Question: I am a Grade 12 student. Although I would like to go to the US or Canada for my college education, I can not do so without financial aid. As I searched the Web and iMahal, I found out about financial aid situation in these countries, but I could not find what is available for Indian students. Can you help with information on what financial aid is available for Indian students?

Answer: You are not in an unusual situation. Many high school students in India would like to go abroad for higher education, but financial aid is often the determining factor.

You should not look for, nor would you find, financial aid information for "Indian" students. The information for "International" or "Foreign" students is what is relevant to you. All students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country are referred to as international or foreign students. So you would be considered an international student in the US and Canada. There is no special category for information and funding for "Indian" students.

Here are some rules of thumb. Generally speaking, no government scholarships, fellowships or loans are available to international students. Virtually no financial aid available to international students for the Bachelor’s degree programs. Although fiercely competitive, financial aid is more readily available for graduate (Masters and PhD) programs. You prospects of getting financial aid through a university or its professors are the greatest in the Engineering and Computer Science programs. Virtually no financial aid is available to international students for the MBA, law and medical programs.

Financial aid availability and requirements vary significantly across colleges. You are well advised to research information on prospective colleges thoroughly.

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