Financial Aid and Scholarships

International student from Palestine in the Middle East, Can I get a full financial aid from a top US university, knowing that I have a GPA of 4, and hopefully will get high test scores (I am still a junior)? I want to know on which university I have to concentrate.

Very unlikely. What is your definition of “top US university”?

Like an Ivy league, to be specific my top 2 dream schools are MIT and Stanford.

The eight Ivy League schools, MIT and Stanford do not offer any merit aid, only need-based aid, but that’s the least of your worries. Gaining admission to any of these schools is highly competitive, especially for international applicants. Of the 10 schools, only four are need-blind for international applicants, meaning that your need for financial aid may be a negative in the admissions decision at the other six schools. How much can you pay each year to attend college in the United States?

The acceptance rate for international students at these colleges is in the single digits. This means greater than 90% of international students who apply don’t get accepted. And that includes some students with very fine academics.

If you get accepted to these colleges, your grades will be part of what the colleges consider. Part. Not all. And these grades aren’t what is considered when the calculations for need based aid are made.

Frankly, every single international student should first and foremost have affordable options in their own country…so start there.

For the colleges you named, even U.S. citizens don’t have any guarantees for admission. And you have to be admitted to get need based aid at those colleges.

So forget about the chances of me being admitted I here these statitics literally everywhere, my question is if I get, and concentrate on the word “if”, can I get the FULL financial aid?
And by that I really mean full, because in my city you know, I’ve lives three wars and my people are facing the hardest times that most of them can nearly afford to eat. And that might be the strongest point in my applicathin though.
Thank you so much for replying and answering my questions generously(including this one lol)

The schools look at each person’s family financial situation to determine how much they will charge. Also, the universities admit the individual not family/city/country. Be very careful with the “I have had a difficult life story”. The application that they may have read right before yours may have been much more difficult.

What is your annual family income in US dollars? Do your parents own your home? How much is that worth. Do they have any other savings? How much?

How much can they pay per year.

The colleges you have listed provide need based aid only.

Adding…even those colleges that meet full financial need expect a student contribution and that can be several thousand dollars. Also consider the allowance for travel from where you live. The college might not provide aid that includes travel money. Your personal expenses will need to be covered by you, and this includes books. Don’t underestimate this.

Your ability to work here will be significantly limited.

Because you are an international student and because of Covid 19, no one here can guarantee that your expenses, as an international student, will be fully covered. The funding has tanked.
No one knows what the schools will be looking to accept.

You said “IF”; that’s a big IF. A number of internationals are rejected by all of their schools. You can apply, but no one knows who will be accepted and IF any dollars will come with those acceptances.

Yes, it is possible. There are students getting large financial aid awards, covering most of their costs , and there have been for years. Yes, some of them are at the top Us colleges. It is not impossible.

It is also possible to win the Powerball and other lotteries we have in the US.

By all means, give it a try if it is your hearts desire to do either of the above. I don’t personally know anyone who has won big at the lotteries but I do know folks who have gotten full or close to full rides to colleges.

You can apply…and see. That’s really all you can do.

But I urge you to have at least one affordable and realistic for acceptance option in you list. As it stands right now…every school on your list is a super reach…even for the very top students.

You need a much broader list than just this list of very very expensive colleges with very very low acceptance rates for international students.

What we are telling you is that although it is possible to get full ride financial air or full ride merit to colleges as an international student, the chances are very small. First of all, gaining admissions to schools that are highly selective is, by definition, very difficult. In order to get financial aid one has to qualify. Some schools do have highly competitive merit money.

International students have additional challenges in that very few schools Are both need blind in admissions and guarantee to meet full need. There are few schools that meet this standard for US students and even fewer for international ones.

Still, there are students who do so get accepted. It is a long shot, however, and it is recommended for ALL applicants to also include schools that have a higher percentage of panning out.

Getting a student visa is not going to be easy.

Getting the student visa is last step. Getting into the colleges, and then getting the funding is going to require a lot of work at slim pickings. However, students go for them each year, making them even more difficult to get. I encourage OP to start the process but to open mind up to more than just handful of most selective schools