I am an international student who, because many schools I applied to clearly stated they are NOT need blind for their INTERNATIONAL students, did not submit requests for need-based financial aid upon admission. Of course, this was also I will still be able to afford the colleges I applied to, just not as easily. Because I have two other siblings below me, any money I could get hands on would help, though not necessary. Usually how great do your credentials have to be in college to be a candidate for merit-based scholarships? The top 5% of students?
I ask this because since I am international student, I would not even be able to legally get a part-time job to earn money during my time in college, so the only possible way I could help my parents would be merit scholarships.
You’re looking for outside scholarships. There really arent any here for int’ls. You’ll have to look in your own country.
Re: the merit aid question, the specific percentile depends on the school. Some will give merit aid to just about every (US) student in order to “flatter” them, others won’t give any merit at all. At selective universities (or ones with modest endowments) that do give merit, domestic students typically need to be somewhere in the top 5 to 10 percent of students – others may start somewhere around the top 25 percent.
I got full tuition from a well-regarded school (they don’t give full rides), and my GPA was .450 above their average while my SAT score for all three sections was ~300 points above their 75th percentile. It definitely varies quite a bit by school, though.
Merit opportunities are highly school dependent. Just looking at your past posts, Harvard doesn’t give them, Stanford gives them to athletes, Chicago only give a few, Cornell doesn’t give them.
Also, you are allowed to get a campus job if they are available. I would look into that right away, after you commit to a school. Some jobs are reserved for federal work/study students only but others may be open to you.
For very significant merit scholarships, it is usually within the top 1-5 %.
It appears that this student didn’t apply to SCHOOLS that give merit. Instead he/she is hoping to get merit from 3rd party entities. That’s not likely going to happen as an int’l here in the US. Maybe merit from his/her own country, but not likely here.
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I got full tuition from a well-regarded school (they don't give full rides), and my GPA was .450 above their average while my SAT score for all three sections was ~300 points above their 75th percentile. It definitely varies quite a bit by school, though.
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Many/most schools count SAT scores more than GPA for merit.
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I was born in Korea but grew up in the States, spent my teen years (10~16) in Korea, and now my HS years in the US.
I don’t need financial aid too badly so will not ask for it, but it would be great if I could ask for it and not get affected because I have several siblings.
Where I’m applying:
Harvard R-EA
UChicago RD
Standford RD
Cornell RD
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this student will be getting a different visa since she’s already in the US. I don’t know if that visa allows campus work. The reason that I wonder is because a student I know who is in the same situation isn’t allowed to work at all here…no place, no where.
OP, are you on F2 visa right now?
You will need F1 visa to go to college. You ARE allowed to work ONLY on campus, but don’t get your hopes too high on that.
I have tried to find jobs on campus or be a private tutor during half of my first semester, but it got me nowhere. Many jobs require GPA, and even those that don’t silently( schools never admit though) are reserved for non-internationals.
And…don’t even think about working outside!!! It’s illegal, and you shouldn’t risk your visa and college study for several bucks. I have seen some international kids in my school working outside, and that is a huge no-no…
Lastly…when you look at the cost of attendance, you DON"T HAVE TO pay that much actually. It has a chunk of ‘personal expense’, which you can control, and have a meal plan that is unlimited therefore most expensive, and dormitory cost that is medium-to-expensive. You will have to show that you can afford the full cost(combined with full tuition merit) anyway, though…
Where are you accepted with full tuition?