Applying for Financial Aid

One of the greatest misconceptions about financial aid is that it’s only offered to students who are very poor, very smart, or exceptionally talented. In fact, most students in the U.S. receive some form of financial aid. Nearly two-thirds of all undergraduates, for example, take out a student loan to help finance their education. Few students could otherwise afford post-secondary education.

Financial aid may come in many forms, from grants and scholarships, which do not need to be repaid, to loans, which do need to be repaid with interest (but usually only after graduation). Financial aid may be need-based, awarded to students who come from lower income families. It may also be merit-based, awarded to students who exhibit talent in academics, athletics, arts, music, public service or any number of other areas. Many scholarships, however, do not even require that the student excel in any particular area, but simply that they write an essay and/or meet certain qualifications such as ethnicity, religion, field of study or location. Finally, regardless of personal and social-economic background, nearly all students (or their parents) can qualify for student loans which typically defer repayment until some time after graduation.

The sources of financial aid are seemingly endless: the federal government, state and local governments, the college or university itself, businesses, banks, and thousand of other private and public organizations. The options may seem daunting, but a quick read through the articles published here at MyPlan.com will help you navigate the sea of possibilities and provide you with actionable steps to procuring financial aid.

Types of Financial Aid
In general, there are five categories of financial aid (listed below). To learn more about the different forms of financial aid, click on one of the following links:

Grants: A grant is financial aid you don’t have to repay. Generally, you must be an undergraduate student, and the amount you receive depends on your need, cost of attendance, and enrollment status (full time or part time). Grants are awarded by the government and/or institution on the basis of financial need.

Scholarships: Scholarships are a form of gift aid because they do not need to be repaid. They are given to students to help pay for their education; most scholarships are, in fact, restricted to paying for tuition expenses only, although some scholarships will also cover room and board. Scholarships are awarded to students who apply for them and who demonstrate talent in areas such as academics, athletics or arts, or who meet certain qualifications such as field of study, ethnicity, gender, religion, location, etc

Loans: Loans are essentially borrowed money you must repay with interest. You can be an undergraduate or graduate student. Parents may also borrow to pay the education expenses of their dependent undergraduate students. Maximum loan amounts depend on your grade level in school. Loan terms vary by program or lender; the best terms are need-based government programs.

Work-Study: Work-study is a federal program which provides students with part-time employment to help them pay for educational expenses. The program encourages community service – jobs may be on-campus or off-campus – and gives students valuable work experience while they continue to study.

Other Options: Explore other options for financing your education, including loans from private banks. There are also a couple of lesser known options for significantly reducing your tax liability with the IRS if you are a student of if your parents have dependents who are students.

Advice on Applying for Financial Aid
The three most important pieces of advice we can offer are:

1. Don’t wait until you get accepted at a college before starting to think about financial aid. Applications for most financial aid programs must be submitted well before you would normally have received a college acceptance letter. Most types of aid also tend to be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Since most students will apply for some type of financial aid, you shouldn't wait too long to get started.
2. Know your deadlines and which forms you need to fill out. If you haven’t visited the financial aid website of the colleges you’re applying to, drop everything you’re doing and go there now! We’ll forgive you for leaving our website. You must find out which forms they require and when they need to be submitted by. In addition, you’re likely need supporting information (like parental tax information) that could take a while to prepare.
3. Even if you don’t think you’ll qualify, you should apply for financial aid every year.

International Admission at US Colleges and Universities. The Procedure. and Insight.

"If you are a student preparing to apply for admission to colleges and universities in the United States, it is important for you to understand the procedures most U.S. institutions will follow in deciding whether to admit you to their program of study.

In other countries, it is usually the ministry of education, or some similar body, that determines the general eligibility of applicants coming from outside their own educational system. In the United States, each college or university is free to set its own standard for admission and establish its own criteria to determine if a student’s academic qualifications meet that admission standard.

The higher the standard, the more selective the college and the harder it is to gain admission. U.S. schools are generally classified as: 1) highly selective; 2) selective; 3) somewhat selective; and 4) open admission (institutions able to admit students regardless of their previous academic performance).

Your previous study records, therefore, may meet the standards at some institutions but not at others.

It is the responsibility of the college or university to review your educational background to determine if you meet the standard required for admission.

Many institutions will have their own staff evaluate or assess your previous study. Other schools might require you to send your academic records to an agency that specializes in providing evaluations of a non-U.S. education. Sometimes an institution will specify a particular agency, or provide you with a list of several agencies from which you can choose. Despite assessing your previous education and providing the institution with their evaluation, these agencies do not make the decision whether or not to admit you. Only the college or university to which you have applied will make the admission decision.

Pay close attention to the instructions on each admission application you submit. Follow the instructions carefully. If you apply to more than one institution you will probably be required to follow different instructions for each. Do not assume that one institution’s requirements are the same as another.

