No matter where you're from or who are, many things in life come down to a few basic things. And one of those things (unfortunately) is money. Many of you ask me about scholarships and funding for your U.S. education and it's always a hard question to answer, even if you're not an international student. But sometimes the best starting point for research is to look at what other people are doing, how are they paying for school? According to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report,

"more than 60% of all international students receive the majority of their funds from personal and family sources. When other sources of foreign funding are included, such as assistance from their home country governments or universities, almost 70% of all international students' primary funding comes from sources outside of the United States."

Even if this data does not give you the all-encompassing answer to your question, it does give you a starting point: your home country. Whether it be your parents, your government, organization, etc. starting with your local resources might give you the most success. For more detailed information on funding your U.S. education, Study in the USA has a list of resources here. NAFSA: Association for International Educators also provides great information on financial aid, budgeting the cost of attendance (they have budget worksheet) and funding sources. You can find the information here.

Jennifer Privette is an Editor and Assistant Publisher of StudyUSA.com. She received her bachelor's degree in Journalism from Seattle University. She has written for Investigate West and interned for PBS's NewsHour. Her experience and love of the written word have happily brought her to Study in the USA ®. When she's not pounding the keyboard, she's cooking and traveling the globe.