<p>I am pretty confused about a really simple thing.
Say for example the COA for a college is $40,000.
You got an aid of $38,000.
So is this aid for 1 year? or will this amount be given every year for 4 years?</p>
<p>1 more question. Can i, as an international student go to the U.S before uni starts and work in the summer to earn some money on campus ?</p>
<p>Thankyou all. :')</p>
<p>Your financial aid package can change year-to-year depending on your finances, loan eligibility, and school policy.</p>
<p>If the school costs 40,000 to attend and your financial aid package totals 38,000, that is your financial aid just for just that year, but you can usually expect a similar amount for the next 4 years-- unless there’s some one-time scholarship or something. Might be something to discuss with the school to be sure.</p>
<p>You ned a breakdown of what is going into that number. Your just throw up a number $38000 but that tells us nothing. Is that loans? Grants? Merit aid? Need aid? What exactly is in the package? some of it might be uatomatically renewable, some of it might be contingent on grades or something, some of it might be freshman only, some of it might be guaranteed loans, some of it might be work study, some of it might be loans that you have to qualify for credit-wise each year, etc. etc. DETAILS ar eimportant.</p>
<p>Can i, as an international student go to the U.S before uni starts and work in the summer to earn some money on campus ?</p>
<p>You won’t be allowed to work much while in the USA. if you were to do what you suggest, your money would just go for room and board during the summer. (where would you live during that time? )</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know if your visa would allow you to arrive early.</p>
<p>Would a student visa allow an international to work in the US?</p>
<p>I used to work with an internatonal student and their F1 visa (!) allowed them to work for 20 HOURS A WEEK (maximum). There was ALSO a restriction that prohibitioned them for working off-campus during the first year / freshman year of college; they had to take an on-campus job but I do NOT know that if this restriction continued to the subsequent years of enrollment because the student I worked with just said with their oncampus job.</p>
<p>The expectation though is that the int’l student should be self-sufficient. If you must WORK YOUR WAY through school then you might be in trouble because of the strict work strictures on working.</p>
<p>You must consult with the college/university you are going to attend to find out what work opportunities are available and allowed. There are different rules for J-1 and F-1 visas, on campus vs. off campus, types of work and all that. Send them an email.</p>
<p>thanks everyone 
Do you guys know what kind of jobs are mostly available at on-campus?
i mean in your experience that is.</p>
<p>Jam…on campus jobs vary wildly by campus. Many on campus jobs are work study jobs, and as an international student you are NOT eligible for these at all. Jobs run the gamut from dining hall workers to receptionists in dorms or classroom buildings.</p>
<p>In our kids’ experiences, on campus jobs were mostly work study. One kid could NOT find an on campus job at all (he was not a WS recipient…at a large private university) so worked off campus (which you may not be able to do as an international student…depends on visa type). The other kid did work on campus, but hers was a job in undergrad admissions that involved a number of interviews, etc. funding for that job was provide by the university OR by WS.</p>
<p>I’m going to be very frank here. The likelihood of you finding a job that is in concert with your visa, AND pays a significant amount is very low.</p>
<p>Those on-campus jobs might have already been assumed in your financial aid package. It wouldn’t be additional income, so you need to look at your financial aid package. </p>
<p>Most of the new on-campus jobs are in food services and dorm services. You are paid at minimum wage. Student’s from the previous year’s of work study tend to have seniority and typically keep their “fun” work-study jobs. There are other areas of the university that need student help, but you may need to interview for those jobs.</p>
<p>(Remember that you need to prove to the Immigration officials that you have enough savings in a bank, to pay for one year of college.)</p>
<p>You are not allowed to work off-campus, on your visa, until later (if you plan on doing an internship in the US and if you can find an employer before graduation and then you would use your Optional Practical Training). If you try to work off-campus and you get caught, you will lose your visa and your status as a student at your university.</p>
<p>Aunt bea…I believe this is an international student. He will not be awarded federal work study in his financial aid package.</p>
<p>Sorry Thumper, I assumed the OP had been addressing a job through his financial aid package.
Jamzter: You wouldn’t qualify for work study since it is a federal program for US students only. You know that you also assume some responsibility in paying for “some” of your costs in coming to study in the US, right? If you don’t have $2000 to cover some of your expenses, can you prove to Immigration that you have a years worth of savings to cover your college costs to get that visa?</p>
<p>Thankyou thumper and aunt bea</p>
<p>Jam, different schools have different rules. You have to study what is on their websites and then jot down questions to ask the school. Finding an international student group at the school would be useful too, for another viewpoint and general questions that the college offices may not be able to answer. Be very careful in reading what is available and what the procedures are, in general, because they may not hold for those who are not US citizens.</p>