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The International Student's Guide
to Studying and Living in the USA

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Financial Aid for International Students

A US education is very expensive. Tuition, room and board at an undergraduate institution will cost from $15,000 to $40,000 a year, depending on the school. A graduate education can be even more expensive.

There is very little financial aid for foreign nationals to study in the US, with the possible exception of citizens of Canada and Mexico. Most grants, scholarships, and loans from public and private sources are restricted to US citizens.

As a result, international students will find very little information about financial aid for international students. This site presents more information about financial aid for international students than any other publication. This information originally appeared as part of the FinAid site.

Below you will find a description of how to access what aid is available, and a discussion of some of the problems you may encounter as you pay for a US education.

US students interested in obtaining funding for study abroad should see FinAid's Study Abroad and Foreign Study Programs section.

Calculating College Costs

When calculating the annual cost of a US education at a particular college or university, add at least $6,000 to the published cost of tuition, fees, and room and board. The College Board publishes college costs and other useful information in The College Board Handbook: Foreign Student Supplement.

When preparing a budget, you will need to account for the following costs:

If you bring other family members with you, assume that your annual expenses will increase by about 15% or $5,000 for each additional family member.

If you intend to buy a car, assume that it will cost you about $4,000 a year.

If you will be traveling during the summer, assume a cost of $50 to $75 a day for tourist activities. If you will be continuing your education during the summer, add half the figure you calculated for the academic year.

Assume that your costs will increase by about 5% per year due to inflation. Don't forget to include an allowance of about 10% to account for fluctuations in exchange rates.

Use the following worksheet to estimate your costs for a year of study in the US. Be realistic when estimating costs for personal expenses.

Financial Planning Worksheet

ExpenseEstimated Cost
Application and Test Fees$____________
Tuition and Fees$____________
Books$____________
Travel to US$____________
Room and Board$____________
Expenses when school is closed$____________
Clothing$____________
Personal expenses$____________
Health insurance$____________
Summer study or travel$____________
Additional family members$____________
Other$____________
TOTAL FOR ONE YEAR$____________
Multiply the total by the number of years in your program$____________

Sources of Financial Aid

Because sources of financial aid to study in the US are extremely limited, you will have to be resourceful and explore every possibility.

Aid from Your Home Country

One of the best sources of financial aid to study in the US is organizations in your own country. The nearest educational advising center may have information about local sources of support.

Your own government may have financial aid available. (Usually this support requires that you return home after your education is complete.) Contact the cultural section of your embassy or your ministry of education for more information, since there are many awards which require you to be nominated by your government.

There may also be private organizations in your home country that provide support for study in the US. Businesses, foundations, and religious groups might have funds available.

Aid from International Organizations

Of the few private scholarships for international students, most require that you apply from your home country. If you are already in the US you might not be eligible. So you should search for financial aid before you arrive in the US.

Some international organizations offer funding for graduate students to study in the US. These include the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), AMIDEAST, the International Maritime Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the League of Red Cross Societies, the Soros Foundation, the World Health Organization, and the World Council of Churches. These awards are extremely competitive.

Fulbright scholarships are awarded to approximately 4,700 graduate students worldwide each year. Applicants are required to take the TOEFL and GRE or GMAT exams. Professional education, such as medical studies, is not eligible. Fulbright students are required to be on J-1 visas for the duration of their sponsorship. For information about applying to the Fulbright Program in your country, contact the nearest US embassy or consulate, Fulbright Commission office, or educational advising center. The US Information Agency maintains information about studying in the US, the Fulbright program, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, in the Educational and Cultural Exchange section of their web site, including Fulbright Commission contact information for most countries. For more information, call 1-202-619-4355, fax 1-202-619-6988, write to United States Information Agency, Office of Public Liaison, 301 4th Street, SW, Room 602, Washington, DC 20547, or send email to inquiry@usia.gov.

Aid from the US Government

Please note that the US government student assistance programs, including the Pell Grant, Stafford and PLUS loans, and work-study programs, are not available to international students.

There may, however, be aid available from the US government for students from specific countries. Your best bet for finding out if there is any financial aid from the US for students from your country is to contact your embassy, the US Department of State, and the US Information Agency. You should also write to the Agency for International Development, Office of International Training, Washington, DC 20523.

