Financial Aid in Norway

September 28th, 2013 by Jennifer Frankel

norway160248917Another one of our readers wanted to know about financial aid in Norway. Although by law, education is free for anyone living in Norway, Norway is expensive. The living cost in Norway is higher than most of the rest of the developed world. For this reason, students must plan well in order to manage their living costs. They can work part-time up to 20 hours per week, but in many cases this may prove to be insufficient. If this is the case, there are several financial aid and scholarship options available for international students studying in Norway.

However, the competition for these scholarships and financial aid is high. Acceptance for aid in Norway depends on the student’s academic background, the country in which they reside, and the course they study.

There are national programs offered by the Norwegian government, as well as various other programs offered by both private and non-profit organizations to provide scholarships and other types of funding for international students to help support their studies and stay in Norway. The Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) is a public administrative body under the Ministry of Education and Research in Norway that promotes international cooperation in education and research and administrates several programs under which international students are eligible for financial support.

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InternationalStudent.com Essay Contest Winners

September 26th, 2013 by Jonathan Frankel

BlogsizeEssay Finalist Milan Djurasovic

We previously announced the InternationalStudent.com Essay Contest that was open for international students around the world to enter into to share their story and have a chance at one of the top three prizes: $200, $75 or $25.

The judges at InternationalStudent.com spent the month of September narrowing down each international student essay to find the essay contest winners. On September 19th the top six finalists were announced to be the following individuals:

  • Sofia Camacho
  • Atajan Abdyyev
  • Simone Lim
  • Eshul Rayhan
  • Milan Djurasovic
  • Maan AlBani

Today InternationalStudent.com announced the top three essay contest winners and here they are:

1st Place ($200)- Milan Djurasovic
2nd Place ($75)- Sofia Camacho
3rd Place ($25)- Eshul Rayhan

Read each of the finalist and top winning essays for an inside look at what it’s like to be an international student.


Financial Aid in Ireland

September 20th, 2013 by Jennifer Frankel

irelandOne of our readers asked us to do a special piece on financial aid in Ireland, and we thought – what a great idea. After all, many international students studying in Ireland find that they cannot do so without some form of financial assistance. If this is the case, there are several financial aid options for these students. We’ve compiled a short list of the types of financial aid in Ireland.

Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships for international students are available from the universities and colleges themselves. These scholarships are awarded solely at the discretion of the individual institutions that set down their own criteria for eligibility. To learn more about scholarships offered by your school, you are advised to contact the school directly. There are also scholarships available for other organizations – you can find a comprehensive list of available scholarships for study in Ireland on our Scholarship Search.

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Britain Accepting More International Students – Study in the UK

September 15th, 2013 by Jennifer Frankel

britain country and map147290929A few weeks ago, the British government introduced its new International Education Strategy, the goal of which is to attract an additional 90,000 university students from overseas by 2018. According to the report, the education exports industry—which includes everything from tuition paid by international students to the overseas branches of British schools—adds £17.5 billion, or $26.5 billion, to the national economy.

The United Kingdom wishes to increase partnerships with other countries, encourage more British students to study overseas, and expand the Chevening Scholarship program, which finances foreign students studying in Britain. Business Secretary Vince Cable said in a statement, “Overseas students make a huge contribution to Britain. They boost our economy, and enhance our cultural life, which is why there is no cap on the number of legitimate students who can study here.”

Research suggests that as many as a third of the educational institutions in Britain, including some of the country’s finest, will recruit more students from outside Britain and the EU this year, continuing an already established trend. In the last ten years alone, the proportion of international students recruited to British universities has doubled. In fact, half of all students enrolled in postgraduate courses are now foreign. Read the rest of this entry »


Now Open: The InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest

September 10th, 2013 by Jonathan Frankel

videocontestInternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest
Deadline: October 23

InternationalStudent.com has launched their 8th Annual Travel Video Contest! Like in past years- the contest is open to students who would like to study outside their home country, as well as to students who are already studying abroad and would like to take a trip.

Eligible individuals can enter their short video into the contest from September 3rd through October 23rd. The finalists will be announced the week of October 28th and the winners will be announced the last day of International Education Week: November 15th.

