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INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Bloomington
Funding your education

Aid for international ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s

Funding your education in the United States is a significant investment. Explore a variety of funding options, including private loans, scholarships, specialized support for sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s, and federal aid for eligible noncitizens with specific residency statuses.

Explore your funding options

Gathering resources to fund your education in the United States can be one of the most challenging parts of the admissions process. Financial help is available, but finding it takes work and persistence.

Start by researching funding possibilities in your home country. Contact an to learn about opportunities.

Student loans

As an international ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´, you are not eligible for ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ loans through the U.S. federal government, but you still have options for borrowing money. Always carefully consider the terms of a loan before you borrow, and investigate other funding sources, such as scholarships and fellowships. Never borrow money that you cannot pay back.

Review loan options

IU scholarships 

IU offers specific awards to recognize the achievement of our international community.

Explore international ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ scholarships

External scholarships 

It is worthwhile to expand your search beyond IU. Be patient and persistent—while many U.S. scholarships are limited to citizens, numerous organizations offer support to international scholars.

Search external scholarships

Fellowships and assistantships

If you are a graduate ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´, you may be able to secure a fellowship or assistantship through your department. An assistantship is a paid position that requires you to teach or conduct research. A fellowship is an award of money that may or may not come with a work requirement. Contact your school or department for details.

Services for sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s

Sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s are those ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s who have a government, company, or organization paying for their studies at IU. These ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s have unique needs. To ensure that sponsoring organizations and the ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s they sponsor are able to accomplish their specific educational objectives, we created Sponsored Students Services.

We are proud to partner with over 60 different sponsoring governments, companies, and organizations, and currently host approximately 270 sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s. We provide one point of contact for sponsors (Daniel Whitmer in the Office of International Services) and can serve as a liaison with admissions, academic departments, and other ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ services on campus.

Our services and fees

We can assist sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s and sponsoring organizations in a variety of ways. If you have any questions about how we can help, contact us. We can:

  • Advise on the admission application process, liaise with graduate school offices, and answer questions about admissions
  • Assist with sponsors’ financial terms, help ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s understand billing requirements, and liaise with Student Central about billing concerns
  • Provide a free official transcript to sponsors (Requires a one-time consent from the ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´. Learn about .)
  • Help ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s understand sponsor regulations, assist ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s with sponsor requirements (health insurance, program extensions, etc.), liaise with academic departments for sponsor requirements (program information, change in academic level, etc.)
  • Provide a single point of contact for international advising, including F-1 and J-1 visas, U.S. regulations, travel questions, etc.
  • Provide assistance and counseling with personal matters, including housing, health problems, academics, family and dependent concerns, general advising, and other sensitive matters
  • Host specialized sponsor ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ orientation sessions 
  • Provide programming specifically tailored to sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s, and inform ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s of campus and community events

The international sponsored ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ fee is a per-semester fee for all ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s sponsored by the U.S. or other government, a company, an organization, an educational institution, etc.

Federal aid options for eligible noncitizens

If you’re an , you may qualify for federal loans and grants. To be eligible, any one of the following must be true:

  • You are a permanent U.S. resident with a permanent resident card (I-1551), also known as a Green Card.
  • You are a conditional permanent resident.
  • You have one of the following listed on your Arrival–Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security:
    • Refugee
    • Asylum Granted
    • Parolee
    • Cuban-Haitian Entrant

If you are not a permanent resident and do not have a Green Card, you may still be able to get money for your education. Contact the for questions.

IU Miller Loan for international ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s

Available to ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´s in the final year of their degree program, this loan offers up to $5,000 per semester (not to exceed $10,000 total) as determined by the OIS Scholarship Committee.

The Miller Loan has the following terms:

  • Interest rate is 5%
  • Repayment begins 9 months after ending studies
  • Repayment period will not exceed 10 years
  • Repayment will be in U.S. dollars

To be eligible for the Miller Loan, a ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ must:

  • Be an undergraduate, graduate, or professional ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´
  • Be in the final year of their degree program
  • Have a cumulative program GPA of at least 2.75
  • Be fully enrolled
  • Have an unmet need
  • Have exhausted all other possible funding options

This is an open application. As long as all the criteria are met, you may apply at any time.

Complete a “Need-based Assistance” application form through  (under “Insurance and Finances”) and select “yes” to the question “Would you accept a loan?”

Complete all sections of the form.

Please allow up to three weeks from the date you submit all information for the loan to be fully processed.
  • IU Bloomington

    Student Central

    408 N. Union Street Bloomington, IN 47405
    • 812-855-6500
  • Associate Director of Sponsored Student Services

    Daniel Whitmer

    Office of International Services Ferguson International Center 330 N. Eagleson Avenue Bloomington, IN 47405