I am an undergraduate who will be finishing up their bachelors in the US soon. I have no immediate plans for graduate school, but I know I would like to take my education outside of the US for my master’s, within the next couple of years.
There are two main reasons for wanting to do this: (1) I have found just as great universities to complete my graduate education at (not all of the best schools are in the US). ; and (2) to potentially not have to spend large sums of money in loans back to a school in the US.
Now, it is my understanding that the Department of Education and even some private loan lenders will not contract loans for students who do not plan to attend a university outside of that as approved by the Department of Education. With that being said that then means that this is a bummer, because one might have found a great university to study at internationally but their finance options are limited. This is my situation. For example, the Dept of Education has a limited amount of Mexican institutions you can apply your federal loans to. The most burning question I have is which lenders out there can help?
I am serious about this because it is my education. I would really appreciate any advice or shared experiences relevant to the matter.
Go to you local bank or credit union and see if they have a loan you could take out. You will probably need a cosigner.
As a taxpayer here, I have to say, i expect loans supported by my U.S. tax dollars to support U.S. students at U.S. colleges…not colleges in other countries.
The US government does not give grant money for schools outside the US, nor should they. selected schools outside the Us are eligible for federal loans. If you want to study outside the US you will need to apply to those schools for financial aid. Most foreign schools, except in Canada, give minimal aid to Americans. Their responsibility is to fund their own citizens.
Marshall, Rhodes, Fulbright-- get a fellowship (very competitive) which pays your way for a degree at a foreign university. Otherwise- not sure how viable your plan is.
What field of study do you want to pursue and why is going overseas the better option for you? Can you satisfy your itch in another way- a degree at a US university but with a semester on an exchange program at a foreign U?
Graduate school is cheap in Europe. My sister did her MA in Europe, tuition was around 3000/yr, but living expenses are higher.
There are plenty of scholarships that aren’t the exclusive Rhodes, Churchill, Fulbright, etc.
Primarily financial reasons, really. College costs in the US are sky high so I think I will simply take my education abroad. The field of study is geosciences.
Many foreign universities offer free tuition. Not sure if still true, but the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina was & still may be tuition free even for foreigners.
If you were to do a PhD program in the geosciences in the US, it would be fully funded by the university in exchange for your work as a TA and/or RA. Then you would not need any loans.
There may be some MS programs that are fully funded, but that is less likely.
What do you want to do with the degree? That might determine whether an MS or PhD makes more sense.