Does anyone know if there's any way to finance an MFA when the future student doesn't have the equity needed (i.e. $47.000 for Stark, including living expanses).
I really badly want to take such a master but right now, I just don't have the money they ask for... Is there any lending program in any bank (for foreigners)? I know there are many for MBA students (Citibank, etc...)but I'm not sure for an MFA program...
Thanks

Hi Chris,

I came across this site which might be useful for you.

http://www.edupass.org/finaid/loans.phtml

Good luck,
P

Hi Chris,

This site might be useful too.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/furtherstudy/fulbright/loans.pdf

Cheers,
P

I know Citibank has a loan called "Citi Global Assist' or something like that. You have to get the application through your school though, it's not up on their website. There are no course of study restrictions on it.

Have you spoken with your financial aid office? They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Thanks Paikea!
Well where I'm from (Belgium) studies cost 700€ a year so we don't really need financing... There's no financial aid office.
I'll check out citibank but as far as I know they only finance MBA besause they know you'll be able to repay them afterwards...

Do you know how old are the people entering programs such as Stark,etc...? How much experience they've got?
thanks a lot
cheers
Chris

Hi Chris,

I've heard the oldest student for USC's MFA last year was 47 years. Age doesn't seem to be a problem. Some on this forum have even mentioned how age seems to help (more life experience etc). An applicant's potential and creativity seems to be the big factors.

Have you checked out some of the other threads on this site? There's one thread that seems to be particularly helpful for future applicants: For those who got accepted (NYU/USC/UCLA). Folks who have been accepted have posted tips for school applications and their creative/academic backgrounds.

Cheers,
Paikea

quote:

Originally posted by chris_arcache:
Thanks Paikea!
Well where I'm from (Belgium) studies cost 700€ a year so we don't really need financing... There's no financial aid office.
I'll check out citibank but as far as I know they only finance MBA besause they know you'll be able to repay them afterwards...

Chris,

The citibank loans are for any International Student in any field. I had a loan from them. Also, check the financial aid office of the school you are interested in. Most schools have arrangements made with banks to arrange for loans for their accepted students.
You are definitely not the only one that can't pay tuition out of your own pocket!

Basically, you should not let money get in the way of doing something that you want to do.

Great!

I was beginning to think people were paying out of their own pockets or with their parent's help...

As you say, money should just be a detail and I hope it will...
Thanks a lot

Hi all.

One more REALLY important post.
I'm starting to think os the same way: "MONEY should be a detail".
But, anyway, is something to be worried about.

Can someone explain to me how the process work, until you got into UCLA, for example?
YOu aplly, is accepted, pay some fee to start (how much). You move from your country to there, and when you arrive, you need to pay? So it's the moment you go to the LOAN at CITIBANK?

Please, would be nice to know the procedure, as I'm planning the things to after get the acceptation.

Thank you.

This is how it works at NYU, and I'm pretty sure at most schools:

-apply.
-get accepted.
- pay a deposit (usually a couple hundred dollars). This pretty much says that you've accepted their offer and plan to attend.

then it gets a bit confusing and contradictory:

- in order to enter the USA as a student you need an F-1 visa.

- in order to get the visa you need to demonstrate that you are able to support yourself, which means that you need to show that you have enough money to pay tuition and pay living expenses. This is tough, because even if you are depending on American student loans, you can't even apply for them unless you have the F-1 visa. It's a catch-22. So most people get loans from their home country (or get their government to sponsor them). It also depends on how difficult the US-Customs officials are when you arrive in the USA.

-enter the USA

- enroll in classes. This is when you officially need to pay the University.

- apply for American student loans for International Students. Show that you are a student at the University and have enrolled. Depending on the bank, you may need a co-signer or an American co-signer.

-wait for money. It usually doesn't take long for the bank to get you the loan. It's mostly done electronically, so it's a matter of days.

It's a confusing, and painful process. The good thing is that you only have to work through it once, and everything is routine for the subsequent years.

Hope this helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Zumbi:
Hi all.

One more REALLY important post.
I'm starting to think os the same way: "MONEY should be a detail".
But, anyway, is something to be worried about.

Can someone explain to me how the process work, until you got into UCLA, for example?
YOu aplly, is accepted, pay some fee to start (how much). You move from your country to there, and when you arrive, you need to pay? So it's the moment you go to the LOAN at CITIBANK?

Please, would be nice to know the procedure, as I'm planning the things to after get the acceptation.

Thank you.

Thank you Duders.

Will look at it.

It won't be easy, but there is a solution for ALMOST everything in life.

Cheers.

Thanks a lot Duders!
It's very useful to have an idea of the whole process.

Good luck to you all
chris