COLLEGE FUNDING

According to a study done by the Institute of International Education, over two thirds of international students end up financing most of their college tuition with family or personal resources.  College and University applications come with financial aid application forms and a description of available scholarships.  However, financial aid is very rarely available for undergraduates who are not U. S. Citizens. 

The United States Department of Education’s Financial Assistance for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) provides financial aid for students.  You can check the Department of Education’s website at www.ed.gov to see what types of financial aid and grants are available to you.  It does not hurt to see what aid is available to you, but less than one percent of international students have financed their American college education with the government as a primary source.  Financial Aid is easier to come by at the Graduate level.  When applying for Graduate schools ask about fellowships or assistantships that may be available.  These financial aid opportunities for graduate schools will often require students to assist in teaching or research at the institution. 

EMPLOYMENT

Please note:  This is a very general explanation.  Please check immigration requirements with an attorney before taking action.

Ø     Work programs may be available to you, depending on your immigration status, to assist you in paying for your education. 

Ø     If you have an F-1 status, you may find employment on your school’s campus, as long as it is not more than twenty hours per week while school is in session (you may work longer during a vacation or intercession), and you are employed by the school itself or by an outside company or institution which provides services to students on the campus.

Ø     J-1 students may work on campus if they can obtain written permission from the responsible immigration officer.  There are a few other options available to foreign students and are outlined below.

Many, but not all, schools offer curricular practical training, or cooperative education as part of the academic program.  Below are the important points to keep in mind.

§       For F-1 or J-1 students, the school’s foreign student advisor will provide authorization for curricular practical training.

§       Curricular practical training may be either part-time or full-time, depending upon what your school offers. 

§       If you use a full year of full time curricular practical training, you will not be eligible for any other practical training.

F-1 students have the option for Optional Practical Training during studies and training after studies, with a maximum of one year of training permitted during your entire academic program.

o      If you use your practical training during or after a bachelor’s degree program, there will be none available during or after graduate study. 

o      The training must be related to your studies and you must be a full-time student for one academic year before beginning the training. 

o      As with curricular practical training, optional practical training during the school year is limited to 20 hours weekly.  There is no limit to weekly hours after graduation. 

o      There are similar programs for J-1 students, who are limited to 18 months of work. 

o      F-1 students may obtain recommendation from the school’s foreign student advisor, and apply for permission for optional training from the INS.

There are a few other rare circumstances in which a foreign student may obtain employment during studies.  You may work for an international organization or an American company that has certified to the United States government that part-time U. S. citizens are not available.  These are very scarce and will not be available everywhere in the United States.  In a case of severe economic hardship, you may ask your advisor for a written recommendation for employment.  This is only available after one year of study if you can demonstrate that your financial situation has changed for reasons entirely beyond your control or ability to plan for (e.g. death or illness of a sponsor, sudden currency devaluation, or a disaster such as war, hurricane, flood, earthquake affecting your sponsor’s ability to send money).

There is an alternative to a four-year college that is growing in popularity.  Community colleges, or junior colleges (JCs) offer associates degrees after two years of study.  Most are public, and depending on the state, are affiliated with larger state universities.  Community Colleges are growing in reputation, and are respected by public and private universities and four-year colleges.  They can offer a very good education at a substantially reduced cost.  One of the advantages is that the faculty can interact more intimately with the students.  The environment at a Community college is very centered around teaching the students, rather than on Faculty publication or research.  Community Colleges have an open-door attendance policy, so that anyone with a High School diploma or the equivalent may attend. 

There are two paths you can follow at a Community college, and they are outlined below.  Foreign students should make inquiries at the International Student Center for fees and immigration requirements:

Ø     Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), also referred to as a career program.  An A.A.S. degree prepares you to go directly into the work force after two years of study.  The most popular fields of study are computer technology, engineering, nursing, and accounting.

Ø     Associate of Art (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.), also known as transfer programs.  Transfer programs provide more of a general education while maintaining a focus on your major.   It allows you to work towards your Bachelor’s Degree at a substantially reduced cost.  Colleges and Universities accept A.A. or A.S. degrees as third year students.  

GRADUATE STUDIES

Ø     Once you receive a BA in College (after four years, or the number of credits prescribed by your institution), you have the option to continue your studies.  Approximately two years of study in a specialized field earns a Master’s Degree.  An additional two to three years is needed for a Doctorate (Ph.D.).

Ø     Applying to graduate schools requires as much work as applying to Undergraduate.  Since you already know your field of specialty, check College Rankings in that field (a good resource for that is the annual U. S. News and World Reports rankings).  Select a University and determine their requirements.

Ø     The GRE

Many colleges require the Graduate Record Exams (GRE) General and Subject tests.  The GRE is offered by the College Boards.  The General test covers multiple-choice questions measuring verbal, mathematic, and analytical skills, and a subject test which measures proficiency in a specialized area.  The General test weighs the three sections on an 800-point scale, so the high score for the General test is 2400.  The Subject test is a three-hour multiple-choice exam on your area of specialty, which is given a score on an 800-point scale.  Like the SATs, and many other nationally administered tests, the tests may be taken outside of the United States.  There are fees associated with registration.  For registration dates and other information, see the GRE web site at www.gre.org.  Graduate study in the United States is an excellent opportunity, and it will be easier to find financial assistance than it was for undergraduate studies.   Admissions are difficult, especially at competitive schools, but most Universities welcome international students for Graduate studies as a way of providing a well-rounded and diverse student body.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Many students are taking advantage of the growing technology to avoid some of the financial obstacles of obtaining a degree.  A distance education allows you to earn a degree from a university without having to set foot on campus.  Because distance education is an emerging opportunity, it is important to find out how experienced the school and instructors are with distance teaching.  Also be aware that federal financial aid is very rarely offered for distance education.  There are several formats for distance learning:

Computer Courses

Course materials are obtained either on a CD-Rom or on the Internet (or both).  You interact with the instructor via e-mail or chat rooms.  Often extremely convenient for those who have access to a computer and a modem, because you can take the class from anywhere in the world, and often it is done on your own time. 

Television Courses

Courses are broadcast by either cable or public television.  Often the student has a workbook or textbook to use in conjunction with the broadcast.  There are several benefits to this form of distance education:  Allows you to attend class in your home, and other locations. You can videotape the broadcast and watch it at your convenience.

Satellite Courses

A video camera is put in a classroom and records the lecture.  It transmits the video via satellite to an alternative location with an appropriate satellite dish.  Again classes can be videotaped and watched at convenience.

Audioconferencing

Students gather in a classroom that has a telephone device through which they communicate with the teacher.  There is often a video or computer device to display graphics.  Although you will not have to be at the actual campus, it does require attendance at a specific time in a specific location.

For more information on Distance Education, consult the Globewide Network Academy (www.gnacademy.org) or Distance Education Clearinghouse (www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html).