Thank you for the question: My focus is multiple, for I feel it would be better that you have all possible information beyond obtaining grants and scholarships. First, I will provide information regarding finding as many grants and scholarships as possible.

One: I would utilize the list of the Internet's top-rated scholarship databases found in step four of the Scholarship and Grant Guide, which will provide you with a significant amount of scholarships and grants to evaluate and apply. I have evaluated several of the available sites, and found several scholarships open to U.S. and UK students.

Two: I would contact the school or schools' Financial Aid Office on the type of financial aid, scholarships and grants that may be available to you based on the information from your admission's application, and other forms you will have to submit.

Three: If you know what your major is, contact the School or schools' department(s) regarding eligible departmental financial aid, scholarships, and or grants.

Four: Inquire what may be available -- I know they deal with UK scholarships -- check with the British Council of Information Center.

Five: When you arrive at your school, please visit the following offices as soon as you can -- International Student Advisor, The Financial Aid Officer (office) and the Career Planning & Placement Office.

[Name Omitted], outside educational few loans exist (not from the US Government or School), for international students: However, there are several sources you may wish to contact regarding additional sources for securing financial aid.

The first would be your embassy, then the US State Department and the US Information Agency. You may also write to the Agency for International Development, office of International Training, Washington DC 20523.

The US Information Agency maintains information about studying in the States and the Fullbright Program in the Educational and Cultural Exchange Section of their web site (the Fullbright net address is http://www.fulbright.org.cy/index.html).

More information can be obtained by calling or faxing 1-202-619-4335, 1-202-619-6988 respectively, or writing to the United States Information Agency, Office of Public Liaison, 301, 4th street, SW, Room 602, Washington, DC 20547 or by e-mailing inquiry@usia.gov.

The first is the International Student Loan Program, Phone 1-617-696-7840, Fax, 1-617-698-3001, or write to Mr. Joe Cronin, VP/IEFC, 424 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186 or e-mail iefc@aol.com

The minimum amount is $2,000.00, but undergraduate students may borrow up to the full cost of their education minus financial aid.

You have 25 years to repay, the loan can be deferred, but you will require a creditworthy US citizen or permanent resident to co-sign the loan.

The other program is the Gate Loan Program (1-800-895-4283), that requires a US citizen as cosigner.

Another area for financial aid is the school that you will be enrolled at -- they could provide a certain amount of aid from which you will have to find sources to complete your funding.

There is a Bank, which provides loans for international students but requires a US resident or permanent citizen as a cosigner for you to obtain the loan.

I also feel you will need to do the following regarding documentation.

1. The recommendations you will need to assemble

2. The type of searching you will need to accomplish (best school for you, region of the states, city versus urban, etc.

3. The admissions process concerning USA schools (schools often vary).

4. The documents you will need from the UK for validation in the USA (Used to be Academic record for an incomplete program, indicating courses, hours of studying each subject and final). If you have completed the program, you must also submit the Addendum to the Diploma indicating all subjects and results.

There are approximately 16 USA validation sites or NACE Member Organizations (National Association for Credential Evaluation Services), but they do charge a fee for their service

There is one in Long Beach California: Center for Applied Research, Evaluation and Education, Inc, P.O. Box 20348, Long Beach CA 90801, Phone 1-562-430-1105

One in and Los Angeles, CA: International Education Research Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 66940, Los Angeles, CA 1-310-390-6276, e-mail: info@ierf.org

Since you will probably enter the States from the Atlantic you may wish to contact: World Education Services, Inc's main office at PO Box 745 Old Chelsea Station, New York City, New York 10113-0745, USA Phone 1-212-9666311 or e-mail at: info@wes org. Or International Consultants of Delaware, Inc, 109 Barksdale Professional Center, Newark, DE 19711-3258 USA, phone 1-302-737-8715, e-mail icd@icdel.com

Now, with that out of the way, you will have to complete financial aid forms asking how much your family and your government can afford for your education in the USA, and if you have received outside grants or scholarships (not from the school you will attend).

Fullbright Scholarships are awarded to approximately 4,700 students yearly. If the School you enroll, financial aid funds were not Fullbright funds, please check, and or contact the nearest US Consulate or Embassy within your country.

Your own government might be able to provide additional financial aid (they could request you come home for two years to work after graduation), or there may be organizations within your country providing support for studying in the States.

Following are International Education net sites that might give you more insight into many areas of International Students studying in the States:

http://www.sau.edu/cwis/internet/wild/Majors/Medical/medindex.htm#ot

http://www.collegiate.net/infoa8.html

http://www.kaplan.com/cgi-bin/netforum/intl/a/1

http://www.eduPass/

http://www.arches.uga.edu/~ugaisl/

http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/

http://www.missouri.edu/~icweb/

http://www.kaplan.com/library/travel_world.html

http://www.studyusa.com/

http://www.usia.gov/

http://www1.kaplan.com/view/article/0,1275,580,00.html

http://www1.kaplan.com/view/zine/0,1282,511,00.html

http://www1.kaplan.com/view/zine/0,1282,511,00.html

http://www.collegebound.com/keypals/

http://www.kaplan.com/cgi-bin/netforum/intl/a/1

http://www.nafsa.org/

http://www.nafsa.org/Focus/focus2.04.html

In closing, please keep one fact in mind: When you are accepted for scholarships and or grants, please make sure they are add-ons, not deducted from, your financial aid package. Schools have a habit of subtracting the amount of the scholarship/grant you are awarded from the financial aid offer. Should the latter occur, contact the source for your scholarship/grant, and let them know.

