Site Index




GSGS Home Page

Research Home Page

UMASS Home Page
 

Tips for Grand-Seeking International Graduate Student At Umass

Funding of thesis and dissertation research is often difficult for students to obtain. This is especially so for international students here on campus, as many funding opportunities require U.S. citizenship. Due to a lack of funding, international graduate students are often obliged to finance their own studies. According to the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA), forty-seven percent of the international graduate students in the U.S. finance their education through personal and family sources. Nonetheless, it is possible to obtain funds if you are persistent in your search. Noted below in this tip sheet are steps to consider for planning your search for funds, the sources of funding, and then sources of information about seeking funding.

Planning

If you plan to study in the U.S. for several years, think about how you will finance your graduate studies beyond the first year. You also need to begin your search for funding your research far in advance. Master's students should begin looking for funds immediately upon arrival to campus, while doctoral students should look at least a year before they advance to candidacy.

There are many types of awards, and often the terms are interchanged and thus, they lose a bit of their original meaning. However it is important to distinguish the general meanings applied to each of the terms typically used by those seeking and offering funding. These terms are detailed below.

• Scholarships. Refers to financial aid to cover tuition and fees for study, more often at the undergraduate, rather than graduate level. Note however that this term is often used interchangeably with "fellowships" and "grants".

• Fellowships. These are awarded to graduate students based on merit, mostly for professional development through research or project implementation, and occasionally for courses. Fellowships also include basic living expenses.

• Grants (or "Grants-in-Aid"). These are usually awarded to off-set costs incurred while carrying out research projects. In general, grants do not cover living expenses.

• Prizes and Awards. Normally awarded to individuals for outstanding achievements after they have completed a particular project or activity. Usually small in amounts but high in prestige. This can also facilitate the publishing of one's written works.

• Travel Grants/Awards. There are very few travel awards for graduate and postdoctoral scholars. They are usually limited for travel to a field research site, a library archive, a museum collection, or to consult with colleagues or authorities in your field of study. These grants may be provided by professional societies, as well as museums and libraries if your research involves the use of their collections.

• Internships. Note that these are usually summer or short-term positions to help students to learn more about their field of study. Though more targeted to undergraduates, there are also some internships for graduate students.

In other cases, grants and other forms of funding are only available to students applying from their home country. Thus if you do have the opportunity to travel back to your home country during your first year or two on campus, you should make sure to explore grants that are offered in this manner. You should also investigate all possible home-country sources of funding.

You may need to combine several sources of funding in order to fully finance your graduate research. There is an on-line pamphlet developed by the United States Information Agency (USIA) titled, If You Want to Study in the United States - Graduate Study. It contains a section on Evaluating Your Ability to Finance U.S. Study with a detailed table and explanation of the various costs graduate students in particular must consider. It also contains a financial worksheet to help you plan your expenses more realistically. This pamphlet is found on the web at: http://educationusa.state.gov/graduate/pubs.htm.

Nine Steps to Grant Searching

1. Identify your needs;

2. Research funding opportunities;

3. Identify, target and evaluate possible resources;

4. Write for initial grant guidelines and an application packet; Note that in many cases this information can be printed from the web, and that organizations prefer that you obtain materials in this manner;

5. Write your research proposal (or respond to research-related questions on the grant application). Note: For more information on this, please note that handouts and other resources on proposal development are available in our office (Room 517, Goodell Building);

6. Organize and complete application requests;

7. Submit completed grant applications and proposal well ahead of the final deadline date indicated on forms;

8. Wait for a response: note that it may take up to 8 or 9 months before funding would be made available;

9. Complete your research project.

Note that grants in the U.S. are highly competitive; an incomplete, tardy, poorly written, or messy application could make the difference between you and the other applicant. Plan ahead, plan well, prepare carefully, and follow instructions! Give yourself plenty of time to put together a quality grant application and make sure that your application, including application fees, transcripts, standardized test results, financial aid forms, letters of recommendation, and essays are complete and returned to the grant-making institution well ahead of all deadlines.

