Stage 4 of 8 · 7 lessons · ~4 weeks

Funding and scholarships

Work out how the degree will be paid for: fully funded scholarships, assistantships, university awards, low tuition options, family money and loans. Apply for the funding that fits your profile and destination, on its own timeline, and avoid the traps.

Start: The kinds of funding

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

List every funding source that could apply to you: scholarships, assistantships, university awards, family and loans.
Check each scholarship's eligibility on its official page, rule by rule.
Add every funding deadline to your tracker, including nominating agency deadlines.
Ask each target department what funding it offers and when it decides.
Search university scholarship pages for each programme on your shortlist.
If you need a loan, compare interest, collateral and repayment on a salary at home.
Write a backup plan for the case where the main scholarship does not come through.

Start with

GuideFree
EducationUSA
US Department of State
Free official guidance on funding US study, including assistantships

Keep handy

Fulbright Foreign Student Program
Find your country's Fulbright commission or embassy page, rules and deadlines

Also worth your time

MastersportalGo deeper
Filter programmes by tuition and find scholarship listings to confirm on the funder's page

Before moving on: A funding plan that covers your total cost from named sources, with each scholarship's eligibility checked on its official page, its deadline in your tracker, and a backup if the main source does not come through.

Tauseef's advice

In the US the money is mostly in PhDs. A self-funded masters is one of the most expensive degrees anywhere, so if funding matters, look hard at thesis masters with assistantships and at PhDs, and ask departments directly what they fund.