Can an exchange student come to College in the US on loans?

[lukenick1]

My Thai exchange student is looking to come here for college. Only problem is that she has no money. She took the tests in Thailand for a scholarship but has not gotten results yet. Is it possible for her to come to our colleges and get student loans plus live on campus? Would she be able to work here to pay those loans while she is in school? Her parents are in a bad relationship and her Mom wants to come here to work and start a new life but I don't know how to help them? I don't have the funds to support them. Anyone have advice for us?

 

[bopper]

Perhaps try asking this on collegeconfidential.com
Also have the student look at educationusa.state.gov which is a clearing house to give info for international students wishing to study in the US.


Even US kids can't take loans out for the entire amount...Parents would have to co-sign.
She would have to find out if she can come without having the money saved in advance....nobody is going to give loans overseas!

In order to get a student visa, you must be able to demonstrate that you can pay for the year of study. So if you do not have the money and cannot get it from family or sources in your own country, you do need to go through the aid process. Complicating this situation is that not all colleges, and not all programs are open to foreign students.

There are a limited number of needblind colleges for internationals. For the top candidates, they are certainly the staples, especially those who guarantee 100% of need. But admissions is the most competitive to those schools and for some kids, a better bet might be a school where the line is not as long. That is why it is important to check your eligibilty of aid at all of the schools on your list if this is a necessity. There is no reason to apply to a schoo that shuts out ALL funds from internationals. However, even for schools that are need blind and not that generous, you can hit the jackpot, perhaps more so than the more generous schools. So some of those should be on the list as well. It is truly a balancing act.