Aid from US Educational Institutions

Financial aid for international undergraduate students is extremely rare. Foreign graduate students have significantly more opportunities for financial aid than foreign undergraduate students. The amount of financial aid for foreign graduate students is nevertheless quite limited.

A list of schools with financial aid for international undergraduate students appears below.

Some US schools have direct exchange programs with their counterparts in foreign countries. Such exchange programs often include financial aid for the international student. To find out about these programs, ask your local university.

International students who intend to enroll in a graduate or postdoctoral program at a US university should contact the schools that interest them. Ask both the relevant department(s) and the university's Financial Aid Office about financial aid for international students. Most support for graduate study in the US by international students is provided by the schools themselves in the form of teaching assistantships and research assistantships. These assistantships are based on academic merit, not financial need. The school will require you to pass the Test of Spoken English (TSE) to qualify for a teaching assistantship.

Financial aid is not available for English as a Second Language courses, should you should have a TOEFL score of at least 550 to qualify for financial aid. If all else is equal, the candidate with the better English skills will get the financial aid.

International students who are already enrolled in a US university should visit the International Student Advisor, Financial Aid Office, and Career Planning & Placement Office for information about financial aid for international students. The campus library may also have some relevant books.

Aid from Private US Organizations and Sponsors

There is very little financial aid for international students available from private sources, such as foundations and individual sponsors.

To discover what is available, search some of the free scholarship and fellowship databases listed on the FinAid site. The FastWEB database, in particular, has good coverage of the awards available for international students. See also the list of scholarship and fellowship databases below. (Be aware that fee-based scholarship matching services often do not have any listings of awards for international students. Most awards listed in these databases are restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. The databases may claim otherwise, but that's often because they find it easy to exploit international students. Don't waste your money.)

Another suggestion is to read some of the ethnic newspapers that are published in the US. Some sources of financial aid are publicized only in such foreign language newspapers. If there isn't anything listed, try calling the editor of the newspaper to see if they know of any possibilities, such as a member of the community who might be willing to sponsor your education.

Although you might be able to find a generous benefactor who will offer to sponsor your US education, the chances of this are less than 1 in 10,000. Sponsorship of this sort is much more common abroad than it is in the US. You're more likely to find a sponsor in your home country than in the US. (US sponsors are as generous as their international counterparts. They are just overwhelmed by the relatively large numbers of international students seeking financial assistance and the higher cost of education in the United States.)

Assistance from Your Family

According to NAFSA (Association of International Educators), more than two-thirds of international students in the US finance their education using their own resources and the resources of their family. According to a 1995 study by the IIE (Institute of International Education), 81% of international undergraduate students (48% of international graduate students) relied exclusively on their own resources and their family's resources to finance their education in the US. The IIE study also found that 7% of undergraduate international students received funding from the school, 5% from their home governments, and 5% from private organizations. Less than 20% of the financial aid comes from US sources.

So you are most likely going to have to rely on your own assets, your parent's money, and contributions from relatives.

Schools with Financial Aid for International Undergraduate Students

Some US schools are more likely than others to offer financial aid for international undergraduate students. The lists below indicate which schools offer aid (including grants, loans, and jobs) to the largest numbers of international students. The lists are based on a list compiled by Douglas C. Thompson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment, The Culinary Institute of America.

To be included in the following lists, the schools must have an average award that is greater than 1/5 of the cost of attendance. The financial aid may include grants, loans, and jobs, and often includes both merit and need-based awards. Within each group, schools are listed in alphabetical order.

(Remember that a much greater number of schools provide financial aid for international graduate students in the form of teaching and research assistantships. For information about financial aid for graduate study in the US, you should contact the schools that interest you even if they aren't included in the lists below.)

It a school is not listed here, it probably does not have much financial aid for international students. However, it is worth noting that some schools may have athletic scholarships that are open to both international students and US students. The lists below do not count the number of athletic scholarships awarded to international students.

