Many Indian students are concerned about the high cost of education in the US and seek information on opportunities for financial assistance. The cost of education in the US could rage from $11000 to over $40000 per year. In addition to tuition and fees, books and food, you have to plan for the expenses towards housing, health insurance and transportation. State schools and schools in the South and Midwest are often cheaper than private schools and those located in California or the Northeast region.

In reviewing opportunities for financial assistance, it is important to understand that graduate schools in the US offer financial assistance to international students primarily on merit and rarely on need. The amount and type of assistance offered varies based on the university, department and level of study. Availability of assistance is more likely in fields like engineering, physical science and biological sciences, than humanities social sciences, business and management, law, arts and communication. There is a greater possibility of assistance at the doctorate level than at the master's level. Resources available to individual departments at a university in a particular year, depend on the funding they receive from federal and state agencies and private institutions.

It is advisable to generate funds to take care of a least 6 months if not one year of your initial study (education and living) before you expect scholarships. Your initial performance may turn decisive for getting scholarships subsequently and hence serious uninterrupted initial study may be a good investment for eligibility for financial aid for those in need at a later stage.

At the first entry into your university you should meet the 'Foreign Student Advisor' and your Graduate Study Program Advisor to get complete details about the campus; educational and personal requirements and future plans. The Foreign Student Office could be your initial contact point to receive mail, to obtain information about housing of your choice and to locate Association of Indians, if you desire to contact Indians on your campus for guidance, assistance and friendship. Experience of fellow Indians and Foreign Student Advisor should help you decide about financial assistance among other things.

Types of aid:

(a) Tuition waiver:
This means that the student does not have to pay the tuition fees at the university. However, general fees (for the use of university facilities like the library, computers, sports and health services) usually have to be borne by the student. A tuition waiver is frequently awarded in conjunction with a scholarship or teaching/research assistantship.

(b) Scholarship/ Fellowship:
This is usually an outright grant based on the student academic ability and performance. Hence, only a truly outstanding student may be considered for this type of award, before enrolling at the university. A full scholarship would pay for a student's entire living expenses at the university, whereas a partial scholarship would require additional funds from the student.

USEFI administers US Government scholarships, the Institute of International Education (IIE) scholarship and East-West Center scholarships. These three scholarships are for study in the US and administered under two categories: (a) pre-doctoral and (b) post-doctoral. Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships are available only to those Indian candidates who are studying in the field of humanities, social sciences and pure sciences. Applications in the field of applied science, technology or medicine cannot be accepted.

The East-West Center scholarships are offered for pre-doctoral study at the University of Hawaii. These scholarships are restricted to those candidates who have at least two years of work experience, and who have a high second class in their Bachelor's as well as their Master's degree. East West Center scholarship applications are accepted in the field of applied sciences, humanities, social sciences and pure sciences. Announcements are made by the USEFI for these scholarships, usually in the month of July. Only then are the application forms and other details given out.

(c) Assistantship:
Most graduate students who receive assistance do so in the form of an assistantship, i.e. usually a cash stipend, sufficient for their living expenses, and/or tuition waiver, in return for which they have to work for a maximum of 20 hours a week. The duties normally consist of teaching or research. You should keep in mind that teaching assistantship may be more readily available in those subjects in which there are likely to be large undergraduate classes while research assistantships tend to be more common in those subjects and at those universities in which considerable research is being carried on. Information brochures of universities would give this information. Often, teaching or research abilities must be proved before assistantships are granted. Hence, many universities only award them to foreign students after the first semester or the first year. To be considered for a teaching assistantship, you may be asked to give the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Universities have other kinds of special awards, about which you may read in their catalogues.

Applications for admission and financial assistance from foreign graduates are accepted directly by many of the universities in the US. This financial assistance available from universities is a paid position known as assistantship. There are two kinds of assistantships:
1.Research assistantships 
2.Teaching assistantships

The respective departments of a university usually grant research Assistantships. The conditions vary greatly from school to school, and even among the departments of the same institution. However, one or more research assistants are often assigned to a professor who give them tasks related to a research project he is working on. A research assistant may be paid a salary sufficient to pay his tuition fees, or at least a monthly stipend, or both.

A teaching assistantship is self-explanatory. A grant is made to an advanced student to assist a professor in teaching. The terms of these grants vary, as do the research assistantships.

There is a keen worldwide competition for these awards. A first class academic record is an essential prerequisite. Correspondence for these should be started in the month of September/October preceding the academic year in which you plan to attend the university.

(d) Information through the Internet:
The Internet is an outstanding source of information, which is utilized lavishly by educational Institutions. One of the following web-sites may have the information you need. Or, if you have a particular college or university in mind, a simple name search on the Net should turn up plenty of information about it.

Financial aid resources
* Financial Aid for International Students (http://www.finaid.org/finaid/focus/itI-std.html)
* International Education Finance Corporation (http://members.aol.com/IEFC)
* NAFSA Association of International Educators (http://www.nafsa.org/nafsa/students/students.html)
* The College Board Web Site (http://www.collegeboard.org/ie/html/index000.html)
* Peterson's (http://www.petersons/com/stdyabrd/sasector.html)
* Yahoo Financial Aid Information (http://www.yahoo.com/Education/Financial Aid/)
* Spin Search (Sponsored Programs Information Network) (http://www.drda.umich.edu/drad/online/online.html)

Resources for scholarships, grants and fellowships
* National Science Foundation World Wide Serve (http://www.nsf.gov)
* Amherst College-Foundation and Corporate Support Funding Information Office (http://www.amherst.edu/develop/resources/resmenu.html)
* MacArthur Foundation (http://www.macfdn.org)
* Scholarship search (read instructions carefully-you may/may not have to pay for this service) (http://www.fastweb.com). A link to this service is also available from the UMKC Financial Aid Office home page.
* Fellowship Office of the National Research Council (http://www.edu/fo.index.html). This is a search for fellowships, which are, open to international students such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Biological Sciences.
* Financial Aid Information Page: A great source of general information (http://www.finaid.org)
* Fastweb: (http://www.fastweb.com). Database of 180000 private scholarships; E-mails data on grants that match your profile, updated daily. It asks you questions about yourself and then matches just one downside.
* (http://www.finaid.org/finaid/database)
* (http://www.iupu.edu/~inform/scholarships)
* (http://www.adm.pdx.edu/admin/schindx.htm)
* (http://www.studentservices.com/search/majorsearch.cgi). This one is almost like fastweb, except that fewer questions are asked.

Other selected Internet resources
* American Universities (http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html). A single-source link to the home pages of hundreds of American colleges and universities. Links to lists of international and community colleges are provided as well.
* MIT Media laboratory (http://www.media.mit.edu/) the laboratory comprises both a degree-granting academic program and a research program organized into three areas: learning and common sense, perceptual computing and information and entertainment.
* SRI International- Policy Division (http://www.sri.com/policy/) Founded as the Stanford Research institute in 1946, SRI us an independent, nonprofit research, technology development and consulting organization. The policy division includes a Center for Technology in learning (http://www.sri.com/policy/teched/).
* US Department of Education (gov http://www.ed.) this comprehensive site provides information on the departments programs, priorities and services. Newsletters, journals, research syntheses, reports, guides, strategic plans, annual reports and studies are also available in full text. Since the site contains over 400 links to departmental sources, it is searchable and browsable. (http://www.sri.com/policy/cehs/)