Singapore Asian Graduate Students Fellowship Programme 2009 2010
The Asia Research Institute of NUS invites applications from citizens
of Asian countries enrolled for a fulltime advanced degree at a
university in an Asian country (except Singapore) for consideration
for the award of Asian Graduate Student Fellowships. These
fellowships are offered to current graduate students doing their
Master’s or PhD degrees and working in the Humanities and Social
Sciences on Southeast Asian topics, and will allow the recipients to
be based at NUS for an `in residence fellowship’ for a period of
three months. The aim of the fellowship is to enable scholars to
make full use of the wide range of resources held in the libraries of
NUS and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Scholars will be
expected to commence on 4 May 2009, and to make a presentation on
their work at the Singapore Graduate Forum on Southeast Asian Studies
at the end of July 2009.
Successful candidates can expect the following benefits:
1) A monthly allowance of SGD$1,750 (inclusive of housing
allowance).
2) A one time round trip travel subsidy by the most economical
and direct route on a reimbursement basis upon being accepted for the
fellowship.
3) Access to library and computer resources on campus.
Applicants are invited to e-mail/facsimile/mail their curriculum
vitae, a 2-page outline of their research proposal in English (this
may be accompanied by a longer statement in a Southeast Asian
language) to the address below by 15 November 2008. Arrangements
should also be made by which at least two letters of reference, one
of which is from your principal supervisor, are sent confidentially
to the same address by the same deadline.
The 2-page research proposal must include the following details:
1) Whether the data collection or fieldwork stage of the
research has already been completed;
2) how the fellowship will contribute to the research;
3) the types of sources to be consulted in Singapore;
4) proposed work plan during the fellowship.
You can look forward to excellent library and internet computer
facilities at NUS’ main library (http://www.lib.nus.edu.sg/), the
library at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)
(http://www.iseas.edu.sg/library.html) and the Lee Kong Chian
Reference Library at the National Library (http://www.nlb.gov.sg) to
facilitate your research for the dissertation. NUS’ main library has
2 million volumes covering all topics while ISEAS’ library has
200,000 on Southeast Asian topics, half of which are in Southeast
Asian languages.
Selvi
Asia Research Institute
NUS Bukit Timah Campus
469A Tower Block #10-01
Bukit Timah Road,
Singapore 259770
E-mail : arikk@nus.edu.sg
Fax: 65 67791428
Website: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/
Where To Find Student Loans For College
A college education may seem trivial to some but to not to most people who want to achieve a better status in life economically and socially. Globalization has made education very important because of the increasing competitiveness among young professionals worldwide.
A college degree has become a prerequisite in getting better work opportunities in any field of discipline. The lack of a college degree can thus put a person at a disadvantage especially when he is applying for a job and his competitors are all college graduates.
It is common knowledge that the income of people is directly proportional to the degrees they have achieved. Thus, a college graduate has better chances of getting a high paying job than a high school graduate. On the other hand, those who have masters' degrees will definitely have higher incomes than those armed with college degrees.
However, getting a college education is so expensive nowadays that only a few can afford to get one. Most families who belong to the low income group could not even send their children to college even if they want to do so. But there are solutions to those who are bent on getting a college education but who do not have the financial capacity.
Students who are eyeing a college education should already start preparing by narrowing the choice of colleges they want to attend as well as the possible expenses that would be incurred in getting that college education.
The family can start and working extra hard so they can contribute to the educational fund of their children or sibling. Planning ahead may also entail postponing or abandoning the family?s vacation plans. The aspiring college student can also take on part time work to build his college education fund.
Qualified families can also avail of student loans offered by the government or by private financial institutions. It is also best to consider the type of student loan one would be getting because there are institutions offering student loans with exorbitant interest rates.
The United States government has acknowledged the importance of getting more Americans to college so it has prepared federal grant options for incoming college students. Federal grants are usually based on the financial requirement of the student and there is no need to maintain a certain grade while in college.
To qualify for the grant, a student must be a first time college student meaning this is your first college course or degree and possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent. Citizenship is not an issue because both American citizens and non citizens who are qualified can avail of the grant.
However, a student must be able to plan on repaying his student loan to avoid being stuck on a long repayment scheme. Most college students who have not planned ahead are still paying for their loans several years after getting their college degrees.
