HOST:
Our listener question this week comes in two e-mails, from Nigeria and Vietnam. Hashiru Idris and Le Cong Thien both ask about scholarships or other kinds of financial aid for foreign students who want to study in the United States.
Most of the information about financial aid is found on the Internet. If you do not have a computer, use one at an advising center or local university.
Many young people want to study in the United States but do not have the money to do so. It is a good idea to research this question when you first begin to explore the idea of studying in the United States. The Association of International Educators says more than two-thirds of foreign students in the United States pay for their educations using their own or their family’s money.
That is because there is very little financial aid for foreign students in the United States. Foreign graduate students have more chances than undergraduates do, but it still is limited. Most financial aid from public and private groups is restricted to American citizens. Some countries provide aid for their citizens to study in the United States on the guarantee that they will return to work at home.
The United States government provides aid for students from some countries. You can ask at the American Embassy or an Agency for International Development office if this is true in your country. A local university may also have such information.
Some American colleges do provide aid to foreign students. A list of these can be found at a very useful computer Web site. The Web site also provides information about where to write for scholarships and loans. The address is w-w-w dot e-d-u-p-a-s-s dot o-r-g.
The same web site also lists useful publications and tells how to order them. One example is a publication called “Funding for U-S Study -- A Guide for International Students and Professionals.” It lists more than six-hundred places international students can get money for their studies.