Money Matters

If your parents are not 100% sure they are paying for your education, keep reading. You may also like to refer to Scholarship and US universities and Glossary: Financial Aid.

• How much does a US education cost?
• Which colleges give more aid to international students?
• I don’t want to serve a bond. How can I afford a US education?
• Should I apply for financial aid?
• How can I maximize the amount of financial aid I receive?
• Can I apply for both financial aid and Singaporean scholarships?
• I am going only if I get a scholarship. How do I fill out the financial forms?

Including tuition, room and board, books and personal expenses, current quoted costs range from about US$29,274 per year (U Texas-Austin) to US$43,700 per year (Yale). Note that many popular universities are private schools, as is Yale.

When calculating costs for your whole career, remember that it's four years, not three. Assume pessimistically that costs are rising by US$2,000 per year, and allow for your plane flights as well as at least US$700 once off for warm clothes.

Remember to convert to Singapore dollars.

A number of colleges offer scholarships to internationals and we are trying to list them all on our Scholarships and US universities site .(click to link to “Scholarships and US universities) But remember that lots of aid is given without being called a scholarship.

A number of colleges are generous with financial aid. The best known are these six need-blind schools: Harvard, Yale, Princeton , MIT, Williams and Middlebury. Also refer to these links for more information:

• The Council of International Schools - financial aid spreadsheet is very helpful. Click on “CIS Higher Education Financial Aid Table 2007-2008 USA ” for their VERY helpful Excel spreadsheet

• eduPASS: Schools with Financial Aid for International Undergraduate Students . List schools with > 150 aided internationals, 100-149, 50-99, etc.

Financial aid is your best bet. Your chances of admission will be lower, but less well-known universities are often willing to woo worthy students with attractive offers.

Unlikely but possible: American scholarships for internationals. See our Scholarships and US universities.

At most schools it will mean a lower chance of admission, but if you can't afford it on your own and you're not sure about signing up for a bond, why not try? Some schools, especially the lesser-known ones, can be quite generous to attractive students.

Certain schools are need-blind for internationals, so don't hesitate to ask for financial aid from them. Note however that need-blind can mean different things to different schools.

Most of you will need to attach an explanatory note (hyperlink to “FORMS”) if you are juggling financial aid and scholarships. Please adapt for your own purposes.

We are working to learn more, but one tip in reporting your parents' assets is that CPF-funded stock purchases count not as static assets but as retirement savings plans. This usually increases the aid award considerably. This also applies to HDB flats which are part purchased with CPF funds. The component paid for with CPF funds may be loosely described as a retirement asset (not included in aid calculations). Thanks to Vaughn Tan, Harvard 2005.

Yes, definitely. If you get the scholarship you want, you can cancel your financial aid application. Do enclose the explanatory note explaining your situation explicitly — most admissions officers will want to know as much as possible about your circumstances and it may even improve your chances. A college that wants you but cannot offer you financial aid may feel reassured that there is at least some possibility of your attending.

1. When you're asked the total amount available for your education, you can answer that all of it will be covered, but you MUST also attach the explanatory note, explaining your situation.
2. Your parents should still deal with the necessary forms, bank statements and letters. All the colleges we've asked still want to find out how much your family can afford on their own.
3. Optionally, you can request an explanatory letter from Public Service Commission. Otherwise, if you explain your own situation in detail and direct your reader to the relevant section of the RI (JC) School Profile that explains your situation, you should be sufficiently covered.

• Do I need to take the TOEFL?
• My family is on a low income and posting the forms will take a long time
• What additional educational documents must I submit with my application?
• Can I apply for a Student Visa in Singapore?
• Will I have trouble getting a US Visa?

In general, the TOEFL benefits non-Singaporeans. It may help compensate for a weaker SAT Verbal score, and some schools (e.g. Williams) prefer to have it even for high Verbal scorers.

