One of the issues that future students around the world are generally concerned about is money. As tuition fees in many countries are still rising and government-sponsored grants are still decreasing, getting enough funds and managing debts are often the biggest obstacles for students who want to continue their studies.

First of all, just to solve the problem, the cost of postgraduate entrance examination may be unbearable. Depending on your location and your situation, you may need to consider some or all of the following expenses: tuition, semester fees, student service fees, course materials fees, food, travel, accommodation, visa and health insurance fees, child care and personal expenses. For some people, there is another "opportunity cost" to be calculated, that is, the time cost spent on professional rest.

Good news? Although in many cases, the cost is higher than ever before, leading universities and national governments are paying attention to ways to increase funding opportunities and their accessibility.

The source of graduate financial aid suggests that you should start looking for graduate financial aid opportunities when you apply for a university or even before, because these two processes usually require very similar applications. Generally speaking, if you start school in the autumn of the same year, you need to submit a funding application before the spring.

Graduate students can get many types of financial aid: achievement-based, demand-based, blind demand-based, university-specific, course-specific, discipline-specific, occupation-specific, population-specific, country-specific, ability-specific and non-specific ... The following are the most common classifications of financial aid for graduate students in the world.

Home and host governments should first seek funding opportunities from the Ministry of Education/Ministry of Education of your home country and host country. International students may not be eligible to participate in all government-funded projects in your country, so it is very important to thoroughly check the opportunities in your country first.

Typical government grants include sponsorship, loans, grants, scholarships (also known as doctoral scholarships in Britain) and grants. Each grant has different regulations on qualifications, duration, application procedures and grant amount.

Universities and institutions of higher education (HEI) Many universities and other institutions of higher education provide some form of financial assistance to international students, whether it is scholarships, grants, awards or grants. These are allocated according to needs, academic achievements or both. Funding information is usually available online-check the scholarship or international section of the university website.

Apply for as many plans as possible, but remember to check the standards carefully to ensure that you meet the requirements. Be sure to highlight your strengths and any extraordinary achievements. Applicants for postgraduate entrance examination should also pay attention to any research projects, academic activities, papers or conferences they participate in and discuss future research plans.

? Scholarships Scholarships are prestigious and coveted, and are usually the most difficult form of financial assistance. They don't have to repay and pay all or part of their tuition fees, sometimes including part of their living expenses. Scholarships are usually based only on academic performance, but there are also many scholarships for students with specific backgrounds, interests, skills or ambitions. For example, sports scholarships for sports talents are particularly common in the United States, and you can apply without taking sports-related courses. Find scholarships by country and discipline here.

? Teaching and research grants (also known as grants in the United States) provide funds for graduate students in exchange for their time in teaching or research positions. They may be funded by the research budget of the university department or your tutor, or they may be funded by external funding institutions with vested interests in specific development fields. It is rarely provided for professional degrees such as JD, MBA or MD, and is usually a requirement of doctoral programs. Especially in STEM disciplines, grants are cost-effective for universities and provide students with valuable teaching and/or research experience.

Students who receive grants are obliged to carry out specific teaching and/or research activities stipulated in the contract. In return, you will usually get a medium salary and/or free tuition. Some universities may also provide funds for field trips and conferences. When working in this capacity, please make sure that you are not restricted by a student visa, which may specify some employment restrictions.

Charities, trusts, academic groups and special interest groups often use part of their budgets to fund graduate studies. Although some organizations pay attention to the demographic data of specific and ethnic minorities, many organizations pay attention to students from low-income backgrounds, students with special financial difficulties and/or students with obvious academic achievements. Usually awarded for one year at a time, it can be renewed, and students can get support from multiple organizations.

When applying for a fund, please pay attention to anything that makes you special. The key points to be emphasized include: the relevance and potential future application of your research; Any way in which your interests and/or background are consistent with the funding agency; Any disadvantages or challenges you face, and your motivation and potential for success.

? Employer's contribution If you start graduate school after working for a period of time, you can persuade your employer to sponsor your studies. Most companies support employee training and development, and may even reserve a budget for the personal and professional development (PPD) of employees. Professionals who need continuing education to be fully qualified include accountants, architects, engineers, social workers, lawyers and teachers.

If you show that your goal is to improve your ability in the workplace, improve your career prospects and/or help you develop in the company for a long time, instead of just indulging in your academic or personal interests, your employer will accept your request more easily. If you do use this route, you may need to sign an agreement to connect you with the company within a certain period of time after graduation (usually one to two years).

? The repayment rate of special student loans and career development loans is usually lower than that of ordinary loans. Although graduate school is very common in North America, it is more difficult to get it in Britain, a country that mainly provides undergraduate student loans. However, one possible option is a professional development loan. In the UK, banks provide professional and career development loans (PCDL) to students who intend to work in the UK, EU, Norway, Liechtenstein or Iceland after graduation. The loan supports two years of study, including course fees and part of living expenses, and the repayment conditions are more flexible than ordinary bank loans.

? National Research Council The National Research Council is usually the main public distributor of research investment, including research conducted by graduate students. In Britain, there are seven royal colleges that provide popular postgraduate funding, covering a wide range of disciplines. Elsewhere, similar investors include the European Research Council of European Union countries, the National Research Councils of the United States and Canada, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Australian Research Council (ARC) and various research institutes in Germany. Research Foundation (DFG).

The qualification criteria usually stipulate that you live in the country/region where the Council is located and have a good bachelor's degree and/or relevant work experience. Funds can provide part or all of the expenses, as well as cost of living allowance (called allowance), which is usually tax-free. Competition is fierce, but the number of applicants for highly specialized subjects is usually small. You usually need to apply through the university, not directly to the Committee.

Although there are many options for graduate financial aid, the number of students competing for these opportunities greatly exceeds them. Apart from fierce competition, these traditional funding channels cannot guarantee the full cost of postgraduate study-therefore, creative candidates can consider some alternative channels:

? Peer-to-peer lending is a crowdsourcing form, that is, private loans are provided to individuals to finance various efforts without official financial institutions, peer-to-peer (P2P) or social loans. Professional online platforms are often used, and some of them (such as GraduRates.com and StudentFunder.com) focus on the student market.