Stiven

Thanks, TakeruK! I'll definitely look into that.

I had no idea about startup loans. That'd be a huge lifesaver. But would it be inappropriate to ask the school if they offer these kinds of loans before accepting the offer? Or better yet - before choosing to apply to that school? If this (unfortunately) proves to be a deal breaker.

Thanks, ppl! This sounds promising, if the money is deposited before the term begins. Is this also the case with assistantships, or you get a paycheck at the end of the month after the term starts?

Hey guys, I'm an international student thinking about applying next year, but before I start the application process, I need to figure out if I can pay for it all. I'm not very familiar with how everything works in the US, so I apologize in advance if my questions are tedious. 1) Approximately, what would be the total cost of applying to, say, 5 PhD programs? Tests, applications fees, etc. 2) How much money would I need for initial expenses? Considering my financial situation, I'd be applying only to fully funded programs (no tuition, living expenses covered, with assistantships...), but I have no idea when do these funds become available? How long will I have to depend on my own savings? Besides the plane ticket, I guess I'd need money for a housing deposit, living expenses, etc. I know all of this depends on a location/program, but it'd help me so much if I had an approximate total amount in my head before even contemplating applying to PhD programs. I'd like to thank you all so much in advance! It has been really informative reading your posts these past few weeks. I'm so glad I found this forum.