifications. You are not guaranteed to get one of these positions.

Many international students don't think that they qualify for student loans, but if they can find someone in America who is willing to be their co-signer, they can qualify for loans. For more information visit the iStudentCity student loans page.

iStudentCity Resources for finding Financial Aid

- Scholarship for foreign students - Foreign student loan - Cost estimates