One grand prize winner will receive $4,000 toward their travels abroad along with their very own blog to document the trip on InternationalStudent.com! Keep in mind that judges want to hear about more than where you want to go and why you need the financial help to get there. To be the 8th InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest winner you will need to tell your story in such a creative and original way that it’ll make the judges want to watch your video on repeat! Just keep in mind that your video must be less than 5 minutes and you must be over the age of 18. Read the rest of this entry »


Most Expensive Countries for International Students: United Kingdom

September 10th, 2013 by Jennifer Frankel

For students planning on studying abroad, one of the most pressing concerns is the cost. Where you choose to study can have a drastic effect on how much you end up paying for your education.

According to a recent study by HSBC, Australia, the USA, and the UK are the three most expensive countries for international students. The study was done on data available on higher education in 13 countries around the world.

The UK was the third most expensive country overall, with annual fees of $19,291 and living costs of $10,177.

HSBC spokesperson Malik Sarwar commented, “”Those who wish to educate their children overseas need to consider more factors than simply tuition fees, such as living costs, exchange rates and inflation in their estimates of total costs. On average, living expenses can comprise at least a third of total costs and parents need to budget for travels back home during school holidays. As such, there is a need for parents to ensure their children’s education forms an important part of their financial planning.”

According to new research, international students in the UK are being charged up to four times as much for some degree courses than students from the UK. In some cases, international undergraduate students are being asked to pay up to £35,000 for their courses.

The amount that international students are charged varies according to the type of program in which they are enrolled: classroom based, laboratory, or clinical. Medical based or clinical programs are among the most expensive. Undergraduate degree fees for the 2013-2014 school year vary between £7,450 and £35,000 for international students, the survey claims.

In spite of these fees, studying in the UK is still less expensive for international students then studying in the United States or Australia.


Most Expensive Countries for International Students: United States

September 7th, 2013 by Jennifer Frankel

According to a recent study by HSBC Group, the United States is now the second most expensive country in the world for international students. The combined average cost of university fees and living expenses for international students in the US is over $35,000, and international students at Ivy League schools can expect to pay far more, with total costs running over $58,000.

In spite of the high cost, more and more international students are studying in the United States every year. According to the “2012 Open Doors Report” released by the Institute of International Education (IIE), in the 2011-2012 school year, international student enrollment at both colleges and graduate schools in the US increased. 764,321 international students in total were enrolled at a US institution, a 5.7% increase over 2010-2011.

A US education is likely an expensive endeavor for international students from any country. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, scholarships are often limited, and some colleges charge additional international student fees on top of tuition. For these reasons, the majority of international student rely primarily on their own funds to study in the US. In 2011-2012, 486,524 international undergraduate and graduate students used personal or family funds as their primary monetary source—a 6.1% increase over those who did so in 2010-2011.

However, an increasing number of international students in the US are finding outside sources willing to pay the brunt of their education costs. These outside sources include foreign private sponsors, current employers, or their US college or university. Receiving international aid is more common for international graduate students than undergraduates. In spite of this, US colleges are seeing bigger year-over-year jumps in international student enrollment than graduate schools.

The majority of international student enroll in public schools for their US education. Of the 24 institutions with the most international students in 2011-2012, about 20 were public schools. However, some international students look elsewhere for their educations. In that same school year, about 11% of international students in the US were enrolled in community colleges, two-year institutions with typically low costs. Another third of international students were enrolled in private, nonprofit colleges.

International students in the US are advised to consider all their options carefully before enrolling. The school they choose could drastically change the amount they end up paying for their education, and students should be searching for the school that is the right fit for them and their budgets.

Keep checking back for more from our series on the most expensive countries for international students.

Other useful posts:


The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University Merit Scholarship

September 6th, 2013 by Jonathan Frankel

paintmoney100055537The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University Merit Scholarship
Deadline: November 15

Thirty students planning to attend the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University have the chance to receive a merit scholarship ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 annually. International students from around the world who will be studying the arts, visual & performing at AIB are able to apply for this award by submitting the following along with their artistic portfolio after being accepted:


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