I’m an international and I will need a lot of financial aid for college,and most people say that only Ivy League colleges give need-based scholarships,but I’ve read on the web site of US Education Center of my country that many students got full scholarships from some smaller and less famous colleges in USA.Also some students recieved a scholarship from colleges like Furman University,or some similar colleges that are not so bad.So,Is it true that only IL gives full scholarships? 
As you have discovered, research and facts top what ‘most people’ say.
There are other colleges beside the Ivy League that give merit or need based aid to international students. But you have to read carefully. Keep in mind, most schools in this country don’t meet full financial need anyway.
You would need to be at the top of your academic game to be competitive for admissions to schools that guarantee to meet full need for all admitted students, including international students.
You would need to be at the tippy top of the applicant pool to get merit aid at schools that offer it to international students.
Everyone would like to attend college at no cost…but that just isn’t something available to most students…and even less so for international students.
Some things to consider.
- What can your parents afford to contribute annually?
- Are you a competitive applicant for schools similar to the Ivy League?
- Remember, there are many schools that are need aware for international students. This means that your ability to pay will be considered when your application for admission is considered.
- The very vast majority of colleges here do NOT guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students.
- You will not be eligible for any U.S. federally funded need based aid, or loans.
- There are only six colleges here that are both need blind for admissions AND guarantee to meet full need for all accepted international students. They are amongst the most competitive colleges in this country...And they are not all Ivy League schools.
Have you taken the SAT?
Can you PLEASE put some of your stat when you ask questions like this?
school grade? SAT/SAT II ? These two are the most important factors for merit scholarships.
Actually, it would be helpful if the OP clarified whether he/she is talking about need based financial aid (which is all the Ivies give) or merit aid.
If need based, what is the family annual income and how much can the parents contribute to college each year?
I haven’t taken SAT,but I’ve been practicing for 2 years so I guess the result will be good,and for SAT 2 I will choose German and French(I fluently speak both of them) and maybe history or chem.And my gpa is also perfect,and I speak 5 languages,work in my parents’ restaurant,I’ve been swimming for 7 years and won many medals,a member of choir,drama club,German club…Won medals and competitions in science,languages,art,history,politics,speech and debate contests.Been voluntaring 3x a week,I’m also an visual artist,I wrote 2 dramas for my club,A year ago I started something like a mini bussines-a honey shop,and so on …
Yep - sounds like the usual extracurriculars…
Rania, check out the international students subforum. There you’ll find lists of other schools besides the IL known to be generous to international students. University of Alabama is one, Howard University is another. However, those are schools unknown outside of the US, and you have to ask yourself whether a degree from a school such as Alabama (for example) is better than a top university in your own country. For future work in your country, a local degree might be a smarter decision. (Don’t count on staying in the U.S. after your studies. It’s very, very, very hard to do, unless you marry a citizen or win a green card lottery. )
I’m 16 and I’m from Eastern Europe,and I will also apply to some West European universities,but I just wanted to see is there a chance to study in USA.And no,it would not be better to study in my own country since the best university is ranked around 1500th place on the list of World best universities.And also the professors are horrible,they behave like they are gods,and the students are their slaves(most of them).And also in my country there are universities where you go like 3 months and you get a bachelor or master degree(they actually pay for the diploma) and those diplomas are completely accepted in my country,so I guess a diploma from USA will also be acceptable
@rania16 It sounds like you have a very good resume and you should have some options for US study but you will need to devote some time to working through the colleges and which may get you offers. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Unless they can flat out say you are not qualified by a long shot then no one really knows.Of course it is easy to find the very top ones that are ultra competitive with super low admit rates and even lower for internationals. Maybe they will be interested in a high performer from Kosovo. Maybe you have a chance sure, but you need more options. One of the professors at my daughter’s college didn’t have enough to attend the US and he came from a country with masses of highly qualified applicants. He was able to get a scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan, a small LAC and studied computer science which is not a particularly strong area for LAC in general and he was able to go to a PHD program and is now a young professor at an Ivy League uni. Another professor in her department was from Ukraine and she went to one of the very good all women’s colleges, Smith, then was accepted to MIT for PhD and teaches at Brown as a very young upcoming professor with all sorts of awards and research grants. I am just mentioning CS because I know those cases, I know you are not looking to that necessarily. So I suggest
A. You do examine selective colleges that meet need for all, or are likely to meet your need if they admit you. Don’t worry too much about need aware. If a college rejects you because they can’t give you enough money it is just as well. My daughter’s college is need aware for Int’l students but will cover what you need if you get in.
