<p>I have a buddy from India who is looking into graduate school in the States. He is entering his final year of college, majoring in automobile engineering. His college, from what I can gather, is respectable, but not really outstanding or anything. He would like to pursue a masters in either automobile, mechanical, or industrial engineering (in that order of preference), and needs full financial aid. No research experience, but he does have internships in some major Indian car companies. GRE is 1230 (650 math, 580 verbal). GPA is about 3.5; class rank is 7/30. Any suggestions about what schools to look into? Any info is much appreciated.</p>
<p>That's a very weak math GRE score; most engineering programs will expect at least a 700 (if that) to not throw away the application. I'd honestly recommend that he retake that before considering wasting money on applications.</p>
<p>His GPA is okay for most schools in the US. The lack of research experience would only hurt him if he was looking into PhD programs.</p>
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needs full financial aid.
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<p>I'm no expert in financial aid, but my understanding is that it is EXTREMELY limited for international students. For all of the graduate applications that I filled out, there was a section for international students to prove that they had enough money to attend school for the entire program on their own. There are many restrictions on the US gov't funding international students. My guess would be that an international student's best bet would be to secure funding from their own gov't before enrolling in any US program.</p>
<p>thanks guys, if anyone else has anything to add, that would be great. given how expensive these programs are, do most international masters students secure funding from their governments/private sources, or take out loans? because given that a lot of the international students that go to the states for engineering graduate school seem like they are from relatively poor countries, I can't imagine all of these guys have the means to pay out of pocket. can anyone in a similar situation share how they funded graduate school? are there any programs at all that are generous with aid to international students? thanks a lot again for the help.</p>
<p>As a follow up to the funding question.. this is the information I found from some university, but from what I have seen, is representative of the official policy: </p>
<p>In order to meet U.S. Immigration requirements for entry into the United States, proof of sufficient financial resources to cover educational and living expenses for the duration of your program must be in place before visa documents can be issued. A completed Financial Certificate outlining financial support available to you, along with original evidence to support the amounts indicated (bank statements, scholarship letters, etc.), must be submitted directly to the program to which you are applying. Please attach a photocopy of the identification page of your passport. The financial certificate is also required for international students currently residing in the United States. The University does not have special travel or study scholarships for international students.</p>
<p>We suggest that international applicants in need of financial aid write to the Institute of International Education, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017.</p>
<p>The University's Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid can only fund students who are U.S. citizens, nationals, permanent residents with I-151 or I-551 Alien Registration Receipt Cards, permanent residents of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory or the Pacific Islands, and other non-citizens who have Arrival-Departure Records (I-94) showing "refugee" or "adjustment applicant" or official grant of asylum in the United States.</p>
<p>....</p>
<p>It seems there are restrictions on the amount of hours that international students can work (ie. towards a GTA/GRA position)... It looks like getting full funding is very difficult for international students.</p>
<p>However, it is clearly in the interest of the US educational system to focus on educating people that will contribute to the US economy. International students (who are not permanent residents) are likely to leave the US after their studies, so therefore, they will get no help from the US. They will have to pay full-fare. In those cases, the organizations that are most likely to fund them are those that have a staked interest in the country of origin of the international student.</p>
<p>Is it possible to pay full fare like first semester, and then secure institutional financial aid after that (assuming of course his performance is really good)? It looks like given visa rules that might not be possible, but I thought I'd check nevertheless.</p>
<p>I was thinking about attending Kettering Univeristy in Flint, Mi for the longest time since they had an automotive engineering major. Another fact I liked about them was that they didn't require the GREs, so your friend's "low" GRE score wouldn't hurt him there.</p>
<p>They used to be owned by GM and they're pretty well respected in the field.</p>
<p>thanks scruffy, do you know any other schools which offer masters programs in automobile engineering? Do automobile engineering kids from kettering manage to find good jobs in the auto industry (even though it looks like things are tanking right now)?</p>