The author is a regular contributor to Student Loans Advisor http://www.student-loans-advisor.com where more information about college scholarships and grants and loans is available.
Ref:
Should I consolidate my college loans or not?
1. Still in school, yes! Rates are low, but they're scheduled to go up. Your college loan payments will then remain as manageable as possible when you leave school. If you have graduated, or will be graduating this May or June, yes! Graduates can lock in historical low rates, and reduce their monthly payments more than half. You can lock in a rate even while still in school, and even if you have been out of school for a couple of years can get a good deal, too.
2. The newest twist in the consolidation puzzle is the "in school consolidation", affecting students who are currently enrolled and will be enrolled past the July 1 consolidation. You can consolidate your existing college loans now to secure the low rates for at least part of their student loan portfolio.
3. Consolidating could save thousands of dollars in interest payments on college loans. There are impending student loan rate changes and new interpretation of regulations by the Department of Education, also, Congress is considering ending the fixed-rate program. Experts are urging students to consolidate to relieve themselves of a higher debt load.
4. Many students and families are looking for a simple, clear answer about whether to consolidate college loans or not. The simple answer is to take some of the bite out of the debt by loan consolidation. You could live like a miser and save as much money as possible or consolidate your federal student loans now.
5. For students still in school, you have an opportunity to choose consolidation. Consolidating would put a college loan borrower into repayment status, but the student can defer payments until after graduation by making a deferment request. Consolidating today can have payments put off until graduation.
6. The federal loan program allows consolidation, which is when a borrower pools his student debts together so that only one monthly payment is necessary, rather than several. It's not just the convenience of one payment that is making consolidation so compelling. The most significant aspect of the program is that it allows a person to permanently lock in a lower interest rate on loans. These loans are backed by, or granted directly by, the federal government.
7. Rates for federal Stafford loans, the most prevalent type of student loan, as well as some other types of federal student loans are set annually based on the rate of 91-day U.S. Treasury bills at the end of May. The exact rate won't be known until the end of the month, but experts say it will be about 2 percentage points higher. (Private loans and federal loans cannot be consolidated together.)
8. For the first time, the U.S. Department of Education will allow students still in school to consolidate federally backed loans. Federal PLUS loans can also be consolidated. PLUS loans are used to help pay the cost higher education.
9. Students, regardless of enrollment, should absolutely consolidate their college loans, arranged through the student's lender. There are no fees, no credit checks, and interest rates are expected to move higher. Those are good reasons to consolidate.
10. Act quickly to put lock on current federal-aid interest rates. Graduates should act now to insulate themselves from a drastic rate change. Apply early. Do not wait until the last minute to file paperwork. Those who have already graduated or left school should not wait to investigate consolidation. In the first six months after graduation, you are in a grace period. Within that six-month window, you can lock in a low rate on Stafford loans and spread the repayment over as long as 30 years.
If you're going to consolidate, now is the best time to do it.
Georgio Heberto is dedicated to offering news, articles, and instruction on financing college education. You have a definite choice in how you finance your education and beyond. Visit http://www.atopeducation.com for more information.
Ref: http://kollegeloans.com/article.cfm/id/33665
Federal student loan consolidation
In the United States both the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDLP) include consolidation loans that allow students to consolidate Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans into one single debt. This results in reduced monthly repayments and a longer term for the loan. Unlike the other loans, consolidation loans have a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan.
Interest rates and payments
Consolidation loans have longer terms than other loans. Debtors can choose terms of 10–30 years. Although the monthly repayments are lower, the total amount paid over the term of the loan is higher than would be paid with other loans. The fixed interest rate is calculated as the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans being consolidated, assigning relative weights according to the amounts borrowed, rounded up to the nearest 0.125%, and capped at 8.25%. Some features of the original consolidated loans, such as postgraduation grace periods and special forgiveness circumstances, are not carried over into the consolidation loan, and consolidation loans are not universally suitable for all debtors.
History
The Federal Loan Consolidation Program was created in 1986. In 1998, the United States Congress changed the interest rate to the aforementioned fixed rate weighted mean, effective February 1, 1999. Consolidation loans taken out before that date had a variable interest rate, determined by the individual FDLP loan origination center (e.g., in the case of a university, that university) or FFELP lender (e.g., a third party bank).
