Funding Opportunities, Assistantships, and Scholarships Hat

While studying abroad can be expensive, there are alternative ways of paying for your education that do not involve your savings or your family’s savings. Some international students manage to lessen their costs with the help of campus jobs, scholarships, and assistantships.

Scholarships

University Scholarships: Several post secondary education institutions provide international students with merit-based or need-based scholarships.

One of my classmates received a partial tuition waiver because she continued to engage in campus leadership activities and kept a 3.7 GPA.

Assistantships

Graduate Assistantships (GAs): Offer stipends and tuition waivers in exchange for teaching, and grading or research.

One of my friends worked with a Teaching Assistant (TA) for an introductory programming course and pursued a Master’s degree in computer science. She learned a lot about teaching and got half her tuition paid.

Research Assistantships (RAs): Help with academic or lab research that professors are conducting. Students with technical or research experience are frequently welcomed.

Note: These days assistantships are notably scarce. If you establish a connection with professors in advance, you will increase your chances. For instance, you can send them emails or tell them that you are interested in their work.

Fellowships and Campus Jobs

There are on-campus jobs at the IT help desks, libraries, dining services, and tutoring centers. These jobs help pay for living costs, however they do not actively reduce tuition.

While at the career center, I was able to earn money, and make some great, professional connections in the process.

Fellowships: Some programs offer competitive fellowships with stipends and tuition reimbursement. These are few and far between, and usually based on specific programs, fields of study, or accomplishments.

Some Useful Information

Start Early: Many scholarships create an essay, letters of recommendation, and a financial need.

Pick a structure to help you keep the data on the requirements in the different columns, the due dates in the tracker, and the columns for the possible outcomes.

Ask for Help: Students are often the focus of career centers and international offices.

Use Your Connections: Alumni often have knowledge of hidden funding.

Planning is crucial when it comes to finances for studying abroad: a combination of part-time jobs, scholarships, and assistantships alleviates financial stress, and allows for more room to focus on study and personal development.