Students urged to explore all funding options for overseas study

Financial planning is essential for students considering higher education overseas, with prospective applicants urged to explore scholarships, loans, personal savings, and other funding options before committing to a programme.

Managing Director of The Student Centre, Sheena Alleyne, offered the advice as she spoke to the media about the importance of preparing for the financial demands of overseas education at Saturday’s 2026 CUP Fest International Education Fair at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

She said students and parents need to look beyond the appeal of attending a foreign institution and carefully consider how they would finance their studies.

“You have to have a financial plan. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket, so you have to see where the pipelines are for me to finance,” Alleyne said.

While scholarships could provide valuable assistance, she cautioned against relying on them as the sole source of funding, noting that students could combine different options, including loans, personal savings, and support from family members.

“A scholarship is nice… You can have a loan; that’s why we have the banks, and we have the Student Revolving Loan [Fund] (SRLF) here. You may have your own personal savings, auntie, your uncle, everybody sometimes there’s a whole village to do this, so you can use this as a way to piece it together,” she said.

Alleyne added that some institutions offered automatic scholarships, while others required students to submit separate applications to be considered for financial assistance.

The Student Centre organised CUP Fest, which stands for College and University Prep, to help secondary school students and working professionals explore opportunities for further education and make informed decisions about their academic futures.

“This is one step in the direction of preparing for education after you complete your secondary studies, but it’s not only for our school students; we are also targeting persons, working professionals who might want to upgrade their credentials,” she said.

Alleyne said the fair allowed prospective students to engage directly with representatives from institutions before beginning their research online, while also helping them assess whether their preferred programmes were financially viable.

She noted that 25 institutions were represented at the fair, including 21 Canadian institutions and four from other countries, offering programmes at the undergraduate level across disciplines such as arts, science, and engineering, as well as medical education.

Representatives from the SRLF and RBC Royal Bank were also present to advise students and parents on financing options.

Senior Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada in Barbados Caroline Mourand said Canada continued to attract interest from Barbadian students and families because of the quality of its education system and its reputation as a safe country.

“I think that there’s a lot of interest in education in Canada. I’ve had a lot of conversations today (Saturday), meeting a lot of people that have long-standing education ties with Canada,” the diplomat said.

Mourand encouraged prospective students to thoroughly research their options and ask questions about their chosen programmes, tuition costs, living expenses, the communities where institutions are located, and available scholarship opportunities.

“Do not be afraid to ask 1 000 questions because it is a very important and big decision that you’re going to make.”

Prospective students were also encouraged to consult the EduCanada website for information about programmes offered across Canada.

She said Canada remained a leading destination for international students and estimated that the country would welcome 155 000 new international students this year, adding that opportunities remained available for students from Barbados and the wider Caribbean.

(SB)

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