According to a recent study by U.S. News & World Report, at least 776 U.S. colleges provide various degrees of financial assistance to their undergraduate students coming from abroad. With average financial aid packages of over $47,000 each, the top 10 schools were all private and located mostly in the northeastern United States. Although Tufts was not included on that list, the university's financial aid allocation and support policies for its close to 400 undergraduate international students have come a long way and are still progressing.
Consisting of a mentoring program and several panels, senior YunLuo'sTisch Scholars project tries to address these international students' particular issues. Out of the 91 international undergraduates on some sort of financial aid, 44 are awarded at least full tuition, with some also receiving additional aid, according to Patricia Reilly, director of financial aid and co?manager of Student Financial Services. Despite the Tufts grants, these students face unforeseeable expenses and inconveniences that aren't necessarily included in their financial aid.
A native of Shanghai, Luo recognized the need for incoming international students to build relationships with upperclassmen in similar situations. As a freshman, she benefited from the advice of older international students, who gave her the confidence to seek out resources from across the university's departments and organizations.
"I was concerned by the lack of events to support international students after International Orientation," Luo said. "What if they needed help afterward?"
She explained that international students on substantial scholarships encounter even more difficulties. For example, finances play a major role when these students make decisions about winter and summer recesses and if they can afford to travel back home. The income disparity puts certain constraints on their social activities as well.
"These students might not go to Boston that often because of the associated costs," Luo said. "By all means, they have to plan things way ahead."
Initially, Luo wanted to target just this subgroup of international students, but she has subsequently decided to open her panels to everyone. According to Luo, since the project's launch last fall, speakers, alumni and faculty have spoken on topics such as academics and career opportunities.
In a workshop with freshman students last month, Reilly answered questions about the university's financial aid policies and procedures.
"The students had a lot of really good questions specific to their population," Reilly said. "So it was great to have them all in one room ... hopefully, they got some useful information."
To complement the workshops, the mentoring program currently consists of 10 pairs of freshmen and upperclassmen. Luo has interviewed all of the interested participants to get an understanding of their background and expectations for the mentoring experience. After pairing them, she has let the direction and intensity of the mentor?mentee relationships work out naturally. At the same time, she is still looking for matches for a few students.
"Because of different interests, it's hard to find a match for everyone," Luo said. "Upperclassmen are often very busy and don't have an incentive to participate in the program."
Senior Jonah Kadoko signed up to be a mentor because of his own mentorship experiences freshman year. Initially, he found support in his friends in Zimbabwe, some Tufts faculty members and new friends from his extracurricular activities. He remembers meeting with one of his professors every Friday afternoon to discuss college life. As he adapted to American society, Kadoko's needs changed from year to year.
"In my first year, I needed more guidance in making financial and academic decisions," he said. "After my first year, I needed career guidance in searching for internships and jobs."
Luo's project tries to help international students with similar concerns. However, it's still uncertain how the mentoring program will be sustained after her graduation.
"The main question is where the budget will come from," Luo said. "Next year they might be able to lower the costs of the panels, but no one has fully committed to take over the mentoring program."
Currently co?sponsoring Luo's project, the International Center is a resource and a support system for international students. According to International Center Director Jane Etish?Andrews, Tufts didn't offer financial aid to international students until 1999. This changed due to student demand.
"At that time, students realized that Tufts needed to have international students on financial aid to enhance its diversity," Etish?Andrews said. "So they worked continuously with admissions and the deans ... and the university started to grant a few scholarships - three to four per year - to international students."
Etish?Andrews went on to say that originally, the financial aid only covered tuition, leaving room, board and personal expenses for the students to pay. As a result, the university generally attracted applicants who were a part of the upper?middle?class in their home countries. Realizing the importance of economic diversity within the international population, the university expanded its financial aid packages beyond tuition, Etish?Andrews said.
"Students from Africa especially benefited from the larger packages," she said. "If we didn't offer them more than just tuition, we would have lost them to other colleges."
As a result, the number of international students on financial aid has grown steadily for the past decade. According to data collected by the International Center for the Classes of 2012?2015, an average of 22 international students receive financial aid each year. Students from China, India and Bulgaria have gotten the largest number of scholarships.
With the amount of international financial aid increasing, Tufts remains sensible in regard to the types of aid provided. On one hand, because they aren't eligible for federal loans and because it's not reasonable to expect that they would be able to repay loans in U.S. dollars, international students don't have any student loans, Reilly said.
On the other hand, most international students on financial aid are enrolled in the Tufts work?study program, for which the Tufts budget pays 75 percent of their salaries, while the hiring department pays the rest.
"This program puts [international students] on an even plane with domestic work?study students in terms of the ability to find an on?campus job," Reilly said. "For many international students, this job is very important for covering living expenses."
The university has developed other ways to address important needs not covered by the financial aid package. For example, during the 60, 40, 20 Anniversary Celebration, Etish?Andrews announced the conversion of the Oliver Chapman Fund into a grant for undergraduate students who receive financial aid. This fund will assist such students with needs that can't be met by their financial aid packages, including bedding, winter clothing, laptops, emergency medical and dental costs and travel costs. The International Center is currently raising money for the fund.
Although many international students face challenges because of their financial situation, they tend to be active citizens on campus, according to Etish?Andrews. She explained that they have already proven their exceptional qualifications by getting these scholarships upon admission, but they continue to stand out academically and personally.
"They have been through a lot to get where they are ... and understand the importance of giving back," she said.
