<p>Hello fellow CC-ers! I'm an international student attending an American public high school somewhere in Eastern Connecticut. :) As Vassar is my top choice, (but couldn't apply ED II due to unforeseen conflict..) I've been anxious to the MAX about this whole admissions process. Since I'm an international student who is asking for financial aid, my acceptance rate is less than 7% heh. (On Vassar's website, it says that more than 700 intl students ask for aid while 50-60 among those get accepted.)</p>
<p>While I DID apply for fin aid, the EFC (expected family income) of my family is around 40k, which is pretty substantial compared to the COA (cost of attendance) which is around 60k. Will this put me in a better situation than intl students that have EFCs of 10k, or some amount along those lines? Basically, what I'm asking is, is the specific EFC amount taken into account when considering an intl student for admission?</p>
<p>I'm so anxious and nervous and STRESSED OUT about this intl student fin aid business that I'm actually considering contacting the admissions office and switching my fin aid status to a 'no'. Would this be possible?</p>
<p>Thank you in advance to all those who took the time to read this and answer!</p>
<p>Sincerely,
azn gurl totes nervous about college apps. :)</p>
<p>Yes, you can tell them that you don’t need aid, but the aid you need, in comparison to most other intls, is very little. It will hardly influence your admission decision in any way (i.e EFC is considered), so rest assured. I’ve spoken to quite a few need-aware for intls colleges and they all say that having an EFC of 30k or above will put you in an excellent position as long as your app is great. </p>
<p>PS I’m quite positive that at most schools, they see if they’d like to admit you, and then they calculate the numbers to see if their selection is realistic financially. If not, they will start to change decisions on a case-by-case basis. You need not be worried, basically. Also, if you’re so worried that my response doesn’t seem convincing enough, then, by all means, contact Vassar directly. They will tell you that the EFC does matter.</p>
<p>@International95
sorry for the late reply! thank you for your response. Problem is, I just ran net price calculators for several of the colleges I’m applying to, and I got a net price of $5000-$7000! This is surprising, since my dad earns around 100k- 120k and my parents are willing to pay up to 35k- 40k (which I specified in the CSS profile). Now I’m at this weird position where I would still like some financial aid, but I’m anxious that colleges will view me as an international student who needs TOO much financial aid, which is not the case. Do you have any idea why my EFC on the net price calculator came out much less than what our family can actually contribute? Thanks in advance for your response!</p>
<p>EFC does not guarantee that price. You could end up paying full tuition even if your EFC is around $10k. There are a lot of international students applying without aid so I suggest contacting the school and ask if you can opt out of its financial aid.</p>
<p>@realfruitjuice I’m positive that the EFC calculator is NOT meant for internationals. Living costs are much lower in other countries, and American EFC calculators will not take that into account. Make it clear to Vassar that you are indeed willing to contribute $40k. As long as Total Income - Parents’ expenses that you listed on CSS = $40k or more, you should be fine. </p>