Financial Resources

Your first rule of survival as an international student is to rely primarily on your personal financial resources and that of your immediate family in your home country or here in the U.S. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid and there is very little financial aid available from private sources. Of the few private scholarships available for international students, most require that you apply from your home country. If you are already in the U.S., you might not be eligible.

Full-time international students in F-1 status are eligible to work part-time on campus for up to 20 hours per week. Please check with campus departments for available openings. F1 students are not eligible for work-study positions as those are funded by the federal government. Please set up an appointment with your International Student Success Coach for more information.

After one year in F1 status, international students may be eligible to work part-time off-campus in Optional Practical Training, Curricular Practical Training, or Off-Campus Employment due to economic hardship. Please set up an appointment with your International Student Success Coach for more information.

Some Broward College Foundation Scholarships are available for international students who maintain a 2.5-grade point average. These scholarships are advertised in Foundation Scholarships with a specific deadline set for each academic year. Some departmental/talent awards (student life, student ambassadors, music), are also available. Please check with the specific department to see if you meet the eligibility requirements.

If you are a Broward College student, check out some scholarship options.

The Honors College is also available to international students. Joining the Honors College can help students get scholarships while attending Broward College. Graduating from the Honors College can also help you to get accepted to the transfer school of your choice and a possible transfer scholarship for those who are studying under the 2+2 plan - attending Broward College under an Associate of Arts (AA) degree and then transferring to a four-year college/university to complete the last two years of a bachelor's degree.

International student scholarships to study in the United States are quite limited and highly competitive. Please note that some scholarship search firms charge a fee for information that is available free of charge. Please do not waste your money by subscribing to them.

Here are some resources:

Students from the Caribbean and Latin American countries that are members of the Organization of American States (OAS), may be eligible for scholarships.

Florida Statute 288.9175 establishes Linkage Institutes between postsecondary institutions in the state of Florida and foreign countries.

The primary purpose of these institutes is to assist in the development of stronger economic, cultural, educational, and social ties between this state and strategic foreign countries through the promotion of expanded public and private dialogue on cooperative research and technical acceptance activities, increased bilateral commerce, student and faculty exchange, cultural exchange, and enhancement of language training skills between the postsecondary institutions in this state and those of selected foreign countries.

Each institute is allowed to exempt up to 25 full-time equivalent students per year from the respective host countries to study in any of the 12 state universities or 28 state colleges in Florida as resident students for tuition purposes.

Students must return home within 3 years after their tenure of graduate or undergraduate study for a length of time equal to their exemption period.

Florida Linkage Institute Directory

In several countries, cooperative and thrift societies are viable sources of loans for international students. However, such sources of loans are severely limited in the United States. Most of those available are quite expensive and require international students to have a U.S. citizen or permanent resident as a co-signer.

Some suggested sites that may or may not require co-signers include:

Students from the Caribbean and Latin American countries that are members of the Organization of American States (OAS), may be eligible for interest-free loans of up to $15,000.

Sources of financial aid are publicized exclusively in foreign language newspapers and websites that are published in the U.S. We suggest you try calling the editor of such newspapers/websites to see if they know of any possibilities For example, a member of the community might be willing to sponsor your education. You could contact your country's nearest educational advising center/consulate for information about local sources of support. Your home government may have financial aid available. Please consult the cultural section of your embassy or your Ministry of Education for more information. Some awards may require you to be nominated by your government. There may also be private organizations, businesses, foundations, and religious groups in your home country that may provide support for study in the U.S.

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