The supreme attraction for African students to the United States is – you guessed it – money. The United States is the only country whose universities award funding on a significant scale without government intervention. Canadian, Australian, and British education may be less expensive, but many African students cannot afford to pay even the lower costs of tuition in these countries where scholarships are rare. Those who don’t have wealthy (and generous) uncles have no choice but to gear up for the challenge of admission with funding at U.S. institutions, which can be five to ten times more competitive than admission without funding. It’s tricky for international students to grasp the concept of need-based, partial financial aid, but the neediest students catch on fast.
