Even international students have to do their taxes!

International Student Taxes – International students in the United States are required to file a tax return every year. The deadline in 2019 is April 15th.

All students and their dependents must file a form 8843 (one form per person).

If you have received any income in the last calendar year then you will most likely Form 1040NR-EZ also.

How to file your taxes as an International Student

There are a number of ways that you can submit these forms:

You can do it yourself because the forms are all available online from the IRS. This means you can print them off, complete them for each family member and submit them directly to the IRS directly for processing.

Do it yourself (with help). InternationalStudent.com has created an online IRS Form 8843 Wizard that pre-populates the Form 8843 automatically for you. You can enter all your details into the web form for them to pre-populate Form 8843 with all your details. Just check it over, sign and date it and send it to the IRS for processing.

Or you can seek Expert Tax Advice. InternationalStudent.com has partnered with Sprintax who provide expert tax advice and assistance (for a fee). You can contact them directly for assistance or advice. This is especially helpful for more complicated tax returns.

Filing your taxes is not optional.

Every international student and their dependents (including spouses and children of all ages) must file their tax if they were in the US during the previous calendar year.

Although it may seem difficult to file your tax return, there are a number of resources to help you comply with the law and your visa regulations.

Find out more at our partner site: InternationalStudent.com

And as always there’s much more International Financial Aid and College Scholarships information at iefa.org and on the blog. And you can contact us or check out our partners for further information.

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Writing Contest Scholarship

Aussiewritings

Deadline: May 15, 2018

If you think you’ve got skills when it comes to writing then you won’t want to miss the Aussiewritings Writing Contest where you’ll have the chance to win up to $1,000.

What is it about?

AussieWritings.com is pleased to announce its first essay contest among participants from all around the globe. To encourage passionate writers, there will be money prizes:

First prize – $1,000

Second prize – $800

Third prize – $600

There is also a special prize of $200 for the most compelling and thoughtful essay. Winning essays will be published on AussieWritings.com and promoted throughout its social media.

Eligibility

All participants who are passionate about writing regardless their location, age or nationality are welcome to participate.

How to enter

You need to write an essay, answering to any of these questions:

• What is the greatest achievement of mankind?

• How technologies have changed our lives.

• Pros and cons of compulsory education.

When writing your essay, consider the following:

1. Length: Keep your essay between 800 and 1000 words.
2. Originality: Your final piece should be unique and written all by yourself.
3. Language: English
4. Submission format: Your file should be saved as a doc., docx., or pdf. and named Essay_Contest_(your surname). Example: Essay_Contest_Smith
5. The number of entries: You can submit a few essays if you would like to.
6. Participation Cost: Free.

Send your essays in through email before May 15th, 2018. Winners will be announced on May 31st, 2018 on AussieWritings.com. You can find further details here.

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The 2017 Travel Video Contest is finally here!

The 2017 InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest

Deadline: October 13th

Like in years past, InternationalStudent.com is hosting its Travel Video Contest, which means that it’s your chance to win $4,000! The contest is now in its 12th year and if you are an international student or traveler, InternationalStudent.com is giving you the opportunity to showcase your creativity and explain why you want study abroad or take a specific trip during your international studies.

If you’re currently studying abroad, you can tell us about any trip you would like to take. If you aren’t abroad yet, you simply need to tell us why you want to study abroad.

How to enter

If you are interested in entering in the contest, there are a few things you will want to know:

• You must be at least 18 years old
• You should be either an international student or planning to become one
• You have to create a 4 minute video that shares why you would like to become an international student or why you would like to take a specific trip during your time as an international student
• Your video should tell a story and be made for this contest
• Your video can be housed on Youtube or Vimeo
• Originality and interest level in the trip, creativity and quality of the video, are the main criteria.

The deadline to submit your application for the twelfth annual travel video contest is 11:59 PM, EST on Friday, 13 October 2017. To get started, go to InternationalStudent.com and you also may want to have a look at:

Tips & Tricks

Rules & Regulations

Judging Panel

Previous Winners

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The InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest is Back

InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest
Deadline: October 22nd

The InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest is back and ready for your entry! If you plan on becoming an international student or if you are currently, make sure you get the details you need on how to enter this contest. One lucky, grand prize winner will receive $4,000 and their very own blog on InternationalStudent.com. The InternationalStudent.com judges will also name a second place, third place and viewers’ choice winner. The grand prize winner will be announced on the last day of International Education Week: November 20th.