Schools with Awards to More than 100 Students

Beloit College (WI)        Julliard School (NY)            Stanford (CA)
Brown Univ. (RI)           Louisiana State Univ. (LA)      Tri-State Univ. (IN)
Calvin College (MI)        Luther College (IA)             Univ. of Bridgeport (CT)
College of Wooster (OH)    MIT (MA)                        Univ. of Pennsylvania (PA)
Dartmouth (NH)             Macalester College (MN)         Univ. of Rochester (NY)
Dordt College (IA)         Northeast Louisiana (LA)        Washington Univ. (MO)
Graceland College (IA)     Oberlin (OH)                    Yale (CT)
Grinnell College (IA)      Ohio Wesleyan Univ. (OH)          
Harvard (MA)               Princeton (NJ)                    

Schools with Awards to 50-99 Students

Allegheny College (PA)          Franklin & Marshall (PA)        Middlebury College (VT)
Brandeis Univ. (MA)             George Washington Univ. (DC)    Principia College (IL)
Bryn Mawr College (PA)          Goshen College (IN)             Smith College (MA)
California Lutheran (CA)        Hamilton College (NY)           St. Lawrence Univ. (NY)
Clark Univ. (MA)                Ithaca College (NY)             Tulane Univ. (LA)
Cleveland Inst. of Music (OH)   Knox College (IL)               Univ. of Wisc./Eau Clair (WI)
Concordia Coll. (MN)            Lafayette College (PA)          US International Univ. (CA)
Cornell Univ. (NY)              Lewis & Clark (OR)              
Eckerd College (FL)             Maharishi Intl. Univ. (IA)

Schools with Awards to 15-49 Students

Albright College (PA)      Eastern Nazarene (MA)           St. Olaf College (MN)
Amherst College (MA)       Elizabethtown College (PA)      Swarthmore College (PA)
Augustana College (IL)     Elmira College (NY)             Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
Bates College (ME)         Gettysburg College (PA)         Troy State Univ. (AL)
Bowdoin College (ME)       Gustavas Adolphus College (MN)  Univ. of Chicago (IL)
CalTech (CA)               Hampshire College (MA)          Univ. of Oregon (OR)
Central College (IA)       Hood College (MD)               Univ. of St. Thomas (MN)
Coe College (IA)           Kalamazoo College (MI)          Univ. of the South (TN)
Colby College (ME)         Kenyon College (OH)             Vassar College (NY)
Columbia Univ. (NY)        Messiah College (PA)            Wabash College (IN)
Davidson College (NC)      Mount Union College (OH)        Wellesley College (MA)
Denison Univ. (OH)         Occidental College (CA)         Wesleyan Univ. (CT)
Dickinson College (PA)     Slippery Rock Univ. (PA)        West Virginia Wesleyan (WV)
Earlham College (IN)       St. Johns College (MD)          William Smith College (NY)
							   Wittenberg Univ. (OH)

Useful Publications

You may find some of the following publications helpful. Additional references can be found in the bibliography.

Before you order a copy, check whether your library has a copy. The US Embassy in your country may have copies in their library. Most US embassies and consulates can provide basic information about studying in the US.

  1. Carol Weeg, Ellen Stern and Jim Bauer, Funding for US Study - A Guide for International Students and Professionals, Institute for International Education (IIE), Princeton, New Jersey, 1996. ISBN 0-87206-219-8 ($39.95 + $4 shipping in US or $16 shipping to other countries). 462 pages. This book provides information about financial assistance for international students to study in the US, including more than 600 sources of funding for international students (mostly for graduate and postdoctoral programs, but some for undergraduate students). To order a copy, call 1-301-617-7804 or 1-800-445-0443, fax 1-301-953-2838, write to IIE Books, PO Box 371, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0371, or send email to iiebooks@iie.org. Payment should be by Visa, Mastercard, or check in US dollars drawn on a US bank. For more information about IIE programs, call 1-212-984-5330 or 1-212-883-8200, or write to US Student Programs, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017-3580.

  2. College Board, International Student Handbook of US Colleges, 1999. ISBN 0-87447-593-7 ($21.95). 330 pages. This book provides information about more than 3,000 colleges and universities, including average and minimum TOEFL scores, availability of financial aid for international students, and ESL programs. You can order the book for $21.95 plus $8.31 for overseas shipping from College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, NY 10101-0886 USA, fax 1-212-713-8143. If you are in the US, you can call 1-800-323-7155 to place an order.

  3. Marguerite J. Dennis, Complete College Financing Guide 1995, 3rd Edition, Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-81-201-635-1 ($17.50 plus $2.32 shipping in the US or $15.69 for overseas shipping). 282 pages. One chapter is devoted to funding for international students wishing to study in the US. To order a copy, call 1-800-645-3476 or write to Barron's Educational Series, 250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788.

