While the cost of attending universities in the United States may be high, school officials are planning ways to make attending U.S. schools more attractive and affordable to international students. At Brown University, international students are set to receive more than $8 million in aid this year. In a November 1, 2011, article in The Brown Daily Herald, Mathias Heller quoted Indu Voruganti, a student at the school. Voruganti said that need-blind admission (an admission policy in which the school does not consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission) for international students at the university will “make Brown a lot more attractive to international students," as overseas students depend largely on financial aid to attend Brown University.

The University of Pennsylvania will also expand financial aid opportunities for international students. Recently, the Undergraduate Assembly at the school voted to support efforts by the Assembly of International Students (AIS) to increase its financial aid. The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper quoted college senior and AIS President Florentina Dragulescu, who said, “‘AIS will contact international alumni for donations to kick-start the process.”

The experience of attending universities in the United States is often worth the financial cost. The Oklahoma Daily, the student newspaper for the University of Oklahmoa, quoted Julien Fontaine, a French graduate student in history, who said that “what justifies the high price of American universities is the student-teacher ratio, the services provided, sports, the library, the network and quality of equipment, and the buildings and general look of the campus.”

Sources:

• “Eyeing international students, U. ups aid,” The Brown Daily Herald
• “UA supports financial aid boost for international students,” The Daily Pennsylvanian
• “School funds shock some international students,” The Oklahoma Daily