Win Free Tuition Giveaway
Deadline: December 31
Are you a US or Canadian college student trying to study abroad but in need of financial aid? If so, Next Step Magazine might be able to help you fund your studies abroad with their win free tuition giveaway.
One individual will win the award up to the amount of $10,000 that will go directly to the school which they are enrolled in. The winner is selected through a random drawing of all eligible entries that are submitted during the sweepstakes period.
To be entered into the drawing, interested students will need to submit their basic contact information to the win free tuition giveaway. This can be done either online, through a business reply card found in any NextStepU magazine or by mailing in a 3” x 5” postcard with your detailed contact information.
Do you want to study in the US but are afraid that you can’t afford it? Here are five tips to keep costs low while studying abroad in the US and ensure that your trip doesn’t empty your bank account.
These are just five tips to keep costs low while studying in the US – do you have any additional ideas? If so, let us know and share your tips on how you’ve saved money!
Pure Water Scholarship
Deadline: Ongoing
Each month the Pure Water Scholarship will grant one high school or college student $300. This scholarship was founded to assist the effort of giving individuals around the world clean water and to inspire individuals to assist with this goal.
Students from around the world can apply for this scholarship by completing the online application. The application must include the applicants contact information and a 250 word story about their ideas on how to bring clean water to people around the world and how they have personally assisted with giving others clean water in the past.
Pure Water Scholarship funds are distributed to the winner directly through their school account. Individuals applying for this scholarship must be able to show proof of enrollment in their educational institution.
Study abroad is one of the most rewarding experiences for students. After studying abroad, many students return home with memories that last a lifetime. If you don’t agree, just look at the numbers! According to the Open Doors Report, 270,604 US students studied abroad in 2009-2010. This milestone represents the largest number of US study abroad students, marking a 3.9% increase over last year. Whether the attraction is cultural immersion, learning a new language, building professional skills, or to gaining international experience, you may not be able to afford NOT to go.
So then comes the question, how do you finance your study abroad so that you can take advantage of these opportunities as well?
If you are looking to finance your study abroad, you first need to look for opportunities that are free gifts and do not require you to pay back the money. This includes scholarships and grants offered to students. Your financial aid counselors or advisors can be an enormous resource as they may be able to recommend funding options and help you budget wisely. To make sure you take advantage of all of the scholarship opportunities, you should not only contact your financial aid office, but also your study abroad office, academic department, clubs and organizations, national organizations with ties to international education, religious and civic organizations, and perhaps even places of work for you and your parents.
Once you’ve maximized your grants and scholarships, you may find that you need additional financial assistance. Stafford loans are another great way to help fund even more of the expenses. It’s important to note, however, that federal loans have limits on how much you can borrow. To put this in prospective, the maximum Stafford loan that students can borrow is $5,500.
Finally, private study abroad loans are another avenue to finance your study abroad. While you should always maximize scholarships and grants followed by federally backed loans, private student loans can also help you get the financing you need to make your study abroad a reality. If you are thinking about taking out a loan, it is important to realize that loans will need to be paid back along with interest. Consider how this debt will affect you, and develop a plan that will allow you to pay back your loan on time.
Financing your study abroad is no easy task – especially as costs can easily add up while you try to make the most of your international experience. The payoffs, however, are unquantifiable especially in this day in age where the world is interconnected no matter what career path you choose.
Nyenrode Business Universiteit Entrepreneurial Manager Scholarship
Deadline: August 31
If you have been searching for a school in the Netherlands to become an international student at that also provides a partial or full tuition waiver, you might want to start your search at the Nyenrode Business Universiteit. The Nyenrode Business Universiteit Entrepreneurial Manager Scholarship is a revolving award and is funded through alumni donation. New students who accept the scholarship are committing to donate back to the scholarship program upon graduation.
The Nyenrode Business Universiteit Entrepreneurial Manager Scholarship is provided to students in one of three provisions as specified by the University:
If you would like to view the full terms and conditions or receive further information on the Nyenrode Business Universiteit Entrepreneurial Manager Scholarship please visit here.
What a difference a week makes in the world of financial aid. After all, at this point a week ago, there was every indication that federal student loan interest rates – which had been set to double on July 1st due – would do exactly that. Although both US President Obama and Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger – not mention quite a few members of Congress besides – voiced support for measures that would prevent this automatic increase of interest rates.
With such broad support, in and of itself, there was not enough to reconcile differences between the two parties on how to pay for the bill or, ultimately, to bring the matter to a vote. With the issue of funding unresolved, as Congress approached the weekend (and its weeklong recess to commemorate the US’s Independence Day), the general consensus at the Capitol was that, come the new month, the interest rate on federally backed student loans would jump from 3.4% to 6.8%. While this measure only affects federal loans – and not private international student loans – this would indeed affect those students who plan to study abroad with federally-backed student loans.
