For international students, the battle might prove to be doubly hard because of financial hurdles. Tuition and fees that have gone through the roof, sparse financial aid options, and the fact that scholarships are all too often unstable can combine to make it very difficult for these students to maintain their academic dreams.

International Students and Financial Hurdles in Higher Education: Here Are Practical Tips That Could Help
PEXELS / Yan Krukau

The Financial Strain of International Education

Finance is an area in which international students encounter steep barriers in their pursuit of higher education in foreign countries. One such major financial barrier is the soaring costs of tuition and fees for international students. In fact, since these students are not able to access federal financial aid like their in-country student counterparts, they have to rely on scholarships, college funds, and personal savings. The high financial burden instills fear and causes some students to drop out of school.

That was precisely the situation Alpha Daramy Sesay from Sierra Leone found himself in. Having initiated admission processes into several institutions, including the University of Maryland, Sesay could not register because he lacked the money to do so. He had planned meticulously and enjoyed assurances of help from his family, but inadequate funding thwarted his desire to pursue his academic dream. The experience of Sesay underlines the importance of early financial planning and looking into all possible channels of open funding before deciding to study abroad.

Community Colleges: A More Cost-Effective Route

To those students who are facing a problem with the high tuition fee systems, starting at a community college can be a good way to begin. Community colleges are a much more affordable option for accruing credit, which will necessarily be transferred to the final university. Talia Popovski is surely one to believe in this-given her title: Senior Director of International Student Services at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. She notes that many international students opt for associate degrees at community colleges to save thousands compared to enrolling in a university.

It also gives students from abroad a supportive environment to attune to the education system and culture of America. Colleges go further to offer work-study as well as part-time employment opportunities in their colleges, therefore lowering undue financial pressure. Although international students cannot apply for federal work-study positions, the college's human resources department often assists in finding part-time work or, in some cases, even paid internships. These do not only assist financially but are also their way of getting paid for the work experience.

Proactive Financial Planning and Support Systems

The ability to overcome financial challenges in college improves with proactive personal planning and the support of existing systems. Guilherme Lucas Mannarino is a student from Brazil who has just declined over $5 million in scholarships that were offered by numerous esports organizations and accepted an offer to study finance at Valencia College. However, he had been awarded an honor scholarship that paid for 50% of his tuition. In this regard, he felt studying hard, planning, and working on campus made this possible.

Mannarino also conducted workshops on e-sports scholarships among Brazilian students in order to earn extra income. He also used social media to share houses so as to cut on the costs of living in the country. His case therefore comes to show that one has to use several strategies to achieve efficient cost management.

Another good example is Kadiatou Sow from Guinea, who studies at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. According to her, strategic financial planning and priorities should be directed toward scholarships and grants for international students. Also, balancing work and studies, she tried to understand visa work-hour regulations and sought university support for financial aid options.

Practical Tips for International Students

Here are three practical tips to ease the financial burdens on international students:

1. Community College Enrollment

Extremely low tuition charges are made when one begins at a community college. Upon reaching an associate degree, a student may transfer to the university in pursuit of a bachelor's level of degree.

2. Student On-Campus Jobs

The institutions are known to offer work-study programs and other part-time job opportunities. This is an opportunity to earn, as well as gain valuable work experience, while also lowering debts.

3. Financial Planning

To save money before leaving and entering the U.S., look for scholarships that target international students, and consider paid internships to earn extra money.

With these strategies, it is a way for international students to overcome financial challenges and attain their academic goals. Indeed, the financial challenges are of full magnitude but not impossible. Diligence, resourcefulness, and resilience coupled with planning on the part of international students are challenges to be handled and followed through since they can create opportunities for academic and personal growth.