Funding Sources

There are a number of possible funding sources for international students studying at UMass including the following:

• Private Organizations (U.S. and International), Foundations, and International Agencies: These institutions offer scholarships, grants, and other financial aid to students.

• U.S. and Foreign Government Agencies: U.S. Government funding comes only in the form of assistantships, fellowships, and awards programs. U.S. Government student loans are not available to foreign students. Only two percent of all foreign students in the U.S. receive any funding from the U.S. Government.

• The UMass Graduate School: A limited number of fellowships and scholarships are available each year through the graduate school on campus. Ask professors within your department, your committee members, the department chair, or the graduate program director (GPD) for more information about these opportunities. Otherwise, contact the Graduate Dean's Office in Room 514, Goodell Building, or call 545-5278.

  Note as well that the Graduate School provides funding for travel grants on a competitive basis. These grants are to defer the costs of traveling to a conference where a student has been invited to present a paper. Travel within North America (U.S., Canada and Mexico) is reimbursed up to $300 while overseas travel may be reimbursed up to $600. The application deadlines tend to be the first week of November, February and May. Note that graduate students are limited to one travel grant award per academic year.

• Department Teaching and Research Assistantships: More common sorts of on-campus funding are teaching and research assistantships. Such assistantships are usually based on academic merit, or previous experience, background and training, and not necessarily on financial need. It is possible that an assistantship may not cover all expenses and that you may need additional financial resources. Again, inquire first about these assistantships to professors within your department.
  • You can also find assistantships advertised in the hallway on the second floor on the south side of the Whitmore Building, as well as outside of the Assistantship Office in Room 524 of the Goodell Building.

  • Another related resource is the Graduate Dean's Office which advises international graduate students on campus. They also have information concerning tuition waivers related to assistantships. Their telephone number is 545-5278 and they are located in Room 514 of the Goodell Building.

  • Finally, the International Graduate Teaching Assistance Communication Program provides assistance to international students to improve their teaching skills. Their services include the English Language Program. Contact the Graduate Dean's Office (noted above) for more information.

• Exchange Programs: It is possible that these may exist between a university in your home country and UMass, providing a full or partial waiver of tuition and fees. Information on this would likely be found within your particular academic department.

• Off-Campus Employment: Working in the U.S. is sometimes possible, but the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has strict regulations which prohibit foreign students from working off-campus in their first year; the rules are also restrictive for students beyond the first year. You should not expect to be able to fully finance your study by working in the U.S. For information, consult the job board located outside Room 243 in the Whitmore Administration Building.

• Loans: To some extent, loans are available from commercial banks which require approval from a school's financial aid office and proof of the credit-worthiness of both the student and a co-borrower who must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Loans are very expensive and should be a last resort for foreign students.

Other On-Campus Resources

• The Graduate Student Grants Service (GSGS). This service provides UMass graduate students with information and assistance with applications for external (non-university) grants and fellowships to support pre- and postdoctoral study and research. The service offers workshops and also provides individual consultations in their office (Room 517, Goodell Building). You can contact the GSGS via telephone: 545-3428 or e-mail at: gsgs@grad.umass.edu For more information, consult their web page at: http://www.umass.edu/gradschool/gsgs/.

• International Graduate Student Advising Office, Graduate School Dean's Office. This office provide academic advising to international graduate students on campus. For more information, contact this office in Room 514, Goodell Building, and the telephone number is 545-5278.

• The International Programs Office (IPO) at the William S. Clark International Center. This office provides advising to international students on a wide range of issues including: immigration and employment regulations; personal, financial, and academic counseling; guidance on adjusting to American life; and assistance in dealing with foreign governments. This office is located in Room 467, Hills South, and the telephone number is 545-2843. E-mail: fso@ipo.umass.edu

• The Office of Graduate Financial Aid. This office provides educational financial planing information to students, delivers financial aid funds to qualified students, and offers a variety of services including scholarship search, part-time job search service, and debt management information. This office is located in Room 243, Whitmore Administration Building, and the telephone number is 577-0555. E-mail: grads@finaid.umass.edu.