In the end, though, what a difference a week makes. In a rare flurry of bipartisanship in the United States, an 11th hour compromise was reached. The leaders of the two major parties in the Senate found common ground on how to pay for the nearly $6 billion cost of the measure on Tuesday and it was this compromise measure that passed the House 373 to 52 Friday and, later the same day, the Senate itself 74 to 19. The US President, who actively called for the legislation, signed it into law on Friday. In so doing, the change is estimated to help more than 7 million students who currently receive Stafford loans by saving them an average of $1,000 each on their loans.
Alfred Bader Scholarship
Deadline: July 2
The Alfred Bader scholarship is available to one individual who is currently performing organic chemistry research in Canada. This scholarship will grant one awardee a $3,000 award and up to $500 for travel. Individuals must be nominated to be eligible for this award, however, nominations will remain eligible for up to three years.
This award is offered through the Chemical Institute of Canada, is sponsored by Alfred Bader, HFCIC and is a chance to present worthy individuals with a mark of recognition for their research in organic chemistry.
Scientists who are nominated for the Alfred Bader scholarship must be age 59 or younger and agree to present a lecture at the Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition. The awardee for the Alfred Bader scholarship will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of the CSC director of awards, the past chair of the organic chemistry division and the past two winners of the Alfred Bader scholarship.
For further information on the Alfred Bader scholarship or details on how to nominate an individual, you can start here.
Last Friday, Florida’s State University System – approved by the Board of Governors – agreed to increase the state tuition among public universities. Among the 11 schools that will be affected by this ruling, tuition increases will run between 9% – 15% higher for this year’s tuition. Not to fear, however, even with these increases Florida will still remains one of the most affordable, ranked 45th in tuition and fees (out of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia).
There were four Florida universities that had a full 15% tuition increase. Out of these four, the highest undergraduate tuition will now be Florida International University at $4,669 per year assuming a normal load of 30 credits – which equates to an annual increase of $609.
The lowest tuition is at $4,154 at the University of South Florida branch of both St. Petersburg and Sarasota. While they had an increase as well, they only went up $446 – an 11% increase over last year.
This rate increase is controversial as many supporters state that it will help avoid closing programs and laying off faculty. Those against the ruling state that many people cannot afford to pay more. In either case, here are this year’s new annual tuition beginning this Fall 2012:
SOM Architecture, Design and Urban Design Traveling Fellowship
Deadline: July 23
Individuals that submitted their intent to apply in April for the SOM Architecture, Design and Urban Design Traveling Fellowship are getting closer to the actual submission deadline for this award.
The SOM Architecture, Design and Urban Design Traveling Fellowship will grant $50,000 to the first place winner and $20,000 to the second place winner for research and travel during their fellowship of research on architecture and design. The mission of this fellowship is to allow talented students who are studying architecture and design the opportunity to study outside the realm of established patterns.
Interested candidates who submitted their intent to apply in April need to submit the following by July 23:
This fellowship is through the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Foundation, research findings made through this fellowship will be expected to be shared through educational means like publication, exhibit or a lecture series.
Further information on the SOM Architects, Design and Urban Design Traveling Fellowship and the full list of application rules can be found in the program guidelines in the website found at the link provided here.
It’s that time of year again, international students from around the world have applied to colleges and universities, and are preparing themselves to both live and study in the US. This year, the 2012 college admissions data for international students is in, and we would like to share some of the findings.
According to the New York Time’s report, we have preliminary data of the admissions yield which reflects the number of students who have accepted admissions and who have also paid their tuition deposit – and therefore are planning to enroll in their college or university the new school year.
While this is subject to change as we approach the new academic term, the new data reflects that the Ivy League schools – the dream of any international student wanted to study in the US – were even more selective this year.
Harvard University, for example, one of the most recognized US school for higher education shows that international students will make up 11.3% of the total student body this year. With over 34,000 applicants, the New York Times reported that only 5.9% were accepted – an even higher standard over last year’s 6.2% acceptance rate.
Brown University, located in Rhode Island, will also have a relatively large student body population where they accepted 348 international students – 191 of which said “yes” and are planning to attend this semester. International students are expected to make up 12% of the total student body for the class of 2016.
Dartmouth College is planning to have 1,080 students for the Class of 2016 – 10% of which are expected to be made up of international students.
You can view more from this New York Times article and check out other school profiles and 2012 college admissions data for international students. There is no doubt that schools are looking to gain an international edge by creating a diverse environment with an international student body.
If you are an international student planning to study in the US, what criteria do you look at when you apply to a college or university?
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