  4. Gregory A. Barnes, The International Student's Guide to the American University, National Textbook Company, Lincolnwood, IL, 1993. $12.95. 208 pages. Includes a chapter on financial aid.

  5. A Selected List of Fellowship Opportunities and Aids to Advanced Education for U.S. Citizens and Foreign Nationals, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, 1993.

  6. Carlotta R. Mills, Foundation Grants to Individuals, 9th edition, 1994. (Updated annually.) This book is published by the Foundation Center, and includes some scholarships and fellowships available to international students. You can order the book for $55 plus $11 for overseas shipping from Foundation Center, 79 5th Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10003. (The shipping charge is $4.50 for destinations in the US.)

  7. Peterson's Scholarships for Study in the USA and Canada, 1998. ISBN 1-56079-948-X ($21.95). 421 pages. This books lists more than 1,100 non-school sources of money for undergraduate and graduate international students. Awards are indexed according to award name, sponsor name, academic field, career goals, and other characteristics. To order a copy, call 1-800-338-3282 or 1-609-243-9111, fax 1-609-243-9150, or visit the Peterson's bookstore.

  8. W. Wickremasinghe, Scholarships and Grants for Study or Research in the USA, 2nd edition, American Collegiate Service, Houston, TX, 1989, 151 pages, ISBN 0-940937-01-8. This book contains a compilation of financial aid opportunities available from colleges, US foundations, and international organizations. You can order the book for $21.95 from American Collegiate Service, PO Box 442008, Houston, TX 77244. Call 1-714-493-9863 for more information.

Organizations

This section lists a few organizations that may be able to provide some information about financial aid for international students.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators (previously known as the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs) is the national professional association for international educators. NAFSA promotes international educational exchange between the United States and the rest of the world. In addition to providing information about financial aid for international students, NAFSA's web site provides information about the organization, electronic news for international educators, and back issues of their quarterly magazine (International Educator). NAFSA also operates the INTER-L mailing list. International students who are interested on studying in the US and US students who are interested in studying abroad can also call 1-202-462-4811 and ask for the "Recording on Financial Aid".

NAFSA does not provide any grants to international students, with the exception of a small grant program for students from the Soviet Union (1-202-939-3111). (There was previously a program for students from East Central Europe and the Baltic States, but this program is no longer accepting new applications.) Information about these programs should be available from the international student advisor at most colleges and universities. (See, for example, the REAP Program Page at Indiana University.)

For more information, call 1-202-462-4811, fax 1-202-667-3419, write to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20009-5728, or send email to inbox@nafsa.org. To order NAFSA publications, call 1-800-836-4994, fax 1-412-741-0609, or write to NAFSA Publications, PO Box 1020, Sewickley, PA 15143.

Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
CIEE provides assistance with study abroad programs and internships, international student identification cards, student travel services, and English as a second language instruction and testing. For more information, call 1-212-661-1414, fax 1-212-972-3231, or write to Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE), 205 E 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017.

Institute of International Education (IIE)
Founded in 1919, the IIE is the largest non-profit organization in the US devoted to international exchange. The IIE administers the US Fulbright program and manages more than 250 international education programs. Although the IIE assists the US Information Agency in the administration of the graduate Fulbright Fellowships for study in the United States, international students cannot apply directly to IIE for USIA Fulbright Fellowships. All international students should apply through the Fulbright Commission or US Information Service in their home country. Their site also includes a searchable version of their scholarship books. (The full text is only available to IIE members.)

For more information, write to Institute for International Education, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017-3580, call 1-212-883-8200 or 1-212-984-5412, fax 1-212-984-5452, or send email to webmaster@www.iie.org.

Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES)
CIES is administratively affiliated with the Institute of International Education and provides assistance with the administration of the Fulbright Program. CIES also administers the NATO Advanced Research Fellowships and Institutional Grants Program. For more information, send email to scholars@cies.iie.org or write to Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 3007 Tilden Street, NW, Suite 5L, Washington DC 20008-3009.

International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
NSERC is the Canadian equivalent of the United State's National Science Foundation (NSF). NSERC's programs include grants and scholarships. For more information call 1-613-995-5992, fax 1-613-943-0742, write to Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, 350 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1H5, or send email to www@nserc.ca.

Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International provides grants to university students and teachers to act as "goodwill ambassadors" around the world. The Rotary Foundation also sponsors international exchanges of business and professional people, and provides provides grants to improve the quality of life around the world. An example of this is their Ambassadorial Scholarship Program. For more information about their programs, write to Rotary Foundation, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 or call 1-708-866-3000.

AAUW Education Foundation
The AAUW Education Foundation provides graduate fellowships to women with the equivalent of a Bachelors degree who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. International Fellowships support graduate students writing doctoral dissertations and postdoctoral scholars conducting research in the United States. Upon completion of studies, fellowship recipients must return to their home countries to pursue a professional career; preference will be given to applicants who can verify that they have a definite position awaiting them. Applications become available from August 1 through November 15. The deadline is December 2 (Airmail), and the 1996 fellowship stipend is $15,065. For more information write to AAUW Educational Foundation, Department 60, 2201 N. Dodge St, Iowa City, IA 52243-4030, call 1-319-337-1716, or fax 1-319-337-1204, or write to American Association of University Women, 1111 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036-4873 or call 1-202-728-7603.

NAMSS - National Association for Managers of Student Services (UK)
The NAMSS site provides information about student and graduate bank accounts and loans, updated monthly from Moneyfacts, a UK financial newsletter. There is also information on studying on benefit, which is how many students in the further education sector survive. The site is primarily focussed on the further education sector, although some of the information will be useful to university students, both UK and EC students wanting to study overseas, and overseas students wanting to study in the UK and EC. For more information about the site, please send email to Flick Harris (NAMSS webmaster), flickh@flash.u-net.com.

Scholarships for International Students

You will undoubtedly encounter several scholarship matching services that, for a fee, will offer to search a database of scholarships for awards that match your profile. Unfortunately, the vast majority of awards in these databases are restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. Don't waste your money on such services.

The following databases are dedicated to listing scholarships for international students in specific countries. You should also consider searching the free databases of scholarships on the FinAid site, since some of them include scholarships for international students.

A word of caution: If a scholarship has an application fee, don't apply. If you have to pay money to get money, it is probably a scam. For more information about scholarship scams, the unclaimed aid myth, and related topics, see the Scholarship Scams section of the FinAid site.

A Selected List of Fellowship and Other Support Opportunities for Advanced Education for US Citizens and Foreign Nationals
This NSF publication (NSF 93-147) was obtained from stis.nsf.gov as the files ns93147a.txt through ns93147f.txt. Also available is the NSF publication 94-139, Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI).

CANFUNDS
CANFUNDS is a large searchable database of more than 17,000 scholarships, prizes, and bursaries for students in Canada. It includes both school-administered and private awards. CANFUNDS is a part of The Parent's Guide, a site devoted to helping Canadian parents prepare their children for a post-secondary education. CANFUNDS is based on the Canadian Scholarships on File database.

GrantSearch Australia
GrantSearch Australia offers customised keyword searches of a database containing over 1,400 grants, scholarships, fellowships and awards available in Australia. The cost is AUD45 + AUD5 postage (approximately US$40). For more information, call or fax +-619-228-0882, write to Dr Julie Summers, GrantSearch Australia, 180 Palmerston St, Perth, Western Australia 6000, or send email to summersj@ozemail.com.au.

SFU Graduate Awards Database
A small database of Canadian graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, compiled by Simon Fraser University.

Stöd & Stipendier AB (SOS AB)
SOS is a Swedish-based scholarship and grant search service, serving primarily European students who wish to study abroad. They also serve American students who want to study in Europe or in the Pacific region (Australia, NZ, Far East). They also do grant searches for institutions and associations with international activities. They have a staff of seven people working in Sweden and four in Riga, Latvia. They compile their own database, which lists 17,000 addresses, and they also have access to several other databases of Scandinavian origin (Billeso & Baltzer), European origin (European Foundation Centre and Maecenata) and American origin (Foundation Center, Scholarship Finder). They have been in business since 1992. Their fees, if the printout is sent by email, are Add US$5 for currency-charges. (This extra-charge will be dropped as soon as they have a simple and secure international digital payment-system working.) They also sell "Stora Fondboken" for US$58 for Macintosh or PC systems with information on 3,000 grants worldwide. It is also available as a CD-ROM for US$285 per year plus VAT. They are working on an online search service for their web page. For more information, call +46-670-614310 or +46-8-836113, fax +46-670-614330, write to Stöd & Stipendier AB (SOS AB), Transtigen 7, S-833 35 STRÖMSUND, Sweden, or send email to grants@algonet.se.

