Study in the U.S.
Financial Aid
The United States Government does not offer any scholarships for international students studying as undergraduates. Exceptional Zambian graduate or post graduate students are encouraged to apply for the Fulbright Fellowship Program, which is directly funded by the United States Government.
Schools in the US are expensive! Plan to pay from $15,000 to $65,000 per year, for tuition, room and board. Most international students are ineligible for the many grants and loan programs American students use to fund their education; as a result, more than 80 percent of international students are supported by their families.
For those international students seeking financial aid, about 99 percent of the aid they receive comes from the colleges and universities to which they apply. Each university has a set amount of money allotted for scholarships for incoming students. Most of these scholarships are merit-based, meaning that they are given to the students with the highest marks and the highest SAT, ACT or GRE test scores. Merit-based scholarships are the most lucrative scholarships, and represent the best chances students have of funding their education. Students that receive significant merit-based scholarships are generally at the very top of their high school class, have all distinctions on their ECZ exams, and score over 700 on all subjects of the SAT.
When you apply for admissions to an American college or university, you must simultaneously apply for scholarships. Upon receiving your acceptance letter, you will be informed if you have been offered a scholarship or not. Furthermore, when researching schools, it is important to select schools that typically offer significant scholarships to a high percentage of their students, and that actively encourage international students to apply.
A small number of American schools, do, however, offer financial aid to international students; about 60 schools offer full-financial aid to truly outstanding international students. How do you qualify? High/top grades, top SAT/ACT scores, evidence of leadership, intellectual commitment, excellent recommendations, incredibly written essays that flesh-out who you really are, and supporting documents that help you really stand out all contribute to making the case for your application. International aid is extremely competitive, and to shine, you really need to have an incredible application.
If your grades are only so-so and you need financial aid, you should pursue a more affordable option, work really hard to achieve excellent grades, and consider studying in the US as a graduate student. There is a whole strategy for applying as a graduate student that is different from undergraduate applications.
While most scholarship money is offered from the universities themselves, some scholarships come from private funders or organizations. These scholarships are highly competitive because they are open to students worldwide. Furthermore, they are generally small amounts of money that will not pay a significant portion of tuition. More information can be found on the websites below:
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www.educationusa.state.gov (see financial assistance)