Sources of Information

A. General Resources on the World Wide Web

• Community of Science (COS) and Illinois Researcher Information Service (IRIS) Databases. UMass-Amherst subscribes to two on-line data bases to facilitate grant searches on the web by graduate students. These databases can be accessed only from a computer connected to the UMass server (thus, only from computers on campus, or at your home if you are connected to the server). These databases can be entered through the Graduate Student Grants Service (GSGS) home page at: http://www.umass.edu/research/gsgs then click on funding on the left-hand side bar.

• The College Board Online, the College Board's World Wide Web site, offers college search, general advice, and ordering information on useful publications. The Board's online ExPAN college information search can be searched to identify degree-granting institutions by specific criteria (e.g., location, fields of study, enrollment). The address is http://www.collegeboard.com.

• Educaid International Students Loan Program (ISLP). A guide to various educational loan programs, also with "grants" and "scholarships" options. The address is: http://www.educaid.com/index.htm.

• FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page, http://www.finaid.org/, a comprehensive Internet guide to financial aid, contains sections pertaining to foreign students coming to the United States and U.S. students going abroad. There is also information specifically for graduate students at http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/grad.phtml. Finally, under the heading "International Students" there is information provided on financial aid sources for foreign students seeking information on study in the U.S.

• Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education. Visit the department's World Wide Web site for available resources, http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/.

• Foundation Center, 79 5th Avenue (at 16th Street); New York, NY 10003-3076. Tel.: (800) 424-9836, Fax: (212) 807-3677. This center maintains a huge database of information related to all aspects of grant-making foundations. See their web site at: http://www.fdncenter.org/ or send an e-mail to: library@fdncenter.org.

• Peterson's Education Center on the World Wide Web, Peterson's publishes a guide for non-US students to learn about graduate programs in the U.S., as well as resources for students. A couple of places of particular interest within their web site include: http://www.petersons.com/stdyabrd/sasector.html and http://www.petersons.com/resources/finance.html.

B. Grant-Making Organizations on the World Wide Web

• The African-American Institute, Chanin Bldg., 380 Lexington Avenue (at 42nd Street), 42nd floor, New York, NY 10168-4298, Tel.: (212) 949-5666, Fax: (212) 682-6174. E-mail: aainy@aaionline.org or consult their web site at: http://www.aaionline.org.

• Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Society International. This is an international society of women educators that seeks to assist women educators from other countries who are currently studying in the U.S. DKG seeks applicants with good grades, need for financial assistance, and plans to return to their home counties to work in the field of education upon completing their study in the U.S. For more information, consult their web site at: http://www.deltakappagamma.org/.

• Foreign Fulbright Graduate Student Program. For more information, consult their web site at: http://www.iie.org/fulbright/ff/.

• Information about grants for research in France, consult the following web site: http://www.france .diplomatie.fr/culture/france/ressources/reso.

• Institute of International Education (IIE). For general information about IEE, consult their web site at: http://www.iie.org. For information on program information, consult the following site: http://www.iie.org/pgms.

• Johann Jacobs Foundation. This foundation offers dissertation grants to doctoral students from developing countries who are conducting research that helps youth to become valuable contributors to society. Awards of up to $5,000. For more information send an e-mail to: jjfoundation@gonet.ch

• Organization of American States, Division of Cooperation for Development of Human Resources; 1889 F Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006, Tel.: (202) 458-3792; Fax: (202) 458-3897 and 458-3898. For information on fellowship programs and student loans through the Leo S. Rowe Pan-American Fund, see the web site at: http://www.oas.org/rowe/.

• Phelps-Stokes Fund, 74 Trinity Place, New York, NY 10006. Telephone: (212) 619-8100 and Fax: (212) 619-5108. E-mail: phelps@admin.con2.com or consult their web site at: http://www.psfdc.org/. The focus of this organization is on African students.

• Funding Opportunities for Africans and Foreign Nationals. This is an excellent site (with listings similar to those in the Rockefeller site noted above), which includes a large number of organizations offering grants to African students studying in the U.S. Consult their web-page at http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/RADW/fundop1.html.