Loans for International Students

A few US banks will offer student loans to international students if the loan is co-signed by a creditworthy US citizen or permanent resident (holder of a "green card"). There may also be restrictions on the type of visa (F1 or J1).

When evaluating a loan program, it is important to carefully compare the costs. Some loans have interest rates pegged to the 91-day T-Bill Rate. Others use the Prime Lending Rate, which is approximately two to four percentage points higher.

Income Taxes

Many universities take an extremely conservative approach to the taxability of scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships for international students, withholding as much as 30% of the award for tax purposes.

Some international students may benefit from specific tax treaties between the US and their country. Some tax treaties exempt student awards from taxes, depending on the visa type, type of award, and length of time in the United States. Information about these treaties may be found in IRS Publication 901, U.S. Tax Treaties. Other IRS Publications that may be of interest include: 513 Tax Information for Visitors to the U.S., 515 Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and ..., and 519 U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens. Current publications and forms can be obtained from the IRS web site or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).

Many international students do not realize that they are entitled to a refund of all or part of the money withheld. To do so, you must file a nonresident tax return (1040NRA) and attach a coverletter explaining that you are requesting a refund of the tax withheld under the conditions of the tax treaty with your hold country.

If the tax treaty with your country exempts your award from tax, you may be able to get your school to stop withholding the money from your paycheck. Note that many tax treaties discuss both educational awards and funds received for personal services, with more favorable conditions attached to educational awards. You will need to convince your school that your scholarship or fellowship should be classified as an educational award and not as funds received for personal services. You will also need to explain that the university is only required to withhold 30% of the scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship if the award is not covered by the provisions of a tax treaty.

Note that tax status is different from immigration status. You might be considered as a resident for tax purposes even if you are a nonresident for immigration purposes. To be considered a non-resident alien for tax purposes, you must have been in the US for less than 5 years.

It is important to file US income tax returns annually. Failing to file tax forms can affect your ability to re-enter the US or the success of an application to change visa status (e.g., from F-1 to H-1B). If your only US income was bank interest or you had no US income, you will need to file Form 8843. Otherwise you will need to file a non-resident income tax return, either Form 1040NR or Form 1040NR EZ. You can file the EZ form if your only US income came from wages, salaries, tips, taxable refunds of state and local income taxes, and scholarship or fellowship grants; you do not claim any dependents and cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else's US income tax return; your taxable income was less than $50,000; and you do not itemize deductions. If you had dividend income from stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, you must use the non-EZ form. Your dependents must also file either Form 8843, Form 1040NR, or Form 1040NR EZ. You must file the forms even if you were in the US for only a day in the previous calendar year. You are also required to file the forms even if your country has a tax treaty with the US. The deadline for filing US income tax returns is April 15.

Additional information about US income taxes can be found at the US Tax Guide for International Students, Professors, Teachers, and Researchers. The TaxSites Tax and Accounting Sites Directory and Windstar Technologies web site may also be helpful.

You can ask questions of the IRS by calling 1-800-829-1040.

The Social Security Administration's Office of International Programs provides information about the US social security taxes and bilateral Social Security agreements with other countries.

In particular, F-1 and J-1 students are exempt from the social security payroll tax (FICA) while they are non-resident aliens if their employment is directly related to their purpose for being in the US (e.g., practical training or academic training). F-1 and J-1 students are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes if they've been in the US for less than 5 years. Income earned by a J-2 dependent, on the other hand, is subject to FICA.

If you will be earning income from US sources, such as an assistantship, on-campus job, or off-campus job for practical training, you will need a social security number. Please note that a Social Security Number is not the same as the number your school may have assigned to you on your student ID, even though it often has the same number of digits as a Social Security Number. To apply for a social security number, bring your passport, Form I-94, Form I-20 or Form IAP-66, and a letter from the International Student Advisor at your school to the nearest Social Security office. You can also obtain the Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5) from the Social Security Administration's web site. Ask for a receipt from the Social Security office if you intend to start work before the number is granted, so that you can present your employer with proof that you've applied for a Social Security Number. (If you are required to file only Form 8843, you do not need a Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number. You will need one, however, to file a Form 1040NR or Form 1040NR EZ.) The Social Security Number is also useful for other purposes, such as those discussed in the next section.