How to Enter:
If you would like to enter you need to be at least 18 years old and either plan on studying outside your home country or are currently. Create a 5 minute that shares why you would like to become an international student or why you would like to take a specific trip during your time as an international student. Read the full list of rules and regulations before you enter.

Your video must be original and creative, and have been created specifically for the InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest.

Before you start filming your video read these tips & tricks, view past winners and see who will be judging your video.

Get more information on how to enter the 10th Annual Travel Video Contest.

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Chat live with 250+ US Colleges and Universities and register to win $2,500 scholarship

CollegeWeekLive International Day December 14th, 7 AM – 7 PM Eastern US Time

		Chat Live with 250+ Schools FREE! & Have a Chance to Win a $2,5000 Scholarship! Sign Up Today! At CollegeWeekLive, you can… Chat live with admissions reps from hundreds of universities- show your interest! Watch live video presentations about what campus life is like via student webcasts from your favorite schools. Be eligible to win a $2,500 scholarship just for logging in! Register for FREE at www.CollegeWeekLive.com

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Open Doors 2010: Chinese Student Enrollment Soars

On November 15, the Institute of International Education released its annual Open Doors Report on international students in the US, showing the total number of international students in the US at 690,923, an all-time high and 3% more than last year.  However the most dramatic figure was the 30% growth in the number of Chinese students in the US, to a total of almost 128,000, leapfrogging India to claim the top spot.  China has recently been second to India in the number of international students studying in the US, but no longer, as the number of Indian students grew modestly to about 105,000.

According to the report, the economy held back overall growth to a lower rate than in recent years, notwithstanding the growth in Chinese students as well as a surge in students from Saudi Arabia.  However, the number of students declined from about half of the top 25 sending countries.

Here’s the top 10 sending countries with number of students this year and percent growth from last year:

1    China               127,628      29.9%
2    India                104,897        1.6%
3    South Korea   72,153        -3.9%
4    Canada            28,145        -5.2%
5    Taiwan             26,685        -4.9%
6    Japan               24,842      -15.1%
7    Saudi Arabia  15,810        24.9%
8    Mexico             13,450         -9.4%
9    Vietnam           13,112          2.3%
10    Turkey           12,397          2.0%

The University of Southern California again hosted the most international students, with 7,987 international students on campus.  Next in line are the University of Illinois – Urbana – Champaign (7,287), New York University (7,276), Purdue University (6,903) and Columbia University (6,833).

Read the press release from the Institute of International Education for more information, and you can review the data tables for complete details.

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International Students in USA, US Students Abroad, both at all-time high

International Students in the USA

The number of international students studying at colleges and universities in the USA (2008/2009 schoolyear) increased by 8% to 671,616, and the number of US students abroad (2007/2008 school year) increased by 8.5% to 262,416. Both the inbound and outbound totals, released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in its annual Open Doors Report on November 16, 2009, are all-time highs. The report stresses that any impact from the global economic downturn may not be reflected in these numbers, as the commitment to study overseas was made prior to last fall for most of these students.

For international students in the USA, Canada overtook Japan for fourth place but otherwise the top five sending countries remain the same:

India 103,260 +9.2%
China 98,235 +21.1%
South Korea 75,065 +8.6%
Canada 29,697 +2.2%
Japan 29,264 -13.9%

India and China continue their dramatic growth, as enrollment by Chinese students in the US increased 21.1%, while Indian student enrollment grew by 9.2%.

The University of Southern California remained the top single destination for international students, with 7,482 international students.

For more information and data regarding international student enrollment in the USA, see the Open Doors press release and the international student data tables.

US Students Abroad

Although Western European destinations continue to be most popular for US students abroad, with England, Italy, Spain and France taking the top four spots, China, India and several other countries continue to grow in popularity. Shorter-term programs are very popular, and there are 23 US colleges that send 80% or more of their students abroad. IIE releases tons of information and statistics, so feel free to follow the links below to learn all you want about the enrollment of US students abroad.

For more information and data regarding US students abroad, see the Open Doors Press Release and the study abroad data tables.

Click here to subscribe to our blog and get an update when the next post comes out.

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4th Annual InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest – $3500 Grand Prize!

