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Studying in America - Student Finance Help!!

Hi, in August i'm off to study at the University of Illinois, but i'm having a problem with student finance. I just rang them and they said that they don't offer a Maintenance Grant for studying...but on here people seem to suggest that they do?

Another thing - she said i was able to get a Travel Grant..paying for flights etc. Where do i apply for this? I can't find it anywhere on the Student finance website.

Cheers

Reply 1

NyLonEd

Is it your first university? Or are you just going there for your final year or something?

If the former then it's nigh on impossible to get a maintenance grant for studying, and I've never even heard of a travel grant...

Reply 2

SemperVivum

As Student Finance England say that one of the criteria for any funding is that you must be studying at a UK degree awarding institution, I can't see them funding a degree at the University of Illinois.

If you ware talking about a semester or year abroad as part of your UK degree course then that is another matter. There is a maintenance loan for people on such programmes abroad - the non means tested award is the amount that everyone is entitled to and there is also a means tested award that is higher but (obviously) means tested.

If you want to apply for the Travel Grant from Student Finance England then you need to ask them for a Travel Grant application form.

Reply 3

slp2b

I will also be attending U of I soon, as a graduate student. US citizens have to fill out a form called the FAFSA to establish their need for aid. Some schools want international students to fill out a FAFSA, anyway, to establish financial need. I'm not sure how the UK system works for financial aid, but here you are are unlikely to receive "free" aid--money you don't have to pay back--as an undergraduate, even if you are a citizen. This page states that as an international student you will not be eligible for need-based aid at all. If you are hoping for "free" money, you will need to look for private scholarships. Many students use fastweb.com to search for scholarships (personally I the excessive ads annoy me). Also this page and this page both link to scholarship listings from the U of I. There is also a scholarship search here. You should still be able to get private student loans, though.
If you are applying for postgraduate study, it's a different story. Postgrads are funded by their respective departments. Generally, they are employed by the university as teaching or research assistants, and they receive tuition remittance for that. For that sort of thing, you would need to contact your department.
According to the statistics at the international student services office, there are about 50 undergrads and 50 postgrads from the UK currently studying at the U of I. You may want to contact ISS and see if they can put you in contact with someone else who has already been through the process.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Reply 4

medic101

It's going to be tough. Student finance england do not fund anything unless you have been doing a degree here, then your Uni sends you overseas for a year or something. Even then they wont pay for everything, they'll just pay what they have been paying you at home. So you can forget them and start looking at other options. Perhaps get a relative to cosign a loan for you in the US.

Reply 5

WelshLily

I'm going to U of I in August too! I get the full loan and grant that I receive here plus I can claim back travel expenses and insurance etc.

I rang Student Finance and they told me to first apply for student finance normally and include a note stating that I am studying abroad and that it is a compulsory part of my university course, and then they will send me separate forms. I've done that but they told me the Study Abroad forms aren't available yet!

My Study Abroad co-ordinator here in Swansea told us to state clearly that the year abroad is compulsory and not optional!