International Students and the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by US citizens and permanent residents to apply for financial aid from the US federal and state governments. Colleges and universities also use the information submitted on the FAFSA for computing need-based awards. International students are not eligible for the US government aid programs (Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, PLUS Loan, and Federal Work-Study). However, many schools will ask international students to submit a FAFSA so that they may use the data for assessing financial need.

Before filing a FAFSA, international students should ask the schools to which they are applying what procedure they should use to apply for institutional aid.

Some schools require students to file a FAFSA as part of their application for institutional aid. However, if a international student submits a FAFSA without supplying a Social Security Number (SSN) or Alien Registration Number (ARN), the FAFSA will be rejected and the data will not be processed. Even if the international student supplies a SSN, the FAFSA will be rejected when they check option 3 ("No, neither of the above.") in the answer to question 15-16 ("Are you a U.S. citizen?").

At first glance, it seems that there is no way to work around this problem. The FAFSA is not intended to be used by schools for processing institutional aid applications submitted by international students. Only US citizens and eligible noncitizens may receive federal student financial aid. US citizens have SSNs, eligible noncitizens have ARNs, and international students have neither. According to the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, every applicant must have a social security number in order to apply for federal student financial aid. Since the primary purpose of the FAFSA is to apply for federal student financial aid, a FAFSA submitted without a social security number will be rejected.

Nevertheless, it turns out that since a social security number is not considered proof of US citizenship, some international students may be able to apply for and receive a social security number. (This may depend on the type of visa; it isn't clear.) If a international student receives a social security number, the card is stamped so that there is no mistaking it for citizenship. They can then use this number to complete their FAFSA. (They can also use the social security number to open a bank account or get a driver's license.)

When a international student with a social security number submits a FAFSA, they should supply their social security number in the answer to question 8, and check option 3 ("No, neither of the above.") in the answer to question 15-16 ("Are you a U.S. citizen?") to indicate that they are not eligible for federal student financial aid.

Even though the FAFSA will still be rejected, according to a contact at the US Department of Education, the data is still there and can be drawn down by the financial aid office and used to make institutional awards.

Before applying for a social security number and filing a FAFSA, however, international students should ask the school whether they should submit a FAFSA, and if so, where it should be submitted. Many schools that use the FAFSA for processing foreign student aid applications require the students to submit the FAFSA directly to the school, and not to the federal processor. This bypasses the entire need for a Social Security Number.

International students should be careful to not supply another nine-digit number in the Social Security Number field. The FAFSA will get processed if they do this, but it will be flagged for verification because the Social Security Number will not produce a positive match.

Financial Aid for Canadian Students

In addition to the FastWEB and CANFUNDS scholarship and fellowship databases listed above, the University of Waterloo and Simon Fraser University offer databases of scholarships and fellowships for Canadian students to study in Canada.

For information about loans available to Canadian students, see the entries on MEFA and CanHELP in the loans section above.

Canadian Guidance Services publishes a 250-page book of scholarships and awards available to Canadian high school students who will be entering a Canadian university. The book is revised every two years and is now in its 7th edition. The cost of the book is $19.95 plus $5 shipping and handling and $1.75 GST (total $26.70). For more information or to order a copy, call 1-905-332-0083, write to Canadian Guidance Services, 2042 Coral Cres., Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7P 3K5, or send email to canguide@wchat.on.ca.

Canadian students attending colleges in the USA may obtain loans through the Canadian government's Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour. Students should contact a Canadian lender, the appropriate Ministry office in their province, or Human Resources Development Canada in Ottawa. The interest rate is typically the prime rate plus 5.0%. One lender which issues these loans is Royal Bank Student Loan Centre, Transit #9080, PO Box 9590, Vancouver, BC V6B 4G3. For more information, call them at 1-604-665-4029 .

Financial Aid for European Students

Noopolis is a database in Italy run by CNR (the Italian equivalent of the US's National Science Foundation) that contains information about scholarships to study in Italy, and about scholarships for Italian citizens to study abroad. For more information, call +39-6-62-33-103 or write to Noopolis, Via Domenico Tardini, 33, 00167 Roma - Italy.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that there is very little financial aid available, and many international students do not study in the US because they cannot afford the expense. This is especially true for undergraduate education.

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