Study Abroad - What are the sources of funding?

Scholarships is another better option for students seeking to pursue their higher education in US. There are a wide variety of scholarships that are available to indian as well as international students. 

There are different varieties of scholarships. You have to find out regarding which is the best applicable scholarship that suits your needs. 

So before flying for US for your higher education, do check for the scholarships that are being offered.

State Bank of India, Bank of India, Andhara Bank, Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank and many other banks have educational loan schemes which extend from schooling to research. The amount differs according to the course. Banks give a loan for studying abroad which is as high as Rs. 10 lakhs.

These loans are subject to many terms and conditions. Apart from being only a partial loan - at least 25% of the total course expenditure is to be paid by the parents of the student. The candidate has to provide security for the loan he gets. It can be in the form of a house mortgage, NSE shares or insurance policy. Security for a loan of upto Rs. 25,000 is nil but for a loan of over Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 3 lakhs, it is 100%. For a loan of Rs. 3 lakhs to Rs. 5 Lakhs, the security to be provided is 150 % and it is 200% for a loan of over Rs. 5 lakhs.

However the banks do not give these loans to anyone who applies for them. The first condition is that admission should be confirmed. Secondly, loans are not given for correspondence courses. And thirdly, the past academic record of the loan seeker should also be satisfactory. Anyone who fulfills these conditions is eligible for an educational loan which covers course fees, hostel fees, cost of books, equipment, and one way fare to the place of study if the parents of the candidate do not live there.

Repayment has to start 6 months after the completion of the course or if the person gets a job immediately after completing the course, one-month after getting the job. The maximum time given for the repayment is 15 years counted from the date of the first disbursement.

These are the best alternative for students applying to the MBA program. One thing to keep in mind when applying for loans is that, in most cases, you need to have a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The co-signer is responsible for paying back the loan if you should default on it.

There are some banks that waive the co-signer requirement for specific schools.  You should check this information from the school website.

As an example, Citibank provides loans to international students admitted to Harvard Business School without a co-signer.  Another example is Bank of America providing loans without a co-signer to students at Kenan-Flagler, University of North Carolina (at the time of writing this, the CEO of Bank of America is an alumnus of Kenan-Flagler School of Management).  

The terms of the loans usually require any interest or principal payments after graduation. Read the terms of any and all loans before you sign. Make sure you understand those terms and what your repayment schedule and fees entail. Ask for assistance in interpreting the fine print if you are having trouble understanding it.