InternationalStudent.com is excited to announce the launch of the fourth annual InternationalStudent.com Travel Video Contest! Prizes are bigger than ever – the Grand Prize is $3,500 and there will be other great prizes, like an iPod Touch and a video camera. Not to mention worldwide fame and fortune in the international education community with your very own blog on InternationalStudent.com.

The contest is pretty simple. Simply make a video and submit it. Your video can be no longer than 5 minutes long; there is no minimum length. For those already studying outside of their home country, the video can describe any trip you’d like to take. For those who are not currently studying abroad, but who would like to, your video must describe your proposed study abroad. Click here for more information on how to enter.

Entries will be judged by the judges panel on creativity, video production and editing quality, originality and interest level in the proposed trip or study abroad, and pure subjectivity. on our part.

For more information and to enter, go to:
http://www.InternationalStudent.com/contest/

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International Student Loans Now All School Certified

Over the past few years, there have been two main types of private loans, including those private loans available to international students. The first are called “school certified” (or school channel, in lender terms) and the second are called “direct to consumer” loans (DTC in lender terms).

Direct to Consumer Loans

With direct to consumer international student loans, the school is not really involved in the loan process at all. The student has to prove that he or she is enrolled in a school approved by the lender, typically by submitting a class schedule or letter of acceptance; however, the school itself does not need to do anything. The student can borrow the amount that the student decides is needed, up to a maximum set for that school by the lender, and the lender doesn’t care or know what other funds the student may have available. The upside is that these loans are very flexible, very fast in processing, and typically paid directly to the student. The downside is that they are easier to abuse and get in trouble by borrowing too much, as there is no school involved in determining exactly how much the student needs to borrow to afford his or her education. Often direct to consumer loans have higher interest rates and fees than school channel loans as well – the difference can be minor or major.

School Certified Loans

In school certified or school channel loans, the financial aid office is involved in determining exactly how much a student can borrow. The school looks at all of the student’s available funds, scholarships, other aid or loans, etc., and sets a maximum borrowing amount that could be far lower than the maximum total permitted for a school. For instance, as a very rough example, if a school had a total maximum annual cost of attendance of $30,000, then a student with no personal or family funds available and no other aid could borrow up to $30,000. However, if the school determined that the family should pay $5,000 per year and the student received a scholarship for $10,000 per year, then the student would only be approved to borrow $15,000 per year. For this reason, school channel loans are harder to abuse by borrowing too much, usually offer lower interest rates than DTC loans, but are less flexible and take longer. Funds are disbursed to the school, not the student.

DTC Loans No Longer Available

Over the past 18 months, as a result of the credit crunch and student loan legislation, most (if not all) direct to consumer private student loans have disappeared, and all direct to consumer international student loans have certainly disappeared. Only school channel international student loans are left, including on InternationalStudentLoan.com.

This means that it is even more important to work through your school, plan carefully, and only budget to borrow the smallest possible amount you need – as that is all the school will certify you for anyway. ANd start your process earlier, as it takes time to process a school channel loan. The lender and school each have to do their part in evaluating your eligibility for a loan and the amount you can take, and this extends the process.

Click here to learn about the international student loans available through InternationalStudentLoan.com.

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Update for International Student Loans

As the fall semester approaches, and the level of inquiries that we receive about international student loans peaks, its a good time to review the state of play in the market for international student loans. Much has changed in the past year.

The credit crunch and economic crisis continues to impact the availability of international student loans. There are many fewer lenders providing private loans to international students than there were a year ago. Underwriting and credit criteria have gotten tougher, and school lists have shrunk.

InternationalStudentLoan.com continues to try to direct students to the best lender under current, admittedly less than ideal, market conditions. To find a lender that may be appropriate for you, visit the InternationalStudentLoan.com Apply page, submit basic information about your school and educational level and the school picker will direct you to the most appropriate lender that we are aware of.

Remember, all regularly-available international student loans require a US co-signer.

There are a few business schools (for instance, the business schools at Harvard, Yale, University of Chicago, University of Virginia, Duke University, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, University of Michigan and University of California – Berkeley) that will provide no-cosigner loans to their own international MBA students. These prestigious business schools have the resources and ability to negotiate special arrangements with lenders for their international students, and students there should certainly take advantage of these programs.

For everyone else, make sure you talk directly with your international student office and financial aid office. People in those offices are in the best position to know if your school has any special financing arrangements in place for international students, and simply to provide guidance in general.

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