Financial Assistance :
Many students in other countries seem to believe that foreign students can easily get the money they need for study once they have been admitted to a college or university in the US. That is an incorrect assumption and can lead to hardship and disappointment. Most institutions have committed all their scholarship and loan funds long before the academic year begins.
  
Assistance is before you leave home for the US. Applications for financial aid must be initiated as early as one-and-a-half years before departure.
  
Financial Aid in the US:
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 range from $11,000 to over $40,000 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 for at least six 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 at a later stage. 

Upon first entry into your university, you should meet the Foreign Student Advisor and your Graduate Study Programme 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 the Association of Indians, if you desire to contact Indians on your campus for guidance, assistance and friendship. The experiences of fellow Indians and the foreign student advisor should help you decide on financial assistance among other things.