MS Advice - Financial aid

Financial aid is one of the most important steps in your application
process. Studying in USA is getting cheaper and cheaper every year. So
if you do not come from a very sound financial background, you need not
worry!!! Here are a few options for aid.

You may find other sources as
well, these are the common ones:

1. You are rich enough and do not care enough for any kind of aid. You are the lucky one!!! Go and enjoy yourself.

2.
You might get a research assistantship from one of the professors in
the university. Usually research assistantships are not controlled by
University, but by professor's research funding. Look for a professor
who is doing research in your area, and send an email with your resume
and your experience. It helps if you have already published papers or
holding patents etc. Many professors insist that you take a course with him/her, and may like to interview you before agreeing to take you as his/her assistant.

3. You might get a Teaching Assistantship (TA). There are a few options here:

- You might get a TAship with fee waiver and stipend.

- Some universities have positions like half TA. Difference is in the remuneration,  but you generally will not be as affluent as a TA with fee waiver, but can get great experience.

4. You may go for an education
loan. Many banks in India offer education loans based on security given
by property, savings etc. But if you are from an agricultarel family,
banks may not give education loans based on agriculteral land (as of
now). So please prepare other security to show to your bank for loan.
But education loan will not completely cover your expenses in most
universities - you will most probably need other sources also.

5. Personal and family funds. If your parents or yourself have enough savings, you might use it.

6.
USA Bank loan. You might take a loan from a bank in USA. Usually this
requires a co-signee in USA - somebody who knows you well. If you have
close relatives living in USA, this might help. Because loans sometimes
are of low interest in USA and can work out cheaper. But be careful and
calculate the interest and repayment period etc before getting into an
education loan.

7. Partial funding from your university - it
might offer fee waiver or a limited scholarship. Most of the
scholarships are limited to USA citizens, but fee waiver is quite
possible at many places.

University in focus today:
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg

Pros: Reputation , Good faculty. Do NOT worry about the shooting incident, Go for it!!!
Cons: High cost
Rankings: Computer Science - tier 2