Regardless of whether your records are going to be reviewed by the college or university to which you apply or by an outside agency to which you have been referred, you will need to provide all of your previous academic records:

Students from Japan are browsing the Internet at the Student Center at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. (© AP Images)

• You will need to have an official or attested copy of all of your previous academic records (often referred to in application materials as a “transcript”) sent to the institution to which you apply, and to the agency that will review your education. “Official records” mean that the school where you studied must send a copy of your academic record directly to the institution to which you apply and/or to the evaluating agency. You, as the applicant, should not mail these records to the institution yourself because, if you do, the records might not be considered “official.”

• Academic records not in English will need to be translated. A copy of the translation must also be sent to the institution to which you apply and/or to the agency evaluating your education. Institutions and agencies will need to have the academic record in both the original language and the translation.

• You will need to pay particular attention to the instructions regarding translation. You might need to have an “official” translation, or one by an “authorized” or “licensed” translator. Yet, some institutions and agencies might allow you to do the translation yourself, if you are sufficiently proficient in English.

• External examinations are an important part of the process for U.S. institutions to decide whether to admit you to their programs. If you have been educated in an educational system that uses external national examinations such as the Baccalauréat from France, or Ordinary and/or Advanced level examinations from the United Kingdom, you will need to send copies of the results of these examinations.

• If you are applying as a first-year student at the undergraduate level (for a bachelor’s degree) you may also need to take certain standardized assessment tests usually required of U.S. applicants too, such as the SAT or ACT. Schools will instruct you as to which tests to take and how to make arrangements for testing.

• Those applying as graduate students (for the master’s degree or PhD) might be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) if applying for an MBA. Again, the institutions to which you apply will tell you which standardized tests are required for their graduate applicants and how to make arrangements for testing.

• If English is not your native language, or if you have not been educated in a country or region where English is a native language, both undergraduate and graduate applicants may be required to present the results of an English proficiency test, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Graduate applicants who seek a teaching assistantship may also be required to take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) as evidence of their ability to teach in English.

• If you need an F-1 or M-1 (student) visa, or a J-1 (exchange visitor) visa, you will need to present evidence that you have adequate financial support for the entire period of your anticipated study. Most U.S. colleges and universities will ask you to complete a form regarding your financial backing for your studies, or will tell you what documentation is required. You will usually have to complete a form outlining the sources of your financial support as well as provide verification for it. Again, carefully follow instructions regarding financial documentation.

• Deadlines are extremely important! Please pay particular attention to any deadlines listed on the application forms. The admission of international students takes more time than does the admission of U.S. students to U.S. institutions. Most colleges and universities will have earlier application deadlines for international students, and it is essential that your application be received before that deadline. Many U.S. colleges and universities receive hundreds or even thousands of applications from international students each year. In order to be considered for admission for the term you desire, you will need to have all materials received by the indicated deadlines.

It is highly recommended that you visit an EducationUSA Advising Center if there is one close to you in your home country. The EducationUSA offices have staff that can provide you with information about applying to U.S. colleges and universities. They also have information about specific institutions and can assist you in your search for a school in the United States. The U.S. embassy in your country can tell you the locations of EducationUSA offices, or you can find this information and more athttp://www.educationUSA.state.gov/centers.htm.

Your studies in the United States will be an exciting and rewarding time. To start your experience in the best possible way, follow the instructions of each institution carefully. If you have any questions about your application process or what you need to provide, contact the institutions in which you are interested for clarification or assistance."

Adapted from Dale Edward Gough.

Universities with GRE score range.

GRE 1000-1099
----------------------

1. Southern Illinois University Carbondale

2. WAYNE state university

3. UMKC

4. University of North Dakota

GRE 1100-1199
--------------------

1. California State University , Chico

2. Indiana University , Bloomington

3. Washington State University

4. SUNY, Buffalo

5. North Carolina State University

6. Colorado State University

7. University of Pittsburgh

8. New Mexico State University
Wayne State University
California state University San Jose
University of Dayton
University of North Texas
Wichita State University
University of Missouri Kansas City
Texas A & M Commerce
University of Louisiana Lafayette
Illinois University of Technology
Southern Illinois Carbondale
Florida Institute of Technology
San Diego State University
University of Texas Arlington
Temple University
Clarkson University
Portland State University
East Carolina University
University of North Carolina Charlotte
University of Toledo
Tennessee Technological University
University of Arkansas Fayetteville
Temple University
University of Nebraska Omaha

GRE 1200-1299
_______________________________________

1. University of California , Irvine

2. University of California , Riverside

3. Iowa State University

4. Virginia Tech.

5. New Jersey Institute of Tech.

6. Arizona state University

7. University of Arizona

8. Pennsylvania State University

9. Ohio State University

10. Oregon State University

11. Texas A & M University

12. University of Alabama

13. University of Connecticut

14. Cincinnati State University


GRE >1300
__________________________________
1. University of Florida , Gainesville


2. University of Minnesota

3. University of Michigan

4. University of California , Santa Barbara

5. Boston University (Private--high Scholarships)


6. University of Texas , Austin


GRE>1400
_______________________


1.University of California , Berkeley

2. University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)

3. Purdue University

You must Must remember that you are more than your grades and scores. SO don't hesitate to apply to the university which your love if your score falls below their range.