Financial Aid for International Transfer Student

<p>I'm an international who is considering applying to Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Stanford, and Cornell as a transfer student. However, I'll need some financial aid to supplement my family's contribution to the cost of my education, and all these colleges state that they have limited financial aid for international transfer students. Should I apply anyway and hope that, on the very slight chance that I'm accepted by any of these institutions, I'll be awarded at least 4000 to 9000 dollars? Common sense tells me not to bother, but on the other hand, an unrealistic sense of optimism is urging me to apply. xD I'd really appreciate your opinions. Thank you. :)</p>

<p>An unrealistic sense of optimism huh? Apply! At least you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you applied, and if you get accepted, hey, who’s complaining? As I’ve heard, the prospects of an international transfer getting financial aid are very slim, even at the top private universities. It’s a good thing that you are not applying to public universities or Caltech, because they outright reject the possibility of Intl. transfers getting aid. You could explore some scholarship options or grants or get sponsored by previous alumni. Honestly, seeing that you are only asking for around $4k to $9k, it seems you are very capable of paying almost all of the fees and so the option of being sponsored by an alumni isn’t very likely for you. Alumni usually sponsor really poor students from Africa.</p>

<p>I would seriously advice you to check any scholarships or grants that you might be eligible for. Go for it! :)</p>

<p>Also go and check out how much does applying for FA hurts your chances. Transferring to top colleges is very tough because many kids with 4.0 GPAs in their freshmen years would be competing with you.
So if you really need FA and cannot attend without it, apply as a freshman. If you can do without FA and only need very little, do not apply for it.</p>

<p>AHH. I am also trying to apply as an international transfer. I havent decided exactly where but seriously any place that might give me sufficient financial aid will be fine.</p>

<p>right now im at Ohio Wesleyan University which was my safety safety school but i didnt get into many of the colleges i applied to as a highschooler.</p>

<p>my highschool gpa is a 3.75 and i did 7/8 AS levels I think I’ll even get a top in Asia award in Business Studies maybe because i scored a 100 in it…not sure though.
my current first semester gpa is 3.84 because of 2 As and 2 A-s ( I had no idea A- would bring gpa that down!!!) im really worried about that but what can i do now…
my extra curriculars were heavy in highschool… vice president of student council, volunteered in a lot of places etc. but in college all ive really done is got a part time job and intramural soccer… </p>

<p>my main reason to leave is that i REALLY REALLY need financial aid. yet, i know i deserve a good school so i dont want to go to a really low one… what do you guys think would be good for me? What type of schools would accept me and give me financial aid so that i only have to pay like 15,000 dollars?? also, is there any other option than just waiting to see how much scholarship a college will give? Any international scholarships up for grabs out there? im so desperate… btw im from Nepal, if that does anything for me… meh. anyways thanks in advance!</p>

<p>It turns out my parents can’t afford as much as I originally thought they could. I’ll need somewhere between 20000 and 30000 dollars per year in aid. Should I apply even so? Do international transfer applicants with this much need get accepted by these colleges nowadays?</p>

<p>I am not sure. My gut says no, but you should apply!</p>

<p>Tizil your gut is right. There is Almost NO FA for Intl. They award say 1-2 from the whole world. So I guess dont be too excited.</p>

<p>My gut says no, too. I’d love to apply, but I’d rather not if it’s just going to be a waste of time, effort, and money. ;(</p>