<p>I study in Berkeley right now, but I need to transfer since I can't afford to pay the 50k set for internationals anymore. I'll be a junior transfer next year, and i could use some advice. Chances that I'll make it into a better school are slim, but if i want to apply with financial aid, what sort of school should I apply to - colleges that are more or less a sure bet? And any advice on how I should start preparing to make the most out of my application?</p>
<p>Here are my Stats:</p>
<p>SAT: Math 720 Verbal 730 Writing 630
SAT Subject: Math II 800 Physics 800 Chemistry 800</p>
<p>High School GPA: 4.0
O Level: 9A
A level: 4A 1B
TOEFL: 112 </p>
<p>College GPA: 3.9+ (hopefully) (45 units)</p>
<p>ECA: Soccer Captain (High School) and plenty of Community Service, </p>
<p>How much can you afford to pay? Getting aid as an international, much less an international transfer, is tough. Your best bet by far are the few school that meet full need for internationals which are all top schools.</p>
<p>Well frankly speaking, I can pay the full amount. But I absolutely don’t want to take any money from my dad anymore. I’m trying to find universities that could potentially provide aid for someone like me. I know the odds are against me. But i really don’t have an option.</p>
<p>It is hard to find schools that offer need based aid for transfer or international students, let alone transfer and international students. “Merit aid” is something that doesn’t really exist for transfer students, because it doesn’t help colleges improve their rankings. Need based aid may not exist for someone whose family can pay full tuition at Berkley. </p>
<p>I don’t think it hurts to call schools that give need based aid and/ or are need blind to internationals and find out their policies for international transfers. Schools that offer aid to internationals often ask how much can your family pay. This ability to pay is often factored into the admissions decision. </p>
<p>Therefore, I think your surest bet is a cheaper college. </p>
<p>Your stats will make you a competitive transfer everywhere. 3.9 from Cal is VERY impressive, especially in hard majors (science, engineering, etc). Your SATs scores are also in line. So, apply to ALL top schools that offer financial aid to international students who transfer (MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, etc).</p>
<p>You are in berkeley, that’s so great, you should just bite the bullet and finish the school there, when you graduate, you would be able to get a nice job to pay it off quickly if you save money, don’t you think? Don’t people who went to univ like UCB get a high payiing job? Ah, just an opinion.</p>
<p>no school offers merit scholarship for international students (schools that are “better” or equivalent to Berk)
so you should just stay at UCB if money is the issue…
even if you get accepted to Yale or Dartmouth, they will only give you need-based grants</p>
<p>Oh, you mean in the U.S.? Yeah, that might be true, if one is not a citizen, it would be a bit hard. I am talking about getting a job in your own country. If I went to Berkeley, I would have a great chance of making a fat check. I don’t know about Bangladesh, but no one who went to a Bangladesh university would match your resume, you know what I mean? Name value is everything in my opinion.</p>
<p>If his family can afford to pay, no school is going to give him need based aid because he no longer wants to take money from them. Given the extreme rarity of merit aid for a transfer students, much less international ones, it’s likely the OP can’t go to any school in the US without the parents paying.</p>