Is it extremely difficult for international Asian students to get financial aid from good colleges? more specifically indians. Reasons for why it is like that would help. 
Because most US colleges have plenty of US students applying for FA.
And there is only so much $$ available .
It doesnt matter what country you are from.
It is extremely difficult for all international students to receive financial aid. Why? Because there just isn’t that much to go around and there are so many international students competing for it. You would not only be competing against students from India. You would be competing against students from all over the world.
Your status as an international is the only reason, not what part of the world you come from.
Do good colleges in India give FA to lots of foreigners to attend?
Well i have heard that colleges want to maintain diversity on campuses so are more likely to give aid to a student from countries where they dont normally get applications from. I imagine that colleges get a lot of asian and indian students with exceptional creds… lowering chances a lot… @GMTplus7 the indian unis which are prestigious are govt owned and are exceptionally cheap…
They dont NEED to give aid in order to maintain diversity on campus. There are plenty of wealthy International applicants who will pay full price for the opportunity to go to a US school.
And dont forget that the US has a lot of first and second generation immigrants already living here or who were born here.
apart from extremely high stats is there any way to stand out in the applications?
There are tons of Asian students applying for admission especially to top universities. And many from India. The first hurdle you will have to leap will be admissions. Your application will be reviewed along with applications from others from your region. At some of the top schools, acceptance rates are 10% or less. Acceptance rates for international students is even lower.
Keep in mind also that many colleges are also need aware for admissions…this means that your ability to pay will be considered when your application for admissions is considered.
There are schools that give no financial aid…at all…to international students.
There are schools that give limited financial aid to international students.
And there are schools that give the same aid to international students as to U.S. Citizens.
In terms of diversity…yes, many schools look to increase diversity. You might want to apply to colleges where there are not very many Asian students at all. I’m going to guess that University of South Dakota, or Montana, for example, would have low numbers if students applying from India. That doesn’t mean you will get fabulous financial aid, but it might mean you get accepted more easily.
Also, how much aid do you think you need? The schools that guarantee to meet full need for all international students are amongst the most competitive for admissions in this country.
American universities, whether private or govt-owned public ones, have a mission to educate American students, and consequently, receive generous govt grants and subsidies from taxpayers
I think you are mixing up admissions and aid a bit. Some colleges will give you aid if you get in. There are 6 that guarantee it for internationals. Some of the others will give what they can. So for admissions, the colleges that give big aid will want a few people from all over the world. Since you come from an area where lots apply, you have more competition. But colleges will always be on the lookout for someone very exceptional overall or in a specific area.
No BrownParent. There are LOTS of schools that guarantee aid to international students…and meet full need to. But many of these are need aware.
There are ONLY SIX that meet full need AND are need blind for international students. BOTH.
I see, I need a full ride.
The schools that meet full need AND are need blind for international students are also the most insanely competitive ones to get into-- everyone wants a free good thing…
In addition to generous FA schools, you should look at generous MERIT aid schools, i.e., schools that pay to attract high scoring kids.
A notable school is the University of Alabama. If you have a 3.5 GPA and 1400 Critical Reading + Math score on the SAT, you can get a guaranteed full-tuition merit scholarship (you would still have to cover your room, board, travel, expenses). Even int’l students are eligible.
I recall a thread from a student from India who got a very generous merit scholarship to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
If you are going to pursue American schools, make sure not to make the mistake of constraining your list to a handful of schools with ridiculously small admit rates.
“I need a full ride” is something that many US citizens state, and most do not get it.
If you are an international, from anywhere, and you need a full ride, you will need a lot of luck and have to do a lot of research for any chance of a full ride. Full ride is NOT common, it is very rare. Most of the time, a “full” scholarship is only tuition, and there is $15,000 US to pay for room, board (meals and such), and books, each year.
Here is some news for you: most US universities want to serve the underprivileged kids in our own country first - they usually get a lot of government funding and don’t want to pass over a qualified US citizen for a qualified international. Most US universities, barring some of the top ones, want internationals SOLELY because most can pay 100%. They need students who pay 100%, and they get lax about caring if the student has a written and verbal command of English.
You do need to look at schools like U Alabama and others that clearly define stats for full ride scholarships.
Internationals also need to not discount going to a top school in their own country and then going to the US for graduate school. I have several friends who did that, and no one cares at all that their undergrad is from an Indian college, their grad school was an Ivy. Support for a PhD is regardless of citizenship in many cases.
^^ what rhandco said.
To reiterate: Full-ride graduate education in the US for int’l students is common. Full-ride undergraduate education in the US for int’l students is very rare.
<<<
… @GMTplus7 the indian unis which are prestigious are govt owned and are exceptionally cheap…
<<<<
Are they exceptionally cheap for int’ls that attend those schools? What would they charge an American to go to school there?
Um… well I think they would charge an american the same amount… which would be 1600 $ at the best indian engineering schools( which are not open for international … i think at least for unergraduate). It’s dirt cheap.
If it’s a top school, and it’s “dirt cheap”, then why not just go there?
Look at these less competitive schools that offer guaranteed scholarships based on GPA and SAT/ACT scores - and then check their websites to see if the offer extends to international applicants:
[Automatic Full Tuition/Full Ride Scholarships](http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/)