<p>Hi,
I'm a high school student planning to apply this year. But there's a major problem.
Because I'm a international w/o U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, my admission process is need-aware for most of the universities that I'm planning to apply to. The only need-blind schools are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Amherst, MIT, Dartmouth, which I have no guarantee of being accepted. In that case, if I am accepted to a school that I really want to go but did not apply financial aid because of the need-aware policy, is there any way to get that money? And my parents aren't really able to pay for school because it's like more than $60,000 considering living costs, plane tickets, etc.</p>
<p>I know there are scholarship programs, but those aren't guaranteed either. I know someone who said attending one year and doing internships or working during the year helps take care of the financial burden. I want to know these in detail and other ways that are possible.</p>
<p>I think that if the school is not offering FA to international students, students can not get that money. Anyway, you can consider other schools that offer FA to international students.</p>
<p>*if I am accepted to a school that I really want to go but did not apply financial aid because of the need-aware policy, is there any way to get that money? *</p>
<p>No, there isn’t. You can’t earn that much while in the US. Your income potential as an int’l is very limited while here so that you’re not taking employment away from Americans.</p>
<p>Besides, if there were ways for students to earn $60k per year to pay for college, AMERICAN students would be doing that.</p>
<p>There aren’t many private scholarships here in the US for int’ls…certainly not ones of any substantial amounts. </p>
<p>You’d be silly to apply to need aware schools and not apply for aid if you need aid to attend. What good is an acceptance to a pricey school if you have to decline???</p>
<p>If your stats are high enough for HYPS, then they’re high enough for substantial merit scholarships to some universities. If your family can pay some of your colleges costs, then apply to some of those schools as back ups.</p>
<p>If you need financial aid, then APPLY for financial aid. There is no point in applying to a college and getting accepted…and then not being able to afford to go because you needed the aid.</p>
<p>If you DO get accepted, YOU will have to show proof that you are able to pay ALL college expenses (tuition, room, board, books, personal expenses) or you will not be able to get a visa to study here. This proof can include financial aid awarded by the college and approved loans you have secured.</p>
<p>As an international student, your ability to be employed here will be significantly reduced…if you are allowed to even work at all.</p>
<p>You are being penny wise and pound foolish. Just apply for need based aid and see what happens. </p>
<p>Bottom line…if you can’t pay for the school, regardless of the reason, you can’t attend.</p>
This person is 100% wrong. Don’t listen to “someones” who have no idea what they’re talking about.
Read this from mom2collegekids post again–and again. In fact, I don’t see why you wouldn’t consider universities with high merit aid as first choices, not just backups, if you truly want to study in the US and can’t pay your own way. There are so many excellent choices here; there’s no reason top confine yourself to the most selective schools in the country.</p>
<p>You should really put some colleges with a history of awarding financial aid to International students on your list. For example, with good stats for HYPS you are likely to be offered merit scholarships at Grinnel, Richmond, Tulane, and Trinity for starters. Also check out Davidson. Georgetown is need blind for International students, I believe.</p>
<p>The trouble comes in if you are looking at large public universities as alternatives to HYPS (e.g UMich or UCBerkeley). It is basically impossible for international students to get financial aid there. </p>
<p>I’ve known students who have asked for financial aid/scholarships after being admitted and were denied. It’s a waste of an application. Don’t try that strategy.</p>
<p>what exactly are the schools that are 1. need blind and guarantee full need to international students, and 2. need blind but don’t guarantee the necessary need to international students?</p>
<p>The schools in post 8 are the six schools are both need blind and meet full need for international students.</p>
<p>I’m not sure there is a list of the schools that are need blind but don’t meet full need for internationals. You could check the websites for the colleges you are interested in applying to…to see their policies regarding this.</p>
<p>Fact is MOST schools are need blind and don’t meet full need for U.S. citizens.</p>
<p>If the schools don’t guarantee to meet full need, what difference does it make if they are need blind when considering your application? You still likely won’t get a lot of need based institutional aid…which is all you would be applying for as an international student. Schools that don’t meet need typically gap students…meaning that they don’t provide aid to cover the cost of attendance minus family contribution. There is a gap.</p>
<p>Most schools will accept a student w/o looking to see if they have need.</p>
<p>However, Int’ls are supposed to show that they have all costs covered, so some schools won’t give an acceptance if the student can’t submit the financial forms to show that he can cover his costs minus any scholarships that he might have been awarded.</p>
<p>How much can your family pay?</p>
<p>(BTW…don’t think that you can “slip thru” by not applying for aid the first year, and then applying for aid as a sophomore forward. At schools that give aid to int’ls and are need-aware, they’re on to such antics and often have a policy to not give aid for later years unless the primary breadwinner has died or some other serious new issue has occurred. These policies have been put in place because some int’ls were paying for year 1 (and not applying for aid), but then after depleting all their money, applying for aid).</p>
<p>At many places, if you do not apply for institutional need based aid as an incoming freshman, you cannot apply for it in subsequent years.</p>
<p>This is to prevent just what mom2 is saying…someone who somehow manages to eek out enough to pay for ONE year, but then needs $60,000 in need based aid for three subsequent years. Schools that meet full need have to be able to plan ahead.</p>