A scholarship that does not have to be repaid and a student loan that does are not two versions of the same help. The scholarship reduces the bill. The loan moves the bill into the future and adds interest, fees, and a legal promise to pay. Which one belongs in a study-abroad plan depends on…
Proof of funds, for someone preparing to study abroad, is evidence that money exists for the study plan a school or a government has asked to see. It is not one worldwide balance, and it is not a promise that an offer or a visa will be granted. A university can ask for funding evidence…
Paying for study abroad without a loan means the bill is met with money that does not have to be repaid, or with work and payment plans the school and the visa actually allow. It is slower than an approval letter, and it does not depend on a lender’s country list. A loan remains a…
There is no single amount that international students are allowed to borrow. The figure that can actually be disbursed is the lower of two ceilings: what the lender will approve, and what the school will certify. A number on a lender’s homepage is neither of those ceilings until an approval and a school certification say…
The interest rate is the price of borrowing the principal. The annual percentage rate, or APR, is a standardized yearly measure of the cost of borrowing. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes it as a measure of the interest rate plus certain additional fees charged with the loan, including origination charges and other fees…
A master’s loan is not a general “international student” product with the degree filled in later. Eligibility can extend past the university name. It may depend on the exact program or degree level, the intake, the school, the applicant’s country or residence, and other rules that lender sets. Some products also exclude bachelor’s degrees. A…
An MBA is a master’s degree, and lenders still often put it on a separate list. A Master of Science in finance, a master’s in management, and an MBA can sit in the same business school and not share the same loan eligibility. Program length changes the bill as well. A one-year MBA packs tuition…
Some international students can borrow without a co-signer. Many cannot, at least not from the lender they have just seen advertised. A no-co-signer loan is one the student signs alone. No second person agrees to repay it if the student does not. Seeing a loan advertised for international students does not mean every international student…
Government student finance is not one worldwide rule. Eligibility depends on the country, and usually on citizenship, immigration status, and residency. A student who qualifies at home can be ineligible for the government loan in the country where the university sits, even with an admission letter. Private and home-country loans are separate products, with their…
Federal student aid is for a US citizen, a US national, or an eligible noncitizen. Lawful permanent residents, and other statuses Federal Student Aid treats as eligible noncitizens, can qualify. A student whose only US immigration status is F-1, or another nonimmigrant student status such as M-1, does not qualify on that status alone. The…