Financing an MBA in the U.S.

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EduPASS, a site for prospective international students, is chock-full of advice and information on loan providers, including the Global Student Loan Corp., which offers international students loans without need of a co-signer in the U.S. Students may need co-signers from their home countries, however. For those not familiar with financial-aid and academic jargon, eduPASS has a comprehensive glossary to help decipher the vocabulary, defining words from "American" to "J-1 Visa."

For a more proactive advising experience, the U.S. State Dept.'s Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs has a "global network" called EducationUSA, developed to provide information and guidance to students seeking to study in the U.S. Its detailed Web site provides more than enough advice, even mapping out the step-by-step actions international students should take to apply for aid, from speaking with advisers in their home countries to seeking work-study employment in the U.S.

Offline Resources

Although databases provide a wealth of information for prospective international B-school students, certain language barriers and a lack of interpersonal communication can make merely searching the Web for financial aid time-consuming and confusing.

If a school's scholarship terms or financial-aid requirements are unclear, call the financial-aid office directly to inquire. Advisers at Michigan, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business all note that universities often reward qualified international students the same way they reward high-achieving domestic students—with scholarships.

For instance, at Chicago, international students can qualify for target-based awards aimed at students from developing or emerging economies, says Director of Admissions Rosemaria Martinelli. Opportunities and awards like this are worth checking into, even if they are extremely competitive; often, scholarship applicants who do not receive one scholarship will be entered into the pool for a different one.

EducationUSA also lists educational advising centers in most countries around the world, where international students can go for guidance about the application process and financing higher education in the U.S. The program even offers education fairs in different countries, to provide curious students with more information on studying in the U.S. Recent fairs were held in Toronto, China, Japan, South Korea, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and Africa, to name a few.

Whatever your research method for the hunt for financial aid, persistence is key. Keep searching for the best loan and scholarship programs to suit your needs, and use proactivity and organization to lead you to your final destination: a top B-school that provides an ample amount of financial support.

Pelzek is a BusinessWeek.com intern.