Well, one thing is for sure - if you are applying to a US univ from Asia - chances are that you are cash strapped - meaning - in many cases you can barely afford a US college education! Heck, people in the western world find it hard to pay their way through college and with the dollar growing strong against the world currencies, its even harder for people in the developing world to think about education in the US. Many universities hence make it mandatory for students to send in proof of finances at the time of admission - while others require proof of finances after admit is issued for I-20 release.

The proof of finances - is to be able to show liquid assets worth the first year expenses at the university. Now, many times one doesnt have enough liquid assets to show such a standing. What does one do in such cases? Fear not - all is not lost. There are a few good options and a few not so good options available.

One option is to take the help of relatives - beg or borrow - but just get some thing to show for your liquid assets to the university. This can be tricky depending on your specific case, but many times its easily done with the help of close relatives and/or friends.

The second option is to open up those long forgotten bonds, funds, stocks, etc. With the help of a good Chartered Accountant, you can get a nice and pretty decent financial profile to show good standing to the university. However, you do need to talk to a person who has done this before or can do it well.

Taking a loan from the bank after the admit has been received is not tough. In such a case, showing good financial backing is pretty easy. The tricky part starts when the university asks for financial proof before admit. In such cases, the above methods should be used.

A method which is not so good - is to get an agency or person to add money to your account for a specific time in return for money - this is not advised and doing such a thing is entirely at the risk of the student.

Having said that, it is important not to lose hope with such things - after all - everything is hard just before its easy!