As an international student considering universities overseas, you may be choosing between multiple destination countries, not just the United States. What if you don’t have to decide? What if you could attend a university in the U.S. but also spend a semester or a school break studying in an additional country or two? Well, there’s good news for you adventurous types: You can!

If you’re a prospective international student, you’ll need more than just a valid passport to study in the USA; you will also need to certify your finances. What exactly does it mean when a US university asks you for evidence of adequate financial support? As non-immigrant visa holders, international students are required by law to demonstrate proof of sufficient funding a.k.a. “certification of finances.” This documentation allows universities to get more information about the funds available to students wishing to study in the United States.

Whether you’re an American or international applicant, you may hope to spend your college years in a cosmopolitan campus setting, meeting students from around the world. Maybe this is because you’ve grown accustomed to a diverse population in your own school, or maybe it’s just the opposite—you’re ready for a big departure from your homogenous hometown. Regardless, there are plenty of colleges and universities famous for their international flavor and their variety may surprise you.

If an international student contacts the financial aid office at a college or university in the U.S. and asks, “Is there financial aid available for international students?,” the answer will usually be a firm no. Financial aid officers are ambassadors of federal funds, and may not look beyond the money that is offered by the U.S. government to fully answer this question. A more complete answer requires students to broaden their scope. Finding money for college requires looking beyond the federal funds and even traditional first-stop college sources like the like financial aid office.

I’m an international student living in India and will be applying to universities in both the UK and the US. The UCAS application requires a personal statement, which I’ve already written. Is it okay if I use that personal statement for my main Common Application essay?

—It’s Raining Essays in Mumbai

You’ve heard time and again that admissions officers want to see you take the most rigorous curriculum that you can handle and that your high school offers. Great, so that might get you the coveted acceptance letter, but does all your hard work in these college-level courses get you anything more? Will you get credit or placement at U.S. universities for IB or Cambridge exams? It surprises me how many students are eager and willing to take these challenging courses to impress the admissions committee, but few ever take note as to which universities may be more generous in awarding credit or placement for enrolling students with certain exam results. You’ve worked hard for it! Knowing how your exam results will be treated by different universities could make the difference between repeating courses, having the opportunity to take upper-level courses sooner, and maybe even graduating from college in less time!

A quick internet search for the question, “Where can get I get a scholarship to study in the United States?” will yield thousands of results. Given that your week does not magically have more days to spend searching for scholarships, how does a student weed through the noise and decide where to focus his time and energy?

If you are an international student or parent, or anyone who wants to cut costs in college, you won’t want to miss last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation. Guest host Sally Ganga had experts on hand to talk about the many aspects of college admissions and enrollment for international students, and she welcomed a recent and gainfully employed college graduate, who shared some fantastic college cost-saving advice with our listeners.

International students face a special challenge as they pack their bags to study in the states: How do you move your life across the globe without racking up exorbitant airline fees or shipping costs? There will be some hard decisions about what to leave and what to take, but here’s some advice to get you started.

Making Sense of U.S. Universities while Living Internationally

Finding the perfect college or university a few hours’ drive from home is daunting enough, so imagine what it’s like for those geographically removed by an ocean or continent from their prospective schools.