Graduate Aid at Stanford

Considerations for International Students

Stanford is committed to a welcoming and supportive environment for all students, faculty, staff and scholars, and it provides services and support to them without regard to their immigration status, religion, nationality, ethnicity or other characteristics.

International students are not eligible for student loans from Stanford or from U.S. government agencies.  As an international student, you are eligible for assistantships and fellowships from your department but may face additional work hour restrictions based on your visa status.

There are private student loan options available in some situations.  Many private loan providers will lend to international students if you have a US citizen who is willing to be your cosigner.  A cosigner is someone willing to act as a co-applicant and be legally responsible for the loan if you end up missing payments.  Eligibility is based on the credit-worthiness of the cosigner.  Additionally, there are a few options available for students without a cosigner or any credit history:  MPower Financing and Prodigy Finance.

All Stanford graduate students are eligible for the Stanford Support Programs offered by the University.  Although these programs cannot serve as primary support for standard student expenses, they are available as supplemental support for those dealing with challenging financial situations.

Updated on May 18, 2021 2:19 PM