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.

For many international students hoping to study in the USA, the process of just getting in is overwhelming. By the time the acceptance letter is in hand and the deposit is made, it’s understandable to say, “PHEW! I’m done!” But after the relief wears off, a new wave of questions and anxieties usually hit families around. “How will I get from the airport to campus?” “Am I expected to find twin XL sheets on my own?” “What will I do when all of the American students leave campus for Thanksgiving?” There are so many unknowns for international students moving far from home to study in the USA.

There is a scholarship (or many scholarships) out there for everyone. Every student has some skill, interest, experience, or characteristic that may make them an attractive candidate for one scholarship or another. And while we often refer to scholarships as “free money,” scholarships don’t actually come for free. It takes work to thoughtfully consider your strengths and research the scholarships that might be most appropriate for you. While the effort that goes into finding and winning scholarships may be akin to a part-time job, we at College Coach want to make your job a little easier. This on-going scholarship series highlights a new scholarship each week. Check out the below, along with the other posts in the series, and you may discover a funding resource that will make covering that college bill a little (or a lot!) easier.

Congratulations! You have been accepted to study in the United States! Last year, over one million international students studied in the U.S. in a variety of programs—from a six-month certificate to graduate-level work. Students pursued a diverse range of fields, including business, engineering, math and computer sciences, social sciences, and physical and life sciences. As a citizen of another country, you will need a student visa to study in the U.S., but today’s political climate is leaving many hopeful international students anxious about the visa process. Visit travel.state.gov to find out what to expect on your journey, and check out this brief outline of the visa process.