Sources of Financial Help

Besides getting support from your family, you can also look at scholarships, financial aids and student loans to see you through university.

In US, most students will receive some form of financial aid based upon their grades, areas of interest, athletic abilities as well as their socio-economic background.

If you are studying in US, you can also work for a maximum of 20 hours a week on campus. In places like UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, you can also work part time with your student visa. However, you may need to apply for an immigration clearance. In some universities, the International Students' Department  may be able to give you directions on how  to apply for this clearance in order to help you with your finances.

Many banks will also be willing to give you a student loan. However, it is unwise to apply for too big a loan and then having to spend the next 10 years paying back the loan.

I know of a parent who has guaranteed a $150,000 loan for his son for a medical degree. Half way through the course however, his son found that being a doctor is not what he wants to do. But he can no longer back out of his course because of the huge loan that he has taken. Thus, he is forced to spend the next 10 years working in a job that he dislike because he has taken this big loan. Ten years is too long a time to be so miserable!

If you have no other alternatives, just take a small loan. But my advice is always for you to work at other options first.