Looking for any Californian universities that are known for accepting Canadian honours students! I’m in grade twelve with an average of 84% high school overall marks and I scored a total of 1780 on my SAT
How much can you and your family afford? What is your intended major? This will determine which California schools to recommend.
I have received a $5000 scholarship from my own school and along with scholarships from volunteer programs. my family doesn’t plan to worry about tuition until I need to decide which school based on the ones I am accepted to. I do plan on applying for student loans. I plan to major in Dentistry, but I can always transfer schools.
Ok. Note that Dentistry is not a major. You can major in anything as long as take the required courses to apply to Dental school.
Students should contact individual dental schools for specific prerequisite information. Required courses generally include:
8 hours Biology with lab
8 hours Physics
8 hours English
8 hours General Chemistry with lab
8 hours Organic Chemistry with lab
Majoring in science is not a must, but completion of predental science requirements is necessary.
A college undergraduate degree is recommended in preparation for dental school. Most dental students have completed four years of college.
I would recommend the following based on your stats and the variety of majors available:
University of the Pacific, University of San Diego, San Diego State, Long Beach State, University of California Riverside, University of California Santa Cruz, Cal Poly Pomona, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, University of Redlands, University of San Francisco, St Mary’s College.
This should give you a good starting point and the includes private and public schools of varying sizes and locations. As an International student, costs for these schools will range from $35K/year upwards to $60K/year. As a Pre-Dental student, you will want to keep undergrad costs low since Dental school can be very expensive. You are looking at >$200,000 for most Dental schools.
You should look at the costs before applying. Some US colleges cost over $60,000 per year. In your SAT range lots of the schools do not meet need with financial aid, and are even less likely to do so for international students.
You need to apply for loans in your country because as a non-citizen, you are not eligible for state nor federal loans.
Costs to attend school in California will be minimum $36k per year for the CSU’s, and $55K per year at the UC’s.
A scholarship of $5k doesn’t cover much. So, if you do your undergrad at a California state school, your degree would cost you $144K for 4 years (as an international student, you won’t qualify for instate tuition, no matter how long you go to school here). If you go to a UC, the cost will be roughly $220K for 4 years (the state has already indicated it will be increasing fees).
Then, entering the graduate programs for dentistry, will run $200K+.
How can you afford that?
A 1780 on your SAT is not competitive for any merit scholarships that I know of. If your scores were over 2250, then you might have a shot at some form of merit scholarship from the privates. The public schools (CSUs/UC’s) do not provide much funding, if anything, for OOS or international students.
Hi thank you for your replies. I do have a financial plan set up… that is not a concern. my main concern is what schools to apply to. so again, money is not the issue.
Do I have a chance at UC Santa Barbara?
How does that 84% convert to a 4.0 scale? Then you need to calculate a UC GPA from there.
UC GPA calculator: http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Average UC GPA for UCSB: 4.05 Average SAT: 1935
SAT is below the average so I would say it is a Low Reach.
I-20 & VISA INFORMATION
Enrolled international students who live outside the U.S. will need to obtain either an I-20 or DS- 2019 form from the UCSB Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) in order to secure an F-1 or J-1 student visa from a U.S. consulate.
MINIMUM FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT
To obtain a visa document, students need to submit online proof of ability to pay for all expenses for the first year of study at UCSB.
International Requirements for UCSB:
Canada (British Columbia)
Completion of Secondary School Graduation Diploma with a minimum average of at least 80
Canada (Ontario)
Completion of Ontario Secondary School Honors Graduation Diploma with a minimum average of at least 75
Hi thank you for the information!! I think my best bet is San Diego State, Long Beach State, UC Santa Cruz, and Pepperdine which is where I will apply!
if you know anything about Florida schools I have a post on there too as my family lives in Miami and Boca Raton area…
Your initial post on finances does not add up with your later comment that you have it covered. It is nonsensical to apply to colleges that you have no way to pay for.
I have it covered by my parents who have the money… my scholarship is just something on top of it
my post wasn’t asking about financial reasoning either, it was college Reccomendations based on my GPA. I know the financial situation and it’s been looked over with my school councillor and parents… now its time I decide which schools I have the best chance to apply and be accepted at
School counselors have no idea what the financial situation is for a family, but if your parents have a quarter of a million U.S. dollars to spend on your undergraduate degree alone, then you are set. And they genuinely might. We do get students whose parents say they can pay, then are aghast in April when they realize the actual cost. Sometimes their kids have no affordable options then, too. It is pretty awful – just don’t want it to happen to you. Carry on. 
thank you! but it’s no worries… the financial cost of US schools is absurd, but it’s been discussed… and I can’t stay behind when they all are moving to Canada… and transferring from a Canadian university to an American will be only more difficult grades wise! Basically this is my only choice is going to school in the states (which I have zero problem with) and dealing with the cost!
Just asking – are you saying you live in the states now, and are moving to Canada? What is your citizenship?
No, i live in Canada now but am moving to the states. I was born in Canada, it is my parents and all other relatives who have American citizenship. My parents plan to move back to the US in 2018. They have yet to decide whether they are moving to the Miami area in Florida, or Southern California area as I have relatives in both parts. That’s why I’m looking for schools in California and Florida, I don’t want to be left behind in Canada.
@Gumbymom which of the schools you recommend are along the beach? Im only asking from a recreational standpoint… I live in the mountainous area of Alberta where it snows 8 months of the year.
If your parents were US citizens when you were born, I believe you are eligible for US citizenship. That can make it easier to get admitted to US colleges, and can possibly make you eligible for need based aid depending on your family’s income and assets.