This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Today, in part twelve of our Foreign Student Series, the subjectis financial aid. This is an area to consider when you first beginto explore the idea of studying at a college or university in theUnited States.

Most of the students who come to America pay for their educationwith their own money or with money from their family. The groupNAFSA: Association of International Educators says this is true ofeighty-one percent of students.

That is because not much financial aid is offered to foreignstudents in the United States. Foreign graduate students have morechances than undergraduates do. Still, forty-seven percent offoreign graduate students pay for their studies with their own moneyor their family's money.

Most financial aid from government and private groups isrestricted to American citizens. Some countries provide aid fortheir citizens to study in the United States, on the guarantee thatthey return home to work.

The United States government provides aid for students from somecountries. You can ask for details at an American Embassy or anoffice of the United States Agency for International Development. Alocal university may also have such information.

And some American schools do provide financial aid to foreignstudents. A list of these can be found at a useful Web site. Thissite also provides information about where to write for financialhelp. And it warns foreign students not to pay if any money isrequested for scholarship application forms. You could be cheated.The address is edupass.org. That's e-d-u-p-a-s-s-dot-o-r-g.

The site also tells how to order publications such as "Fundingfor U.S. Study -- A Guide for International Students andProfessionals." This guide lists more than six hundred places whereinternational students can get help paying for their studies. Again,the site is edupass.org.

A lot of information about financial aid can be found on theInternet. If you do not have a computer, you might be able to useone at a local school or an educational advising center.

Another useful site for students is operated by the StateDepartment. That address is educationusa.state.gov. Our ForeignStudent Series continues next week. You can find the reports onlineat voaspecialenglish dot com.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. This is Gwen Outen.