Paying for College
Financial aid that comes from the university or private organizations or donors. It does not need to be repaid after the student graduates.
What is a Scholarship?
There are scholarships out there for nearly every type of student. You could be eligible for scholarships based on your major, your country of origin, your hobbies/interests, or even your hair color (yes, really)! Find scholarships using scholarship search engine tools such as ScholarSnapp or Fastweb.
The most widely use standardized test for college admissions in the U.S.
What is the SAT?
Many students take the SAT in March or May of their 11th grade year and again in October or December of their 12th grade year.
Universities often require international students to take one of these two exams to prove their ability to speak, read, write, and understand English.
What is TOEFL and IELTS?
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is often required by universities in the US and Canada. The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is often required by schools in the UK or Europe.
Students have to apply for this government document before they can attend a university outside of their home country.
What is a student visa?
You need an acceptance from a university before you can apply for a student visa. The visa process can take months so plan to apply to university early to ensure you will be able to start your classes on time.
A study course designed to fill the gap between your current level of qualification and knowledge and the level needed to be admitted to a degree program at an international university
What is a foundation program?
Foundation programs are very common in the UK and in Europe. Foundation programs can include courses in core subjects, like math or sciences, or may include English language courses. Some universities offer their own Foundation programs.
Money borrowed by students or parents to pay for college expenses that the student will eventually need to repay
What are loans?
Interest rates for student loans can vary depending on the lender. Some types of student loans are exempt from generating interest while the student is still in school while other loans will start to accumulate interest immediately.
Students apply early under this application plan however they are not obligated to attend the university if accepted. Deadlines for this plan are often between October 1 - January 1st.
What is Early Action (EA)?
Not every university offers Early Action. Applying EA can be a good choice if you don't want to wait a long time for a decision, if you have a strong application (GPA, test scores, essay, etc), and if you want to give yourself a slightly better chance of getting admitted (EA usually has less people applying)
A website and application system for information about studying in the UK including courses, application tips, and guidelines.
What is UCAS?
The UCAS deadline for students applying to UK universities is January 15th. UCAS is similar to CommonApp because students can apply to all five of their programs from one website rather than going to each university's individual website. Some foundation programs, however, are not on UCAS and you must apply to them directly through their websites.
Co-ops, also known as paid student internship opportunities, are a common part of the university experience in this country.
What is Canada?
Co-ops are a great opportunity to get real-world work experience in your career field before you graduate from college. It is a great thing to have on your resume when you start to apply for jobs.
A passing score on this test may help you earn college credit and skip introductory level classes when starting university.
What is an Advanced Placement (AP) exam?
Earning high scores on AP exams can potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in college tuition and you could even graduate college early!
Financial aid given to a student based on academics, talents, or achievements.
What is Merit-Based aid?
Merit-based aid can range from a few hundred dollars to the full cost of tuition depending on the university.
This is this written portion of a college application. Universities will often ask students about their backgrounds, personalities, strengths, interests, and why the student wants to attend the university.
What is the Personal Statement or Personal Essay?
The personal statement essay is an opportunity to stand out from other applicants. A well-written essay can give you a competitive advantage.
U.S. citizens can fill out this free application using their parent's tax records to be eligible for financial aid from the U.S. government.
What is the FAFSA?
Did you know that there are many non-U.S. universities also accept the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? Concordia University (Canada), King's College (UK), Jacobs University (Germany), ESADE (Spain) are just a few examples.
**Side Note: For non-US citizens, a similar form exists, called the CSS profile.
In this country, a student is allowed to apply to a maximum of 5 courses of study. This includes degree programs in a single university or in different universities.
What is the United Kingdom?
Students who want to study in the UK must research their program choices carefully since you are only allowed 5 applications.
A unit that gives weight to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course
What is Credit?
In the U.S., the number of credits usually reflects how many hours per week you spend in class (example: if you take three classes that each meet four times per week for one hour you would be taking 4 x 3 x 1 = 12 credits). In the U.S. students typically take between 12-18 credits per semester.
The fees charged by education institutions for instruction per year or per semester.
What is tuition?
The price of tuition can vary significantly from only a few hundred dollars to $60,000 or more. Tuition generally does not include the cost of housing, food, books/supplies, airfare, or other living expenses.
More than 800+ universities accept applications from this website.
What is the Common Application?
Using the Common Application can save you time and the hassle of creating profiles on different websites for many applications. The Common Application can sync with Naviance so your transcripts and letters of recommendation are sent directly to your universities when you apply.
This federal law protects the confidentiality of your student records. By "waiving" you are giving permission for your counselor to contact your universities to discuss your application and release your student records such as transcripts and letters of recommendation.
What is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of student records. For Naviance to send official documents via CommonApp, you must complete a step to acknowledge the FERPA agreement.
Students must use the Studielink website to apply to universities in this country.
What is the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is growing in popularity for international students due to the affordability of education, the wide availability of degrees taught in English, and the quality of life. Also, 95% of Dutch citizens speak English so it is very easy to communicate in daily life.
A program that allows students to gain practical work experience with a company or organization.
What is an internship?
Internships can be unpaid or paid. Many universities require students to complete an internship as part of their graduation requirements.
The difference between total college costs and the family's ability to pay. It is the amount of money the family needs for the student to be able to enroll at the college.
What is demonstrated financial need?
There are many universities that meet 100% of demonstrated financial aid for students who are admitted. You should out financial aid paperwork carefully and thoroughly so you can be considered for the most funding possible.
There are five possible outcomes after a student applies to a university. Other than "accepted" or "denied," name at least one of the other possible outcomes.
Conditional Admission - a student must meet certain conditions in order to be fully admitted (example: meet a GPA requirement or SAT test score)
Deferred - when a university changes an Early Action or Early Decision application to a regular decision (RD) application and will be re-considered during the normal admissions review
Waitlisted - the applicant has not been accepted but could still be considered if enough students that were accepted choose not to attend the college
This is the full cost of a student attending a college. This does not just include tuition but also room and board fees, textbooks, transportation, everyday living, etc.
What is COA (Cost of Attendance)?
Most families only focus on the tuition and don’t realize how high those other costs can get, so it’s important to pay attention to your COA well in advanced.
In this country, international students can reside in the country up to 18 months after graduating. As soon as a graduate receive a job offer they can apply for a new residence permit and then for permanent residency.
What is Germany?
Germany is one of the most affordable countries in the EU for students! Public universities are tuition free and many programs are taught in English.
This is a qualification given to a college or university that signifies it meets certain educational standards set by an independent organization.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is extremely important when you are choosing where to study your bachelor's degree, especially if you want to go on to a Master's program or if you need a special license or permit to get a job (like counseling!)