In 2005, the Government Accountability Office considered consolidating consolidation loans so that they were exclusively managed through the FDLP. Based on several assumptions about future variations in interest rates, the loan volume, the percentage of defaulters, cost estimates from the United States Department of Education, it concluded that while doing so would incur an additional cost of $46 million, caused by the higher administrative costs of the FDLP compared to the FFELP, this would be offset by a $3,100 million saving comprised in part of avoiding $2,500 million in subsidy costs.
Consolidation loan lenders
Top consolidation lenders ranked by total FY 2006 consolidation loan originations
| Lender name | # of loans | Amt of loans ($) |
| Federal Direct Student Loan Program | 1,169,110 | $19,197,268,873 |
| Sallie Mae | 866,295 | $19,841,423,841 |
| Citibank | 232,126 | $4,843,119,089 |
| Nelnet | 198,624 | $4,796,065,812 |
| NextStudent | 89,284 | $3,320,024,025 |
| JP Morgan Chase | 115,777 | $2,668,451,098 |
| Goal Financial, LLC | 111,426 | $2,494,856,673 |
| College Loan Corporation | 75,360 | $2,245,128,826 |
| AES/PHEAA | 166,730 | $2,037,618,548 |
| Student Loan Xpress | 114,790 | $1,880,997,383 |
| Wachovia Education Finance | 80,174 | $1,674,979,763 |
SOURCE: Stafford (FFEL & Direct) and PLUS (FFEL & Direct) Loans, from the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), US Department of Education, Fiscal Year 2006.
References
- ^ a b "GAO-06-195 Highlights, STUDENT CONSOLIDATION LOANS: Potential Effects of Making Fiscal Year 2006 Consolidation Loans Exclusively through the Direct Loan Program" (PDF). U.S. Government Accountability Office (2005-12-01).
- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions About Consolidation Loans". Washington State University Office of Student Financial Aid (2006-06-09).
- ^ a b c Potier, Beth (2004-02-05). "Amid the hype, opportunity lurks for students with loans.", Harvard Gazette.
- ^ "Types of Student Aid: Consolidation Loans". Student Guide 2001–2002. United States Department of Education.
Further reading
External links
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_student_loan_consolidation
Is Student Loan Debt Consolidation for You?
Student loan debt consolidation is right for you if it can lessen your debt burden by reducing interest rates and the number of creditors.
If you've been paying back your student loan debt but find it difficult to set aside some amount of money for other debts there are ways to reduce to your debt load. You can consolidate your student loans or refinance the student loans. There are two main benefits of student loan consolidation.
By consolidating student loan debt you can reduce the interest rates, which means reducing your monthly payments and overall debt. In addition, you only need to deal with one creditor, which will help you track your payments or renegotiate your loan for some reason in an easy way.
Different Types of Student Loans
There are two different types of student loans: federal and private. Federal student loans, such as Stafford Loans, are administered through Federal Student Aids programs. These loans offer benefits such as lower interest rates, tax deductible's interest, and deferred payments until after graduation. They can also be easier to consolidate after graduation.
Private student loans are offered by commercial lenders or banks, such as Sallie Mae Signature students or Citibank student loans. These loans are usually unsecured and charge higher interest rates than their federal counterparts. You can take these personal loans if the federal loans cannot cover the total costs of your study.
So, it's important to not consolidate federal and private loans together. Consolidate all your federal student loans first, and then separately consolidate your private loans. If you were to mix the public and private loans you would have to take out a single private loan that loses all the benefits of the federal loans.
Student Loan Debt Consolidation Steps
If you want to make a student loan debt consolidation you need to check your eligibility to the loan. To be eligible for the consolidation loan you
- have to be out of school,
- must be in the grace period of the loan, or must already be making repayments.
If you have taken both federal and private student loans, you should never consider consolidating them into a single package. Federal loans can be refinanced at lower rates because they have government backing. In case you have more than one federal loan you can consolidate all the loans together.
Once you solve them you can then head for the private ones. This way can save you money because you can keep all the benefits of the federal loans.
Ref: http://www.debtfirms.com/student-loan-debt-consolidation.html