You’re a high school student. You don’t want to go to university in your homeland, but neither you nor your parents have sufficient savings to fund your studies abroad. For that reason, you will stay in one of the university towns in your country and study there. A big mistake! A free college degree from abroad is not an illusion, and by free I not only mean free tuition, but also free housing, health insurance and perhaps some pocket money. Interested? Keep reading.
1. New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, UAE
Of course I am biased because this is the institution where I obtained my college degree, but let me lay down some facts for you. The university offers 22 majors and currently has about 800 students from over 100 countries. The vast majority of them receive a competitive scholarship, the only exception being a few local students who are eligible for other forms of funding. So what does a typical financial aid package include? Full tuition and fees, housing in a modern student residence hall, where lower classmen share rooms and upperclassmen get their own rooms, an international health insurance, 3 meals per day in a university cafeteria, two return tickets home per year so that you can spend Christmas with your grandma and summer with your friends, and fantastic study abroad opportunities. NYU is a so-called global network university with 14 campuses around the globe. As an NYU Abu Dhabi student you will be able to spend two full semesters at one or two of these sites. In addition, you will have unlimited access to a modern gym, Olympic pool, different sports and numerous student interest groups (SIGs). You will experience all of this in a cosmopolitan city which became a modern metropolis while maintaining Islam at the core of the local culture. Women here do not wear headscarves, are able to drive and walk around freely by themselves or accompanied at any time of the day. Upon completion of your studies, you will receive an NYU degree, which is identical to the one a student at NYU in New York would be awarded. This piece of paper will open many doors for you, trust me. As you now start to google the name of the university, do not let the statistics turn you away from applying. It’s true that only a few percent of the applicants get admitted, but still about 300 make it every year, so why wouldn’t you?
2. Yale – National University of Singapore (Yale – NUS), Singapore
Similar to NYU Abu Dhabi, this is a relatively new university which offers many opportunities for personal and professional development. If you want to experience life in this tiny but technologically advanced country in Southeast Asia, this school will surely grab your attention. There are 14 majors offered and about 40 % of students come from abroad. At the website, the university claims that your financial situation is not taken into consideration during the admissions process. Many scholarships are available, either merit- or need-based, but the overall goal of the institution is to offer high quality education to all talented students without forcing them into debt. Did I already mention that you will have the opportunity to spend some time at Yale University in the US? Yale-NUS also has a fairly low acceptance rate, but if you are from a small country, you will be treated as an exotic species. This is your great advantage, so make use of it!
3. Education City, Doha, Qatar
This is not a single university but a conjunction of several, mostly American institutions: Virginia Commonwealth University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Northwestern University. Now, you have to do your homework and check if any of these offer undergraduate programs that you are interested in. In terms of financial aid, you can apply for a full package after you get accepted, but whatever amount you get will be considered as a loan. This means that you have to repay your scholarship after graduation or seek employment at one of the approved companies in Qatar and pay monthly installments. The state of Qatar clearly wants to keep the people educated there in the country and actively involves them in the workforce.
Of course, this list is not complete. Many Australian universities offer attractive funding packages for undergraduate students, but these may not cover living expenses. You may want to try this website:
www.scholars4dev.com. Germany is also quite generous with scholarships and there are different schemes available depending on your country of origin. You can find different options for you at
www.daad.de/en. Despite the title of this article, don’t forget that your own country may also offer scholarships for studying abroad. Good luck!
