Shengjie’s scholarships for studying abroad in the United States can be summarized into two categories: government and private. They are specifically divided into federal government scholarships, private foundation scholarships, intra-college scholarships, departmental scholarships, interschool and interdepartmental scholarships, Vacation scholarships, grants, research assistantships, tuition exemptions, etc.

Scholarships that are closely related to Chinese students include: various research scholarships, scholarships provided by consortiums, institutions, enterprises, and media, academic exchange scholarships, etc. In addition to large foundations, each college and department will have some privately donated scholarships, with amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

Some are also clearly listed in the college catalog issued every semester. For example, Columbia University's Teachers College Handbook publishes more than 110 scholarships with various names.

Some are in the hands of the heads of various departments. As long as the head of the department signs and agrees to allocate, either by check or in cash, not only will no tax be deducted, but there is no requirement for any work or research obligations.

Some famous universities such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc. have very fierce competition for admission, and all those who get admission will receive scholarships.

Some schools have ample research funding for certain departments (such as science and engineering). Almost all graduate students, especially doctoral programs, will receive scholarships as long as they are admitted.

Many Chinese students have received admission notices from schools, but they are afraid to go without scholarships. They are worried that they will not be able to afford the huge expenses of studying abroad without scholarship funding. In fact, as long as you go to a university in the United States, you still have many opportunities to apply for various scholarships, teaching assistantships, etc.

According to the experience of many international students, the school is more willing to accept the "needs-based" explanation, as long as you can come up with some "force majeure" unexpected circumstances or reasons, especially sudden changes in the family, sometimes it can Received scholarship for special sympathy. Every year when the school reviews the use of scholarships and finds savings, it is also a good time to apply for scholarships. If your leading professor gets a multi-million-dollar research plan from the government and lets you be his assistant, then you will not only get a scholarship, but also living expenses, and even 20% of the expenses for your wife and children. There are also certain student associations in the school that can receive fund allocations from the school. When it comes to rushing for papers, it is possible to go to other places to conduct research and look up information, and apply for hundreds or thousands of dollars in funding. If you meet a helpful senior classmate who helps you "brag" in front of the professor, you can also get a scholarship. Many American schools also allow applicants with a bachelor's degree to apply directly for doctoral studies without necessarily requiring a master's degree. Doctoral scholarship funding is relatively generous, so why not?

The following are detailed descriptions of the main types of scholarships:

1. Scholarships

Scholarships can be in the form of a certain amount, as A certain form of scholarship (such as EconomicScholarship, Graduate Scholarship, etc.) is awarded to students with excellent academic performance, or it can be a full exemption of tuition or fees (Tuition Scholarship or Tuition & FeesScholarship). The specific amount of this scholarship, Tuition and fees vary with the amount stipulated by the college. Scholarships do not have just one form like grants. There may be several or even a dozen different forms of scholarships at the same university. A student may be eligible to apply for more than two scholarships at the same time. Generally speaking, the probability of obtaining a Scholarship is higher than that of a Fellowship, but the amount of a Scholarship is less than that of a Fellowship.

2. Tuition scholarship (full or partial tuition exemption Tuition-Waiver)

It is a kind of money awarded to outstanding students and is also the most popular source of school finance. .

The main reason is that recipients do not need to repay. But please pay attention to the following points:

A. Tuition scholarship, as the name suggests, this amount can only be used to pay tuition. For example, if the school gives you a scholarship of 20,000 US dollars a year, if you only spend 10,000 US dollars on course selection, the remaining 10,000 US dollars will not go into your pocket, but will be wasted in vain.

B. If you want to continue to get the scholarship in the second year, you must keep your grades excellent, otherwise there will be better students in all aspects competing with you for the money.

C. Be sure to pay attention to whether there are any other additional conditions when giving you a scholarship. If the scholarship is unconditional, it means the money is given to you for free and is tax-free when you file your taxes at the end of the year. If the prerequisite for your scholarship is to help the professor or department do some work, then this expense is within the scope of tax returns.

