Financial Assistance for International Students

F-1 and J-1 students are required by law to provide evidence of financial support sufficient to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses for their degree program as a first step to be issued the immigration form I-20 or DS-2019. While the expectation is that the student will be financially capable of paying tuition and living in the U.S. on the funds demonstrated, the OIE is aware that financial circumstances can change. The information in this section of the website is intended to provide information on financial resources available to international students at Georgia Tech both at the time of admission or if you experience financial hardship and would like to consider different financial options to complete your degree at GT. Please review the information below and come speak to an international student advisor during walk-in hours if you have follow up questions.

On-Campus Employment

Traditional on campus employment will not cover the costs of tuition and living expenses.  On campus employment should be viewed as an opportunity for students to use existing skills, learn new skills and earn some money to supplement the funds that are already available to pay for tuition and living expenses. 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 students: Any F 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 is required, but you MUST be maintaining F-1 status and will need a letter from an advisor to get a SSN. F students can request an SSN letter in iStart using the SSN Letter Request for F-1 Students e-form.

J students: Any J 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.

  • J students must request authorization using the On-Campus Work Authorization in iStart and will be issued an SSN letter if they do not already have an SSN.

A great way to search for employment on campus is to utilize the Student Center employment resources. Please see their website on working at GT, including the Student Center Jobs Board and the Campus Jobs Board. Many international students also find success is work as a tutor for Student Athlete Services.

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.

Students do not pay tuition when they complete an international internship/co-op.

More information about Global Internships.

Georgia Tech Financial Aid Information

International students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid programs, and institutional scholarships administered by GT Financial Aid are often not awarded to international students due to donor requests. International graduate students should contact the Graduate Coordinator for their academic department to request information on available funding.

Privately funded loan programs are available to international students, but most require a co-signer who is a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a permanent U.S. address. The GT Financial Aid Office works with students to coordinate these loan programs. Please visit http://finaid.gatech.edu/loans/private for more information.

International students who have an unforeseen financial situation 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. 

The GT Office of Financial Aid also recommends these possible solutions:

  1. Work directly with the bursar's office if there is a small delay in payment (i.e. an international wire payment is taking longer than expected).
  2. Payroll deductions for graduate assistants
  3. Take advantage of the Bursar's payment plan. For more information, visit www.bursar.gatech.edu/content/georgia-tech-payment-plan.

OIE Scholarships and Financial Assistance Resources for International Students

Thanks to generous alumni and friends of Georgia Tech, there are some scholarships available to international students. Please see this link below for details about eligibility requirements and amounts. Applications are submitted in istart.gatech.edu. 

External Resources

"NAFSA is the world's largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education." The NAFSA website provides tools to search for scholarship and funding for international students with non-immigrant visas. While you should conduct your own search of resources available from NAFSA's website, please see the following websites in regarding to financing an education in the U.S.

Additional resources to include in your search of funding for international students studying in the U.S.:

Loans through U.S. Lending Institutions

Many U.S. lenders allow international students to receive loans from them, but these loans typically require a U.S. cosigner. If you will pursue this type of loan, please do your research to ensure that both you and your U.S. cosigner are aware of all benefits and restrictions.

International Student Emergency Funding through Private Donors

The purpose of the International Student Emergency Funding e-form is to 1) support student visa holders with one-time funding to attend conferences and 2) provide student visa holders with emergent, short-term financial need the opportunity to apply for funding available through various private donors. Students must be enrolled full-time at Georgia Tech for at least two semesters (fall and spring) before being eligible. In addition, this fund is set up to provide assistance for students who are inside the United States for the semester and who may not otherwise have resources as an international student studying away from their home country. Those who are on post-completion OPT but enrolled in courses are ineligible for funding from private donors. This e-form replaces the Anne Robinson Clough e-form, as it includes funding from other private donors. In the future, this application will open at the start of each academic year, and will close when all funds run out. Based on your responses, OIE staff will identify which funding you may be eligible for. Before proceeding with an International Student Emergency Funding request, we ask that you visit our website for a list of emergency funds to determine your application eligibility: https://isss.oie.gatech.edu/content/scholarships-and-financial-assistan…

This application allows you to apply for three types of funding. You may only submit one application per funding type. If you wish to apply for more than one funding type, please submit a separate application. Please note that, if you have already received Anne Clough funding, you are not eligible to request additional Anne Clough funding.