• Grantseeking on the World Wide Web, is a site maintained by the University of California at Berkeley. The address is: http://ib.berkeley. edu/administration/grants/grantseeking.html.

• Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) at the University of Iowa. This site publishes an electronic monthly newsletter with potentially useful information. The address is: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~internat_info/newsletter/newsletter.html.

• Note: A major source of information for this tip-sheet was from information provided by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. This organization promotes exchanges of students and scholars to and from the U.S. The association provides professional education and training, and acts as a forum for sharing ideas on international education. Please note that NAFSA no longer publishes Private Sector Funding Available to Foreign Scholars and Students in the U.S. The material in this publication is now outdated and no longer useful. For more information about NAFSA and their activities, consult their web-site at: http://www.nafsa.org/ or e-mail them via their web-site at: inbox@nafsa.org. Some of the information in this tip sheet came from the following web site: http://www.nafsa.org/content/AboutInternationalEducation/ForStudents/forStudents.htm. Their telephone is: (202) 737-3699.

• Web Search Engines:
  • There are a number of web search engines that could also yield useful information rather quickly. Simply enter a related keyword, such as "grants" or "grants for foreign students". Some of the better search engines to use include the following:
    • http://www.dogpile.com/
    • http://www.google.com/
    • http://www.northernlight.com/
    • http://www.overture.com

  • For information on U.S. government program, consult the U.S. government search engine at:
    • http://www.fedworld.gov/

D. Printed Materials

• Chronicle Financial Aid Guide (1999-2000). (Call number: LB2338.S83 1999-2000; located in the reference section of the DuBois Library). This guide provides information on financial aid programs in the U.S. from non- collegiate sources. Includes some listings for foreign students. Published by Chronicle Guidance Publications of Moravia, NY.

• The College Handbook - Foreign Student Supplement 2000, (updated annually). This guide to U.S. colleges and universities for foreign students includes facts for undergraduate and graduate foreign students. College Board publications may also be ordered over the internet at http://www.collegeboard.com. You may also inquire about the Foreign Student Planning Guide, a shortened version of the Foreign Student Supplement (without the institutional data).

• Complete College Financing Guide, (Second Edition, 1992), by Marguerite J. Dennis. (Call number: LB2337.4 D455 1992; located in the stacks of the DuBois Library). This publication devotes one chapter to funding for U.S. students wishing to study abroad and international students wishing to study in the U.S. It describes some scholarships and also lists other sources of information. Published by Barron's of New York.

• Foundation Grants to Individuals, (11th Edition, 1999). (Call number: LB2336.F598; located in the reference section of the DuBois Library). This undergraduate and graduate scholarship sources are described. Also included are fellowships, residences, internships, and grants by U.S. foundations to foreign nationals and citizens as well as company-sponsored aid. Published by the Foundation Center in New York. Note that you may also access the Foundation Center's World Wide Web page at http://www.fdncenter.org/

• Funding for U.S. Study: A Guide for Foreign Nationals. This book advises students on planning for financial aid and describes over 600 grants and fellowships open to foreign nationals in varying fields of studies and countries of origin. It includes financial aid offered by U.S. universities, both named awards and more general financial aid.

• The Grants Register. (2000). (Call number: LB2336.G7; located in the reference section of the DuBois Library). This book is primarily intended for students at or above the graduate level who require further professional or advanced vocational training. It aims to provide full, current information on awards (scholarships, fellowships, research grants, exchange opportunities, etc.) for nationals of the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and developing countries. Published by St. Martin's Press: New York.

• A Selected List of Fellowships and Other Support Opportunities for Advanced Education for United States Citizens and Foreign Nationals, 1993 edition (National Science Foundation). NSF 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230, Tel.: (703) 306-1234.

• CISP International Studies Funding Book, edited by Walter T. Brown, Robert H. Leder, and Ward Morehouse. (1983+). (Call number: LC1099.C57 1983+; located in the stacks of the DuBois Library). Published by the Council for Intercultural Studies: New York.