Seeking Financial Aid for Post-Secondary Education in the U.S.

Part I
Financial Planning is the Key to University Education
Part II
Scholarship Search "Services" A Waste of Time and Money
Part III
Scholarship Information Available on Internet Computer Network
Part IV
Financial Aid from Universities
Part V
Other Resources

Part I - Financial Planning is the Key to University Education

Each year thousands of high school graduates in developing countries seek to continue their education at a university. In developing countries like The Gambia, which do not yet have enough opportunities for post-secondary education, students are forced to look abroad for universities to attend. Although there are universities all over the world, many of these students wish to pursue their education in Europe or North America, for reasons related to both quality and quantity of universities.While many of these students have an adequate educational background to be admitted to a school, the limitations encountered are often financial.

Many students who are eager to travel abroad for further education believe that it is possible to work one's way through a university. The reality is often different. The average tuition at a univerisity in the U.S. is several thousand dollars a year. In addition, the cost of living in the west is considerably higher than in a developing country. Taxes, food, rent, transportation, clothing, health care and utility bills must be paid each month, and can nearly consume one's entire paycheck. To have enough leftover for school expenses is often not possible. The situation is even more difficult for foreigners who are usually limited to low paying jobs when they first arrive.

Ebou Drammeh from Kanifing learned first hand the hardships of attempting simultaneous work and study when he came to the U.S. in 1992. Speaking recently from Washington D.C., Mr. Drammeh explained, "When I got over here my uncle who was supposed to be my sponsor pulled out and said he didn't have the money. I had to spend all the savings I brought over on the first installment of the first semester's tuition. Then I had to get a job just to eat and pay the rent. Here if you don't pay your rent they'll put you out on the street. My classes began at 9 in the morning, and I didn't get home from work until 2 or 3 am each night. I was always tired and it was very frustrating and depressing. I had to drop out after one semester and couldn't finish the degree."

For an international student, the key to successfully completing a university program is making certain financial support is available. This is especially critical in the first year of study when a student is new and isn't in a good position to support herself or seek out additional help. The luckiest students will have a financial sponsor or a scholarship from their own government which covers all expenses associated with their education. Many NGOs, parastatals, and ministries have programs for sending staff abroad for work related training. Family and personal saving are sufficient for other students to get started in school. According to the Association of International Educators in Washington, D.C., sixty-six percent of foreign students in the U.S. finance their education through personal and family sources. Other students are able to reduce expenses by living with relatives while in school.

Unfortunately however, the majority of students who would like to travel abroad for further education do not have a government scholarship, private sponsor or sufficient personal savings. These students are forced to search for other sources of funding such as scholarships.

Winning a scholarship for university study in the U.S. is difficult for anyone, regardless of nationality. However it is even more difficult for foreign students because they are eligible for only a small percentage of American financial aid programs. Low interest federal student loans, which are used by many American students to finance their college education, are not available to international students. The few merit based scholarships open to foreign students are very competitive and applied for by students from all over the world. This includes foreign students already living in the U.S. and those from countries with very developed educational systems, such as Korea, Japan, and Eastern Europe.

No matter what the strategy for securing funding, there is one common element. Students wishing to apply to a university from overseas will greatly benefit from someone who is a bit familiar with the process and is preferably living in the country in which the student wishes to study. This person should be able to seek out sources of information, ask the right questions, assist with correspondence, sift through the applications and make all the preparatory arrangements before the student arrives. The lone student who endlessly writes letters to anyone and anywhere in the desperate hope of winning a scholarship will rarely be rewarded for his efforts.