Funding PhD Overseas

[meagen123]

So, just got accepted to an AWESOME program in French at University College London and it's my number one top choice. I applied for every scholarship I could before the string of deadlines that seem to creep up in early February. I keep looking at their website, as if there's going to be any new information magically posted when, in fact, I know nothing.

Does anybody have any experience trying to fund a PhD overseas or have a friend that was able to avoid taking out the $30,000/yr in loans that it would require? If you know anything about the scholarships at UCL, that'd be great, too - i.e. when do they usually notify people and do they have a reputation for being stingy with funding?

If anybody could drop some knowledge on this it would be much appreciated!

[gurlsaved]

I have two friends going to Univ of Edinburgh from the U.S. It seems that the UK does not give funding for internationals..according to them and so scholarships are the only way to go. UK or EU citizens hardly pay anything (if anything at all) while internationals will pay upwards to 20,000 pounds a year. If you love this school and connect well with professors, then it might be worth it because you might be able to get a tutoring assistantship if you connect well with your professor. It is a gamble but worth it if this is the place you absolutely want to be. GL.

[kaguyahime]

Just wondering, have you already checked to see if you can get loans for overseas study?

All of the DOE loans, like Stafford, seem to only be available if one is attending a university in the US.

As far as fellowship applications go, it's likely you've passed all of the deadlines.

You say that you've looked at the UCL website but have you actually contacted their financial aid (or whatever it's called there) office?

The people in those offices are usually very helpful and may be able to point you towards some funding...

[Spriteling]

^ That is completely untrue. I did my undergraduate at Edinburgh and I was able to get Stafford loans. Most schools in the UK are approved for the direct loan thingy that US government does.

On the real topic: Funding for an international student for PhDs in the UK is very rare. You have to be a very very top student, and get one of the few research scholarships available by the uni (most seem to offer 2 or 3 fully funded international places). I think it may even be harder if you're not a science student, as most of the scholarships for which I applied seemed to be offered by the College of Science and Engineering at various schools.

I wish you luck, though!