May your scholarship and grant search be successful, and may you obtain both your undergraduate and graduate goals.

Take care,

Raymond Tobaygo, Scholarship Guru
eFinancialAid.com, Inc.
Publishers of The Scholarship & Grant Guide
America's #1 Online Scholarship Guide since 1997
http://www.ScholarshipGrantGuide.com/

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Thank you for your question: I trust my reply will provide the information you seek for both the present and the future. There are possible options to your inquiry: Please do not take offense should I provide information you already have.

I would utilize the list of the Internet's top-rated scholarship databases found in step four of the Scholarship and Grant Guide, which will provide you with a significant amount of scholarships and grants to evaluate and apply (have your children do the same during their senior year of high school).

Second, if you are still enrolled in school two years from now -- PT degrees normally exceed four years -- with your children, that would give your family three full-time students. This would drastically reduce your EFC (expected family contribution) listed on your SAR (Student Aid Report), which is generated by the individual completions of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). To be succinct, you want to present the poorest legal financial aid picture you can: Student income above $1250 is assessed at fifty percent and any assets at 35 percent.

Third, I would recommend you make an appointment with [College Name Omitted]'s financial aid office to discuss your current and future situations regarding available financial aid options or aid (do the same with the colleges your children will attend).

Fourth, check with the following State Agency (listed below) to see if you now (and in the future your children) qualify for state financial aid.

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12255
Phone: (518) 473-7087
Toll-Free: (888) 697-4372
Fax: (518) 474-2839
TTY: (800) 445-5234
Email: webmail@hesc.com
Web site: http://www.hesc.com/

Fifth, during your childrens' senior year, have them ask their school's guidance department for possible scholarships they would be eligible to participate.

Sixth, since you are attending a New York school, and should your children do likewise, this will save money, plus hopefully make you and your enrolled family eligible for state financial aid.

Seventh, you could search the net for physical therapy scholarships using an intelligent search engine such as Google®, or Ask Jeeves®.

Eight, if you are employed while taking your prerequisite courses, check with your employer for possible financial aid.

In closing, please note that many schools have a habit of deducting grants and or scholarships you may receive from thier financial aid package. Please make sure the grant or scholarship is in the add-on and not from the deducted-from category. I hope the information will help and that you and your school attending family obtain all your educational goals.

Take care,

Raymond Tobaygo, Scholarship Guru
eFinancialAid.com, Inc.
Publishers of The Scholarship & Grant Guide
America's #1 Online Scholarship Guide since 1997
http://www.ScholarshipGrantGuide.com/

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I just became a member and as a graduate student I felt that it would be best to contact you since the majority of opportunities are not for graduate students! I am a Greek-American student (my deceased father is Greek and my mother is American) that is attending [International Management College Name Omitted].

I plan to be studying abroad in my next term in [Location Omitted] (a bordertown of Geneva, Switzerland) in the next month and I am spending my holidays searching for some scholarship aid. I currently have a 4.0 (all grades have not been posted but I expect at least a 3.7 GPA). I have a wide arrange of community involvement both civic and on campus and have been posting apps using the FastWeb Scholarship service.

I wanted to capitalize on my time to see if I can receive some assistance from you. Please advise and let me know what other type of info. you require. I listed some other information that might be of help below! [Additional Personal Information Omitted]

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Thank you for your question: I trust my reply will provide the information you seek. There are possible options to your inquiry: Please do not take offense should I provide information you already have. Finally, to ensure an accurate reply, your question follows the reply.

First, I would complete our undergraduate or graduate profile (found in the Scholarships and Grant Guide), including all possible aspects, which should provide you with scholarships and grants to evaluate and apply (add The Princeton Review to your search).

Second, I would contact the financial aid office at the school you will be studying next semester and explain your financial situation. Fellowships, internships, research, and or teaching assistantships in addition to standard financial aid may be available.

Third, I would contact the school's department that you plan to complete your graduate degree. Often there is departmental financial aid offered.

Fourth, under the Fullbright Program, U.S. Student Programs in association with the Institute of International Education (URL to precise site is http://www.iie.org/FulbrightTemplate.cfm?Section=U_S__Student_Program), may provide grants, scholarships and other forms of free financial aid for you to continue your studies. Please check this site thoroughly!

Fifth, you may wish to go to International Educational Financial Corporation (URL http://www.iefc.com/): They have loans (Stafford and private) to assist United States citizens who wish to study abroad.

Sixth, does your current school have a consortium agreement with the graduate school located in Archamps, France: If yes the possibility of some forms of financial aid may exist.

In closing, please note schools may deduct grants and or scholarships you may receive from your financial aid package. Please make sure the grant or scholarship is in the add-on and not from the deducted-from category. I hope the information will help and that you obtain all your educational goals.

I trust this information has opened some possibilities for you: May you have the best of luck in obtaining your educational and career goals.

Take care,

Raymond Tobaygo, Scholarship Guru
eFinancialAid.com, Inc.
Publishers of The Scholarship & Grant Guide
America's #1 Online Scholarship Guide since 1997
http://www.ScholarshipGrantGuide.com/

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