However, you may be able to negotiate a waiver if you have been in Singapore for at least four years and your Verbal SAT score was over 600. Also see our FAQ on SAT & TOEFL. (hyperlink to “FAQ: SAT & TOEFL”)

Your family should fill out the required forms, even if they will not arrive at the college admissions office with your other applications documents. See if you qualify for an application fee waiver.

Make sure your main application meets the deadline, but add a note (hyperlink to explanatory note) explaining that your family will need more time to receive, fill out, translate, and send their documents.

Ask your family to send forms/letters/bank statements directly to the university, translated and certified by a notary if necessary. Indicate surname and given name clearly to avoid misfiling, e.g. GAN, Meiqi.

Make sure that the last four years of your education are documented. This should not present difficulties for most RI (JC) scholars. But if you did your SPM in Malaysia and JC in Singapore , then you will need to show certificates for all four years.

Anyone who is physically present in Singapore may apply for a visa here. But be aware that the consular officer may ask you to return to your home country to apply there. See http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/

Possibly, and you may also have trouble renewing your visa if you leave the US during your education. Here's what you can do:

All, including Singaporeans: Apply for your visa as soon as you're admitted and have your I-20 form. If you fail the first time, work on your plans and try again.

All scholars, esp. from China : US Immigration officers are concerned that you will stay in the US after your studies, especially because you have already spent years away from home in Singapore . So when you see the immigration officer, be polite but firm and explain why you are so sure you have a home in China (or elsewhere). Also have very concrete plans about finding a job outside the US .

From less wealthy families: It will probably be harder to convince Immigrations that you can afford four years' tuition, and that you know how to find yourself a job outside the US . Research and plan as much as possible (e.g. talk to prospective employers).

Male scholars from Muslim countries: Your security check will take a long time even if you are not Muslim. Be prepared to wait as long as a year. Patience, rather than persistence, is your friend.

Renewing your visa: If you leave the US at any point during your education, you will have to renew your visa before you return. Do it early! It can take a month or much longer. In fact the safest way not to miss any school is not to leave the US at all during your holidays, even to visit Mexico and Canada .

Future and Current NS men need to read the Ethical Undertaking.

• Should I apply in J2 or after I start NS?
• Should I write my essay about my life-changing NS experience or pre-NS life?
• Which colleges allow me to defer enrollment until after I finish NS?

There are pros and cons on both sides. Admissions officers seem to be split on the question.

If you apply after you start NS, you will be a stronger applicant if you have held positions of responsibility. However, it could be difficult to liaise with your teachers to get their recommendations.

We advise you to leave a very detailed personal writeup at the General Office, so that the school will be able to supply better recommendations in future. On top of this, it is better to inform your current teachers that you are interested in applying in the future and ask them if they would like you to make any other special arrangements.

Also see the relevant section of the Ethical Undertaking for University Applications. (hyperlink to “FORMS” ) It details important advice on releasing deferred places.

There isn't really any wrong essay topic, but surprising though it may sound, it's not really to your advantage to write an entire essay about NS. The reason is that most of them sound alike: How I Have Endured Pain and Suffering to Emerge Stronger. You may feel it is the most life-changing experience you have ever had, but everyone else is reporting exactly the same thing. You should always try to give the admissions officers a sense of your unique character, so do consider that your pre-NS experience with academics and CCAs and personal life was almost certainly more unique than your NS life.

Depends completely on the university. So far I have heard from Brandeis, Swarthmore, UNC Chapel Hill and Berkeley that they DON'T allow deferment. The universities that have told me they would allow it are: Amherst , Boston U, Carleton, Columbia , Cornell, Dartmouth , Duke, Harvard, Middlebury, Northwestern, Princeton, Reed, Chicago , Michigan , Penn, Yale. Universities that said they grant deferment on a case-by-case basis are Lafayette, Bowdoin, Johns Hopkins — usually they grant deferment to 99% of NS men, but not necessarily for other possible reasons like travelling around the world.