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  Grinnell College
International Student Financial Aid Policy

Grinnell College has had a long history of providing financial assistance to international students (students not holding a U.S. passport or U.S. permanent residency card). In recent years the College has reconfirmed its commitment to providing affordable education to students around the world by offering additional scholarship opportunities to new international students.

Grinnell College endorses the philosophy that all students, regardless of their financial ability, should be able to pursue their studies at Grinnell if admitted. A full range of financial aid opportunities is available to international students. Admission to Grinnell is highly selective and the competition for financial aid is more competitive the greater the applicant's demonstrated financial need. The best students, who also maintain an active co-curricular involvement (sports, community service, music, theater, debate, student government, etc.), will be admitted regardless of financial circumstances.

The price to attend Grinnell College are as follows:

ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR 2007-2008
Tuition $33,910
Room and Board $ 8,030
Student Activities Fee $ 340
Health Fee$ 142
Travel Allowance and Health insurance$1,730
Books and Supplies$ 750
Personal Expenses$600
Total Estimated Cost of Attendance$ 45,502

Types of Financial Aid Available to International Students

1) Grants: Admitted international students who demonstrate financial need are eligible for financial assistance. Financial need is assessed by the Office of Student Financial Aid based on the information you and your family accurately and truthfully submit on the Student Application for Financial Aid.

2) International Merit Scholarships: Annually, a few admitted international applicants, who demonstrate exceptional scholastic abilities and leadership skills, are awarded Merit Scholarships. An applicant does not need to apply for financial aid or demonstrate financial need to be eligible for Merit Scholarships. Scholarship amounts vary. No additional applications, forms or essays are required to be eligible for Merit Scholarships.

3) Special Scholarships: Grinnell offers a limited number of extremely competitive comprehensive scholarships that will pay for the costs associated with attending Grinnell College (comprehensive fee of tuition, room, board, and fees, plus costs to cover insurance, books, and miscellaneous expenses) that the student and the student's family are unable to cover. These scholarships are reserved for students who are either a citizen of a country listed below, or a citizen of a country in the regions listed below:

  • Africa
  • Eastern and Central Europe (including those regions of the former Soviet Union)
  • Latin America
  • Middle East and Asia
  • Nepal
  • People's Republic of China

Regardless of citizenship:

  • Native Speaker of Russian (available every other year, will be offered again for 2009)

All of the above scholarships are renewable for three additional years of the student's studies at Grinnell College.

All applicants applying for financial aid must complete the International Student Application for Financial Aid which is sent with the Grinnell College Application for Admission or the Foreign Student Financial Aid Application form printed by the College Board. There are no additional forms required to complete for any of the three categories of financial aid listed above. The Admission Committee will automatically consider you for the scholarship if you are eligible.

EMPLOYMENT: On campus employment is available to students. Under the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) regulations, international students are permitted to work on campus (not to exceed more than 20 hours a week). During the academic year, a student can earn approximately $2,000 by working an average of 10 hours a week. We discourage students from working more than 10 hours a week because of the demanding course load at Grinnell College. Off campus employment is more difficult to obtain for international students due to immigration regulations restricting employment for non-US citizens.

LOANS: The College does offer some loans to international students. However, to be eligible for a loan, the College requires the student have a U.S. citizen as the co-signer who lives in the United States. A co-signer is someone who is willing to sign the loan agreement with you and is promising that, in the event you are unable or unwilling to pay the balance of the loan, the co-signer will be responsible for paying the loan. The maximum loan for each year is $4,000.

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