Financial Assistance for International Students

On-Campus Employment

Any job on campus that is paid by Georgia Tech or by a firm that provides services for Georgia Tech students (e.g., a job at a restaurant in the Student Center, or at the Barnes & Noble @ Georgia Tech Bookstore) is considered to be on-campus employment.

F-1 students: Any F-1 student in good standing is eligible to work on campus part-time (up to 20 hours/week) while school is in session, or full-time (more than 20 hours/week) over school breaks and summer vacation

  • No formal authorization procedure, but you MUST be maintaining F-1 status and will need a letter from an advisor to get a SSN

J-1 students:Any J-1 student in good standing is eligible to work on campus part-time (up to 20 hours/week) while school is in session, or full-time (more than 20 hours/week) over school breaks and summer vacation

  • Requires approval in writing from OIE or the student’s sponsoring institution

International Internship/Co-op

An international internship or co-op provides students the opportunity to gain experience in their field, determines if they have an interest in a particular career, exposure to cross cultural communication and learning, and academic credit through an international work assignment. An internship may be paid, unpaid or partially paid (in the form of a stipend). The duration can be from 10 weeks to one year.

Find more information at

Study Abroad @Georgia Tech

Studying abroad with Georgia Tech can sometimes be a good option for international students because many exchange programs allow you to pay in-state instead of out-of-state tuition. Therefore, studying abroad can sometimes be cheaper than staying in Atlanta. This may be a great way to have a wonderful experience in a third country as well as save up for future semester.

Find more information about GT’s study abroad programs at

Off-Campus Employment Authorization Based on Economic Hardship

(available only to F-1 Students)

Under certain circumstances, an F-1 student may apply for “off-campus employment based on economic hardship.” Conditions creating this economic hardship include loss of financial aid or on-campus employment without fault of the student, unexpected changes in the financial condition of the student’s source of support, substantial fluctuations in the value of currency or exchange rate, and medical bills or other substantial and unexpected expenses. The above circumstances must be documented.

For more information, please see the OIE Economic Hardship Handout or speak with an International Student Advisor

Out-of-State Tuition Waiver for Undergraduate Students

(available only to F-1 Students)

The purpose of the waiver is to offset the cost of tuition for undergraduate international students experiencing financial difficulties that are unexpected or out of the student's control. A waiver will be awarded on a short term basis (max. 2-3 semesters), with exceptions made on a case by case basis. The waiver is not a scholarship, but rather an option for students to continue their studies during periods of financial stress.

Deadlines:

Spring semester : 4.30pm, third Friday of October
Summer semester : 4.30pm, last Friday of March
Fall semester : 4.30pm, first Friday of July

Undergraduate students interested in applying for the waiver must complete an electronic application in iStart (istart.gatech.edu). Applications become available one month prior to the deadline. Please note that the application process is very competitive as the OIE has a limited number of waivers to distribute each semester.

Georgia Tech Financial Aid Information

International students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid programs. Institutional scholarships administered by GA Tech Financial Aid are not awarded to international students. International graduate students should contact the Graduate Coordinator for their academic department to inquire about funding.

A variety of privately funded loan programs are available to international students. Most require a cosigner who is a creditworthy individual who is a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident and has a permanent U.S. address. The Financial AidOffice works with students to coordinate these loan programs. Please visit for more information.

International students may be eligible for the Emergency Tuition Loan administered by the Office of Financial Aid at the beginning of each semester. These loans are available on a first come, first-served basis. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Other recommendations from the Office of Financial aid include: 1) Work with the bursar’s office if there is a small delay in payment (ie an international wire payment is taking longer than expected), 2) Payroll deductions for graduate assistants 3) Use of the GA Tech payment plan. For more information on the payment plan visit

Scholarships and Financial Assistance Resources for International Students

NAFSA

“NAFSA is the world's largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education.” The NAFSA website provides tools to search for scholarships and funding for international students with non-immigrant visas (F-1, J-1, etc.).

Scholarships

King Faisal Foundation Scholarship Program

“Since 1981, KFF began awarding scholarships to outstanding Muslim students to undertake their postgraduate studies in science, medicine and engineering. KFF Scholarships were tenable at all prestigious European, American and Canadian universities, as well as universities in New Zealand, Australia, and other industrially advanced countries.

The program’s objective was to raise the social and economic standards of Muslim countries by providing higher educational opportunities to those who would positively contribute to the advancement of their societies.”

Fulbright Program for Foreign Students

“A mainstay of America’s public-diplomacy efforts, theFulbright Foreign Student Program brings citizens of other countries to the United States for Master’s degree or Ph.D. study at U.S. universities or other appropriate institutions. The program has brought some of the world’s finest minds to U.S. campuses and offers program participants’ insight into U.S. society and values.
Many foreign Fulbright grantees are early-career professionals who will return to take leadership positions in their home countries, often working at universities or in government service.
More than 1,800 new Foreign Fulbright Fellows enter U.S. academic programs each year. Foreign students apply for Fulbright Fellowships through the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy in their home countries. The Institute of International Education (IIE) arranges academic placement for most Fulbright nominees and supervises participants during their stay in the United States.”

American Association of University Women

“The American Association of University Women Educational Foundation has a long and distinguished history of advancing educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe. One of the world's largest sources of funding for graduate women, the Educational Foundation provided more than 250 fellowships, grants, and special awards to outstanding women in the 2007-08 academic years.”

Chinese Scholarship Council

“The objective of the CSC is to provide…financial assistance to the Chinese citizens wishing to study abroad and to the foreign citizens wishing to study in China in order to develop the educational, scientific and technological, and cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between China and other countries, to strengthen the friendship and understanding between Chinese people and the people of all other countries, and to promote world peace and the socialist modernization drive in China.

The main tasks of the China Scholarship Council are to deal with applications of Chinese scholars for studying abroad on the China Scholarship programs, organize assessments by experts, formulate relevant regulations and guidelines, provide guidance to the designated local offices working with the CSC, and provide consultative services to assist CSC-sponsored scholars in making contact with foreign institutions.
CSC sponsors about 3000 Chinese citizens annually to undertake studies or research in more than 80 countries or regions.”

InternationalPeaceScholarship(I.P.S.)

The InternationalPeaceScholarship(I.P.S.) is sponsored by a nonprofit organization called P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) and provides an opportunity for substantial financial support forinternationalfemale graduate or PhD students.True to the mission of promoting educational opportunities for women, education continues to be the primary philanthropy of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. In fact, the P.E.O. Sisterhood proudly sponsors no less than six international philanthropies, or projects, designed to assist women with their educational goals.