3. Fellowship

The English name of fellowship is Fellowship or Assistantship. Assistantships are the largest but most competitive non-service scholarships available.

It was originally used to help students from poor families who were unable to pay the full tuition. In recent years, as a means of school competition, bursaries have also been awarded to good students with both good character and academic performance to attract good students. Since many schools list scholarships and financial aid together on their I-20 forms, it’s no surprise that many people confuse scholarships and financial aid. In fact, each school defines financial aid differently.

The full scholarship generally means that in addition to free tuition and miscellaneous fees, accommodation fees, insurance fees, and book fees, a certain amount of money will be given to the winning students as their personal expenses (Personal Expenses). The competition for scholarships is particularly fierce during the application process. Generally, in addition to higher TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and SAT overseas test scores, a good GPA, a competitive research background, academic experience, papers, special talents, various awards, etc. , Documentary materials, including resumes, letters of recommendation, study plans (Personal statement), essays and other materials, as well as school selection, major direction determination, interviews, and preparation for magnet applications are also crucial. (It is better to list this paragraph separately, such as a tip: What is a full scholarship?)

Students themselves should take the initiative to ask the following questions: How many years will the scholarship last? Are there any free tuition scholarships? Is work required to receive financial aid? If working, what are the job responsibilities? What about the length of time? Does the bursary cover health insurance, school administration fees, etc.? In short, every student needs a clear explanation of the fine print of financial aid. The good news: Financial aid is completely tax-free.

4. Research Assistantship & Teaching Assistantship

For Chinese students applying for postgraduate and above-level programs in the United States, their chances of receiving scholarships are higher than those for undergraduates. Or undergraduate transfer students are much older, and most of them receive full scholarships by receiving one of these two types of service salaries. The vast majority of graduate schools in American universities offer these two types of financial aid. However, not all such financial aid can cover all expenses for a year, but most cover more than 2/3 of the total amount. The specific amount of this kind of funding in each college is stated in the introduction of its professional department. Generally, you can obtain the TA and RA introduction of this department by directly sending the first letter requesting information to the department chair.

The briefing will explain the specific amount of this kind of funding, what is the award rate, whether it can cover the entire cost for one year, and some will also explain the average TOEFL and GRE (or GMAT) of the general recipients in the department. Minimum scores. Most American universities do not set minimum scores for GRE and GMAT. However, if you want to apply for financial aid, it is recommended that the applicant's TOEFL is higher than 100, IELTS is higher than 7.0, GRE is higher than 1300, and GMAT is higher than 700.

A. Research Assistantship

Under normal circumstances, schools or professors will have scientific research funds and research projects. Some students were told that they could work as a research assistant for a certain tutor before arriving at school. Some students only get the opportunity to work as scientific research assistants after they have arrived at the school for a period of time, either by themselves or after being selected by a professor. Being a scientific research assistant has a lot to do with the tutor and the school. The more famous professors and the more prestigious the school, the greater the chance of receiving donations from the government, individuals, or foundations. Also, in graduate school, there are nothing more than two types of students. One is a master's student and the other is a doctoral student. Relatively speaking, doctoral students have more opportunities to obtain research assistants.

Working as a research assistant has the following advantages. 1. The research project is basically closely related to the major. Being a research assistant will improve your academic level. 2. Some students determine the research project as the direction of their thesis. As a result, they kill two birds with one stone, completing their thesis and earning a certain amount of income. 3. The salary of research assistants is generally higher than that of teaching assistants. The weekly working hours of a research assistant depend on your free time and the amount of research funding.

B. Teaching Assistantship

Many schools will provide jobs such as teaching assistants. Generally speaking, if the university here has both undergraduate and graduate schools. Usually graduate students have more opportunities to work as teaching assistants in undergraduate colleges. If the university is purely a graduate school, there will be very few opportunities to provide teaching assistants. In addition, even if some universities have undergraduate students, in order to ensure the quality of teaching, all courses are required to be taught by regular teachers. In this case, there are not many teaching assistant positions. Basically, a teaching assistant works approximately 15-20 hours a week.