Financial Assitance for Chinese Student at Boston College?

Gabriel_Pitt

I have a Chinese friend who is pursuing her dream of getting her degree in the states, enrolled in the business program at Boston College. Her family was covering most of her tuition (she's already working as much as she's allowed to on a student visa), but due to complications back home, that may no longer be possible, maybe as soon as this fall. She's already talking to the Financial Aid office to see what suggestions they can make, but being a foreign student closes off a lot of options. I've been out of the tuition game long enough that I have little relevant to contribute, but was hoping that petitioning the wisdom of the internet might bring some useful information to light.

So if anyone has recommendations for financial aid options to check out for a foreign student with a 3.6 GPA, I'd love to hear them!

*edit* Fixed the school name. Oops. :P

ceres

Has she looked into scholarships or grants that may be available from government or private sources in China to go to school here?

dispatch.o

ceres wrote: »

Has she looked into scholarships or grants that may be available from government or private sources in China to go to school here?

I really don't know of much a born citizen could do with a 3.6 GPA beyond loans and financial aid. Maybe she could find a lender in China?

Edit: Financial Aid covers a whole lot of stuff though, that wasn't meant to be defeatist. She may miss out on subsidized Stafford Loans and such (which maybe she wont!) but I'd wait to see what her advisers say.

Enc

I work with chinese national students at my school in Florida, the Chinese Government has a large number of grants for those seeking education abroad. That would be the best* place for her to look. Outside of academic fellowships and teaching assistantship positions there are very few aid opportunities in the US for international students and she will have difficulty qualifying for loans with US lenders.

* Best here is very relative. Most grants through the Chinese education system require returning home after, though. Often with very specific timetables.

schuss

Also - just check out all sorts of scholarships online and with the Boston Chinese community, as there's often plenty of grants and money available to apply for, regardless of citizenship status.
Are transfers an option at all? BC is a really expensive school.

Gabriel_Pitt

She actually just transferred IN to BC - it was a big thing for her. Life is funny sometimes.

I appreciate people's advice - yeah, the problems with pursuing most options back home are that they want you going back to China, and she wants to stay here post graduation. I was hoping that there was something that due to unfamiliarity and inexperience she might be over looking, because hey, easy solutions are easy!

dispatch.o

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

She actually just transferred IN to BC - it was a big thing for her. Life is funny sometimes.

I appreciate people's advice - yeah, the problems with pursuing most options back home are that they want you going back to China, and she wants to stay here post graduation. I was hoping that there was something that due to unfamiliarity and inexperience she might be over looking, because hey, easy solutions are easy!

Don't graduates normally have to move back for a period of time anyway? I mean, you can't just stay undocumented once your school visa runs out unless you want to work as a dishwasher or something under the table.

kime

dispatch.o wrote: »

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

She actually just transferred IN to BC - it was a big thing for her. Life is funny sometimes.

I appreciate people's advice - yeah, the problems with pursuing most options back home are that they want you going back to China, and she wants to stay here post graduation. I was hoping that there was something that due to unfamiliarity and inexperience she might be over looking, because hey, easy solutions are easy!

Don't graduates normally have to move back for a period of time anyway? I mean, you can't just stay undocumented once your school visa runs out unless you want to work as a dishwasher or something under the table.

That period of time you reference is not usually an extended period to work in your home country, though. It's like, go back, visit your family and the embassy for a new visa, then go back.

Gabriel_Pitt

dispatch.o wrote: »

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

She actually just transferred IN to BC - it was a big thing for her. Life is funny sometimes.

I appreciate people's advice - yeah, the problems with pursuing most options back home are that they want you going back to China, and she wants to stay here post graduation. I was hoping that there was something that due to unfamiliarity and inexperience she might be over looking, because hey, easy solutions are easy!

Don't graduates normally have to move back for a period of time anyway? I mean, you can't just stay undocumented once your school visa runs out unless you want to work as a dishwasher or something under the table.

There's also a lot that can happen in the interim that changes the situation - get married, line up a job with a company that wants you enough to give you a chance to transition over to a work visa, find a position in another country, etc.