College Money

[griser]

Not sure if this post should go here but I need sme help folks...

My Daughter is going to attend Mahidol universities international program. My question is this.

Is there any Grants or Financial assistance that can be gotten from the United States goverment for a Student abroad such as the PELL grant? Is the PELL grant available to oversea students? anyone know?

Any help would be vastly appreciated!!

Greg

[griser]

So no one has a clue eh? hehe... oh well.

Greg

[ChiangMaiThai]

I have some experience in this area. When I last checked about a year ago, no university in Thailand was a member of international schools who's students were eligible for financial aid from the US. However, if youa re motivated, you can contact Mahidol and request that they apply for eligibility. A uni like that should qualify no problem. They just haven't bothered to apply. You'd probably have to get all the paperwork for them and stay on top of it, but I imagine that they would be approved and she could then apply for aid.

Even then, Pell Grants are not available for Us students studying abroad. She will qualify for unsubsidized and subsidized stafford loans though.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I have some experience in this area. When I last checked about a year ago, no university in Thailand was a member of international schools who's students were eligible for financial aid from the US. However, if youa re motivated, you can contact Mahidol and request that they apply for eligibility. A uni like that should qualify no problem. They just haven't bothered to apply. You'd probably have to get all the paperwork for them and stay on top of it, but I imagine that they would be approved and she could then apply for aid.

Even then, Pell Grants are not available for Us students studying abroad. She will qualify for unsubsidized and subsidized stafford loans though.

There are a few American kids studying at Mahidol University, but I have no idea what basis they are there on. It might be worthwhile going to the Bang Plat Campus and look for farang students to talk to.

[caughtintheact]

A number of years ago, I researched this subject, and although I found a few scholarships being offered, they were for very specialized fields.  Perhaps your daughter would be able to locate one of these through some web research. 

I just came across the below link that indicates that the number of scholarships for studying abroad is increasing.  Perhaps this is a good starting point. 

Scholarships

IIE is working with campuses and US government and private sponsors to reduce the financial hurdles for study abroad, and to assist students in acquiring skills and experience in countries and areas of the world critical to the future security of our nation. The Fulbright Student Program, the U.S. government’s premier public diplomacy exchange program, which IIE has administered on behalf of the U.S. State Department for over 56 years, annually sends over 1,000 American students to over 140 countries around the world, providing funding for career-launching study or research abroad to be conducted after graduation from an accredited university.

I've asked my sister and brother-in law, both professors in the USA at different universities, if they know of any programs and will get back to you on it if they provide any relevant info.

Agree with ChiangMaiThai that your daughter will probably have to do the paperwork and get the University people to sign. I did this for post grad programs at Thammasat and Chula many years ago for the GI Bill.

You might also check with the U.S. Embassy as they may have knowledge of some programs, and possibly the American Chamber of Commerce. A google search for

scholarships u.s. students studying thailand

turned up 12,000 hits. I would be surprised if your answer was not in there.