B. Look to the ones you hear of on your own, on the lists in the international forum. Yes research all these schools you heard like Furman. The US has really deep list of good colleges with excellent education.
C. Colleges that will guarantee admission and merit aid for your high gpa and SAT scores. There are lists in the threads pinned to the top of the forum. See which apply for internationals. Those are guaranteed!
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
D. Look at the all Women’s colleges. They have a much easier admit rate than the equivalent quality mixed gender.because not everyone wants an all women’s. Still some are quite competitive. They have excellent reputations and often registration privileges at nearby colleges. They can give good aid too. Wellesley, Barnard, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Mt Holyoke are some of the top names (I may be forgetting some) and are aid giving.
It sounds like you have a very good resume and you should have some options for US study but you will need to devote some time to working through the colleges and which may get you offers. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Unless they can flat out say you are not qualified by a long shot then no one really knows.Of course it is easy to find the very top ones that are ultra competitive with super low admit rates and even lower for internationals. Maybe they will be interested in a high performer from Kosovo. Maybe you have a chance sure, but you need more options. One of the professors at my daughter’s college didn’t have enough to attend the US and he came from a country with masses of highly qualified applicants. He was able to get a scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan, a small LAC and studied computer science which is not a particularly strong area for LAC in general and he was able to go to a PHD program and is now a young professor at an Ivy League uni. Another professor in her department was from Ukraine and she went to one of the very good all women’s colleges, Smith, then was accepted to MIT for PhD and teaches at Brown as a very young upcoming professor with all sorts of awards and research grants. I am just mentioning CS because I know those cases, I know you are not looking to that necessarily. So I suggest
A. You do examine selective colleges that meet need for all, or are likely to meet your need if they admit you. Don’t worry too much about need aware. If a college rejects you because they can’t give you enough money it is just as well. My daughter’s college is need aware for Int’l students but will cover what you need if you get in.
B. Look to the ones you hear of on your own, on the lists in the international forum. Yes research all these schools you heard like Furman. The US has really deep list of good colleges with excellent education.
C. Colleges that will guarantee admission and merit aid for your high gpa and SAT scores. There are lists in the threads pinned to the top of the forum. See which apply for internationals. Those are guaranteed!
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
D. Look at the all Women’s colleges. They have a much easier admit rate than the equivalent quality mixed gender.because not everyone wants an all women’s. Still some are quite competitive. They have excellent reputations and often registration privileges at nearby colleges. They can give good aid too. Wellesley, Barnard, Smith, Bryn Mawr, Mt Holyoke are some of the top names (I may be forgetting some) and are aid giving.
Final tip: for SAT II I feel it is better to do one language, history and chem than to do two language and only one other. It is good to show competence in a ramge of SAT II. You can show your language skills in another way.
“Look at the all Women’s colleges. They have a much easier admit rate than the equivalent quality mixed gender.because not everyone wants an all women’s.”
Well yeah, there’s that. But the fact that no men can attend, so no men apply, is by far the primary, most significant factor impacting their admit rates, vs. the coed colleges where students of both genders are applying. Then self-selection by those females who opt out of same-sex education altogether would be a distant secondary effector. Seems to me. With a slight offset by a [probably much] smaller group who affirmatvely want that form of education.