Rising tuition and fees have made it hard for many students on campus to afford an education at the University, but it is becoming even more difficult for international students to attend and complete their studies here. Many students rely on scholarships, grants and loans to fill the gaps and finance their education, but these financial aid resources are limited on campus and tough to secure.
Some non-resident students, who requested to remain anonymous because they feared they would lose their financial aid for speaking to the Emerald, said it is hard to find the necessary funds to continue their education.
A sophomore from West Virginia said: “It’s frustrating trying to find alternative funding from the University other than loans because the options for non-resident undergraduates seem to be so limited.
“Even with an excellent GPA and demonstration of financial need, I have received very little financial aid,” she said.
An international student from Kenya said he’s “barely hanging in there to gain my undergraduate degree.”
“Being from Kenya, the exchange rate for one American dollar is eighty shillings,” he said. “I have been depending on scholarships, bursaries, grants, loans and sometimes a miracle to help me get through college. It’s a lot of pressure, and it’s devastating at times.”
Tuition and fees for non-residents were $13,845 for the 2000-01 academic year. They will be $14,493 for the upcoming school year.
University non-resident tuition costs are the most expensive for public universities in Oregon and rank fourth in the western United States, according to data provided by the Oregon University System.
“All of the schools in the OUS have concern about the rate of tuition increase for non-resident students in recent years,” said OUS spokesman Bob Bruce. “Higher increases tend to price out students, both continuing and prospective.”
Additional statistics provided by the University Division of Enrollment Services showed that non-resident tuition has increased more than resident rates each year since 1989, other than 1991 and 1996.
“The difference between tuition costs of resident undergraduates and non-resident undergraduates are reflections of the level of support provided by the state of Oregon,” said Jim Buch, the associate vice president of enrollment services. “Instruction fees are similar with the three largest Oregon universities; the factors that make the University to be the most expensive are additional fees such as incidental, recreation center and technology fees.”
Buch believes that tuition prices are where they should be.
“Since 1995, the tuition rates have been increasing at a reasonably modest rate similar to the rate of inflation,” Buch said.
Financial resources and stability are crucial, said Tom Mills, director of the Office of International Programs, formerly known as the Office of International Education & Exchange (OIEE).
“Students must ensure their finances and also plan on some inflation,” Mills said. “We want to help the students as much as we can, so they should come see us.”
The UO Student Loan Program is one of the options for financial aid resources on campus. Repayment for the loan commences immediately on a monthly basis. There is a 10 percent annual interest rate and a continuous $10 billing charge. Minimum costs per month for attending students are between $20 and $60, depending on the amount of the loan. As soon as the student departs from the University, the amount increases. For example, a loan balance of $20,000 would require monthly installments of at least $275 for 10 years.
“This program was never intended to be a way for students to finance an entire course of study,” said Donna Newton, a student loan manager. “It is intended rather as a ‘backup’ to cover emergency situations causing shortfalls in a student’s funding.”
Newton advised all students, especially international students, to secure their funding and to make every effort to borrow as little from student loans as possible.
“The result has been too many very high-balance loans that the UO must collect; loans that have not always been to the best advantage of either the UO or the student,” said Newton.
Newton also said University loans will not be as easily accessible as in previous years.
“We are in the process of reviewing the eligibility requirements for UO loans; it is expected that we will be instituting more stringent guidelines for issuing these loans because we are returning to the original intent where loans are provided to students nearing completion of their degree programs,” Newton said.
But for international students, there are other financial aid resources available on campus.
The OIP administers both loans and scholarships varying from $200 to $3,000. It also offers the International Work-Study scholarship ranging from $500 to $1,800, but candidates must apply during spring term a year in advance to be approved for their enrollment year. The International Cultural Service Program (ICSP) Tuition Scholarships offer a $6,000 tuition waiver to selected candidates.
But according to Sayo Fukakusa, a former ICSP student, undergraduate international students have less potential to receive financial aid than graduates.
“Priority is given to students nearing their graduation,” Fukakusa said. “The OIP, however, does grant some scholarships to undergraduates, such as the Ghent, Pressman and Tattersall awards.”
Outside the OIP are departmental awards that are also available in variable amounts. There are several University scholarships mainly available to entering freshmen. Out-of-state and international students can apply for these and other applicable scholarships from the University Office of Financial Aid. For example, there is the General University Scholarship or the Federal Aid Program for which the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filed.
According to the Office of Financial Aid, students must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens to qualify for the Federal Aid Program. International students with an alien registration number beginning with “A” are considered eligible non-citizens and are entitled to apply for the program.
Employment is another funding option. Out-of-state students can be granted federal work-study status, but international students can apply for work-study scholarships only during the academic year.
If international students want to work during the summer term, there are a few options depending on what visa a foreign student has.
Non work-study jobs are available on campus, and students with an F-1 visa status can apply for the “curricular practical training” option to attend an internship related to their major. Students with J-1 visas must consult with an OIP adviser.
Off-campus work is applicable only if a drastic change occurs with a foreign student’s financial situation. He or she can request for “severe economic hardship” or “special student relief” through the OIP. There is also the option to have a prospective employer petition for a work visa (H-1) on the student’s behalf. Petitioning for work visas, however, requires an Immigration and Naturalization Service lawyer consultation plus substantial fees.
“Emergency loans are available at our office,” said Cynthia Stenger, an OIP adviser. “If students need to work off-campus, it involves the INS, and so we recommend that they come see us.”
Commercial banks such as Citibank offer student loan programs to non-resident students. One of the eligibility requirements is that the student has a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen.
Additional local, state and national scholarship information is available at the Office of Financial Aid, including scholarship Web sites such as fastweb.com, studentawards.com and winscholarships.com.
Director of Student Financial Aid Elizabeth Bickford said there may be limited aid because of limited resources on campus.
“This office is o
nly one resource,” she said. “Our office encourages students to look at other financial aid opportunities such as departmental scholarships and online scholarship searches.”