Funding Types:

1) One-time funding to attend conferences through the Anne Robinson Clough Fund

2) One-time funding for students with emergency need through the Anne Robinson Clough Fund

3) Short-term funding for students with emergency need through other private donors

STAR Services

Students’ Temporary Assistance and Resources (STAR) is an organization that provides stability for students to pursue a fulfilling college experience. It does this by facilitating collaboration between organizations offering student support and increasing campus awareness of these programs: Campus Closet, Klemis Kitchen, and Housing.

https://star.studentlife.gatech.edu/

H.U.B. Services

Home. Unity. Belonging. (H.U.B.) - The purpose of the newly created GT HUB is to provide support to students who have experienced foster care, are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. The program will assist students who do not have a "family" support system at Georgia Tech. Financial support, programs, and resources are intended to provide an inclusive and communal environment leading to increased retention and student success.    

https://parents.gatech.edu/resources/gt-hub

Out-of-Country Tuition Waiver for F-1 Students

Georgia Tech’s Office of International Education is able to administer out-of-country tuition waivers to current undergraduate and graduate students holding F-1 visas and experiencing unforeseen financial difficulties that could prevent students from reaching their academic goals.

Undergraduate and graduate out-of-country tuition waivers are awarded to a limited number of students who are able to demonstrate they are experiencing unexpected financial difficulties. The waiver is not a scholarship, but rather a way for students to continue their studies during short periods of financial stress. Therefore, this waiver should not be seen as a long-term solution to ongoing financial stress.

F-1 undergraduate and graduate students can use the links before to find more information. Both e-forms can be found under the Programs and Event menu when the applications are open. 

Undergraduate Out-of-Country Tuition Waiver

Graduate Out-of-Country Tuition Waiver

Tuition Waiver Timeline

AY 2024-25
SemesterApplication OpensApplication ClosesRecipients Notified
Fall 2024May 13 at 4:00 PM ETJune 10 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of July 8
Spring 2025October 7 at 4:00 PM ETNovember 4 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of December 9
Summer 2025February 3 at 4:00 PM ETMarch 3 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of April 7
AY 2025-26
SemesterApplication OpensApplication ClosesRecipients Notified
Fall 2025May 12 at 4:00 PM ETJune 9 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of July 14
Spring 2026October 6 at 4:00 PM ETNovember 3 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of December 8
Summer 2026February 2 at 4:00 PM ETMarch 2 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of April 6
AY 2026-27
SemesterApplication OpensApplication ClosesRecipients Notified
Fall 2026May 11 at 4:00 PM ETJune 8 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of July 13
Spring 2027October 5 at 4:00 PM ETNovember 2 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of December 7
Summer 2027February 1 at 4:00 PM ETMarch 1 at 4:00 PM ETWeek of April 5

U.S. Government Programs

Off-Campus Employment Authorization Based on Economic Hardship
(available only to F 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.

This authorization is granted through USCIS and takes an average of three months to process. Off-Campus Employment Authorization Based on Economic Hardship should not be considered a quick alternative, but rather should be part of a long-term plan to complete your degree.

For more information, please speak with an International Student Advisor.

Special Student Relief (SSR)

What is Special Student Relief?

The Special Student Relief (SSR) program is a government benefit that permits F-1 students to work off-campus, without impacting Practical training eligibility. The eligibility requirements are determined by world events and natural disasters, which then leads to economic hardship on the F-1 student. 

Who is eligible? 

Certain F-1 student nationalities are considered eligible for the SSR through Federal Register Notices. To be considered, you must already be maintaining F-1 status when these announcements are made. As this list is updated regularly, for information about if your country is eligible to apply, reference this link (https://www.ice.gov/sevis/whats-new) under “Special Student Relief”.

Extra resources

For detailed information about SSR eligibility and benefits, reference these links: 

To obtain OIE advising support on next steps, feel free to stop by drop-in advising to speak with an advisor.