EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series 12: Financial Aid

EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series #12: Financial Aid
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, November 18, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today, in part twelve of our Foreign Student Series, the subject is financial aid. This is an area to consider when you first begin to explore the idea of studying at a college or university in the United States.

Most of the students who come to America pay for their education with their own money or with money from their family. The group NAFSA: Association¹ of International Educators says this is true of eighty-one percent of students.

That is because not much financial aid is offered to foreign students in the United States. Foreign graduate students have more chances than undergraduates² do. Still, forty-seven percent of foreign graduate students pay for their studies with their own money or their family's money.

Most financial aid from government and private groups is restricted³ to American citizens. Some countries provide aid for their citizens to study in the United States, on the guarantee that they return home to work.

The United States government provides aid for students from some countries. You can ask for details at an American Embassy⁴ or an office of the United States Agency⁵ for International Development. A local university may also have such information.

And some American schools do provide financial aid to foreign students. A list of these can be found at a useful Web site. This site also provides information about where to write for financial help. And it warns foreign students not to pay if any money is requested for scholarship application forms. You could be cheated. The address is edupass.org. That's e-d-u-p-a-s-s-dot-o-r-g.

The site also tells how to order publications⁶ such as "Funding for U.S. Study -- A Guide for International Students and Professionals." This guide lists more than six hundred places where international students can get help paying for their studies. Again, the site is edupass.org.

A lot of information about financial aid can be found on the Internet. If you do not have a computer, you might be able to use one at a local school or an educational advising center.

Another useful site for students is operated by the State Department. That address is educationusa.state.gov. Our Foreign Student Series continues next week. You can find the reports online at voaspecialenglish dot com.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.

1 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

2 undergraduates   

（未获学士学位的）大学生，大学肄业生( undergraduate的名词复数 )； 本科生

参考例句：

• All undergraduates reading English attend a turtorial group each week. 所有攻读英语的本科生每周上一次导师辅导课。
• This is a course for undergraduates. 这是为本科生开的一门课。

3 restricted   

adj.有限的；受约束的

参考例句：

• Speed is restricted to 30 mph in towns. 在城里车速不得超过每小时30英里。
• a restricted range of foods 有限的食物种类

4 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

5 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

6 publications   

n.发表( publication的名词复数 )；公布；出版；出版物

参考例句：

• The related publications are far too numerous to list individually. 相关出版物太多，没法一一列举。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request. 我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。 来自《简明英汉词典》