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I've been offered admission, but I can't afford it.

I'm an International student from India, and I've been offered admission to a 4 year course in Biochemistry at University College, Oxford. Now I really really want to go, because my country has very limited opportunities for research, but my full four year fees comes up to about 170000 GBP (everything included), which is WAY more than I can possibly afford. Is there any sort of financial assistance available to me? I know there are the Reach and Simon and June Li scholarships, but those are very limited in number. Can anyone help me?

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One good way of funding are the UK goverment loans. They lend some money for the university fee, so possibly your expenses get reduced to 10000 pounds.
Reply 2
Original post by riemmanmath
One good way of funding are the UK goverment loans. They lend some money for the university fee, so possibly your expenses get reduced to 10000 pounds.


Are these loans easy to repay? I'm looking to go into research as a profession, which doesn't have boatloads of cash, and I've heard horror stories about taking student loans in the US.
Reply 3
Original post by riemmanmath
One good way of funding are the UK goverment loans. They lend some money for the university fee, so possibly your expenses get reduced to 10000 pounds.


Also, these are only available for students of the UK and EU. I'm an overseas student.
This is horrible do they actually expect people to pay that?
Reply 5
Original post by LisaNikita
This is horrible do they actually expect people to pay that?


Hahah yep unfortunately :frown:
Original post by CurryHead
Hahah yep unfortunately :frown:

This is a long shot, but were you at St Anne's for interviews?
Reply 7
Original post by AlphaQuark
This is a long shot, but were you at St Anne's for interviews?


Nope, mine was through Skype!
Original post by CurryHead
Nope, mine was through Skype!

Ah, good luck with the finance anyway!
Original post by CurryHead
... I really really want to go, because my country has very limited opportunities for research


opportunities for research are very limited for undergraduates even at the University of Oxford. This seems an odd reason for wanting to spend all that money, then. If you'd said "I really want to go because it's impossible to get an undergraduate education of that quality in my home country" I could better understand it, and it will almost certainly be true.

Many congratulations on having received the offer, and of course keep looking into funding opportunities, but I definitely wouldn't recommend putting yourself in massive hock. Better perhaps to secure a BSc wherever you are and top it up with e.g. this: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/msc-research-biochemistry?wssl=1

That would be much cheaper, not least because shorter, and certainly there's much more chance of your getting funding for it. And you could mention at time of application (what they could check and discover to be true) "I was in 2016 offered a place on the undergraduate degree but was sadly unable to take it up because..."
Reply 10
Original post by cambio wechsel
If you'd said "I really want to go because it's impossible to get an undergraduate education of that quality in my home country"


Yes, that is a reason as well. But the fact that Oxford would act as a stepping stone allowing me to have a far wider pool of options at the end of the four years, as opposed to what would happen if I attended Indian Uni is what I was referring to.


Original post by cambio wechsel
Better perhaps to secure a BSc wherever you are and top it up with e.g. this: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/msc-research-biochemistry?wssl=1

That would be much cheaper, not least because shorter, and certainly there's much more chance of your getting funding for it. And you could mention at time of application (what they could check and discover to be true) "I was in 2016 offered a place on the undergraduate degree but was sadly unable to take it up because..."


Of course, I suppose that's an option as well, but that would be a last resort, if I don't figure something out.
Original post by CurryHead
I'm an International student from India, and I've been offered admission to a 4 year course in Biochemistry at University College, Oxford. Now I really really want to go, because my country has very limited opportunities for research, but my full four year fees comes up to about 170000 GBP (everything included), which is WAY more than I can possibly afford. Is there any sort of financial assistance available to me? I know there are the Reach and Simon and June Li scholarships, but those are very limited in number. Can anyone help me?


First of all congratulations for getting an offer into Oxford University. I think you can contact your Indian embassy or any organisations that help pay students uni fee. I think by law, you're not supposed to pay your fees if your family earns below a certain amount, once you get a job and start earning above certain amount, then you can pay off your fees in instalments. Good luck.
Original post by CurryHead
I'm an International student from India, and I've been offered admission to a 4 year course in Biochemistry at University College, Oxford. Now I really really want to go, because my country has very limited opportunities for research, but my full four year fees comes up to about 170000 GBP (everything included), which is WAY more than I can possibly afford. Is there any sort of financial assistance available to me? I know there are the Reach and Simon and June Li scholarships, but those are very limited in number. Can anyone help me?


I'm an international student from india too!

I want to study physics for 4 years in UoStAndrews but i can't afford it

It's coming to about 105000 GBP. (approx Rs. 17 lakhs a year, if you know what I mean, excluding travel, which'll add a few extra Rs. 100000, here and there)

I simply can't afford it. My father works a pretty decent job and we live comfortably, so I don't even know if we're eligible for it, but there's no way my father can afford it, since he has to save for his own old age, health etc. Having to pay my fees would mean them living on bare minimum and I couldn't do that.
Original post by Mr. Petrol Head
First of all congratulations for getting an offer into Oxford University. I think you can contact your Indian embassy or any organisations that help pay students uni fee. I think by law, you're not supposed to pay your fees if your family earns below a certain amount, once you get a job and start earning above certain amount, then you can pay off your fees in instalments. Good luck.


That isn't the position for internationals



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Original post by nulli tertius
That isn't the position for internationals



Posted from TSR Mobile

I think all of the Commonwealth countries have the same rule. My friend studied in Canada with paying nothing until he was able to pay them once he started earning enough. Btw he was an international student too!
Original post by riemmanmath
One good way of funding are the UK goverment loans. They lend some money for the university fee, so possibly your expenses get reduced to 10000 pounds.


International students aren't entitled to any government loans, the Student Visa states "no recourse to public funds" and I've asked like everywhere. The only thing you are eligible for are the International Bursaries/Scholarships which Universities offer themselves which are very limited in number, and very competitive. So for us international students it's a bit of a big sh**.
Reply 16
Unfortunately university is subsidised for British students because our parents pay tax and international students have to pay the full fee... it can't really be helped as they bring a lot of money to the university and if the fees were cheaper it might not cover the costs and there would be too many applicants.

I think there should be commonwealth exceptions though it's pretty unfair after everything we've done...
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 17
Contact Oxford, they have such large amounts of cash that they have to shift a lot of it for tax purposes, so will in some way be able to help. My teacher went to Cambridge, and was so broke that she asked the uni for food stamps, and they gave her a 2 grand grant, just becuase she was struggling.
Original post by Moura
Unfortunately university is subsidised for British students because our parents pay tax and international students have to pay the full fee... it can't really be helped as they bring a lot of money to the university and if the fees were cheaper it might not cover the costs and there would be too many applicants.

I think there should be commonwealth exceptions though it's pretty unfair after everything we've done...

Yes, if someone does originate from commonwealth countries, I guess then fees policies are more flexible for them.
Original post by CurryHead
I'm an International student from India, and I've been offered admission to a 4 year course in Biochemistry at University College, Oxford. Now I really really want to go, because my country has very limited opportunities for research, but my full four year fees comes up to about 170000 GBP (everything included), which is WAY more than I can possibly afford. Is there any sort of financial assistance available to me? I know there are the Reach and Simon and June Li scholarships, but those are very limited in number. Can anyone help me?


I got an offer from Oxford for AAB in Physics, Art and Chemistry, should i take it? the course is chemistry...

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