Hey, I’m an 19-yo Indian male, deeply interested in Physics&Maths, and will be attending Delhi University (DU) this fall and start my undergrad in Physics. I’m interested in transferring to a good US university, which can provide me with financial aid as well; at max. I can spend only around $5k per annum (including tuition. living and misc. costs)
So, are there any universities that can give me 100% financial aid, or if any amount by which my total costs may come down to $5k p.a.
Also, I applied to 12 US uni. for the fall in 2020-21 cycle, and got rejected by all (except Reed, where I was waitlisted but eventually got rejected in May-June). These were :
Macalester, F&M, Colgate, Vassar, Reed, URichmond, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, Brown, Yale, Harvard (EA).
Any tips for improving my chances, if I chose to apply ?
Any help would be grateful. 
Tips?
Well…
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Your initial list was very top heavy. The acceptance rate for international students is low. Princeton, MIY, Yale and Harvard didn’t consider your financial need when considering your admissions, but the others did.
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You have made a decision to enroll in a college now. You will therefore be applying as a transfer student. MANY colleges have precious little aid for transfer students and even less for international transfer students.
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You need a much less top heavy list. Plus, I would suggest that any college that already denied you admission would again be a long shot.
So…my suggestion…
Get your degree where you are currently enrolled. Then think about grad school here. In my opinion, your chances of finding a college for $5000 or so per year here is very low as an international transfer student.
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Unfortunately, as an international student, your chances are low for most schools. You were previously rejected by all of the schools on your list. Why? You are asking for a full ride, and come from an overrepresented country. Now, as a transfer, your chances are even slimmer.
The pandemic affected the coffers of most of the schools, and they are watching their pennies even more so that before. You are asking for a full ride which doesn’t really exist.
You can try to apply to schools in the South and in the Midwest that may fund international students. Otherwise, stay and complete your education at DU.
(Your budget of $5k just begins to cover the health insurance fees, which are required by the universities.)
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$5000 would just about cover health insurance and travel expenses.
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Adding…even in the south and Midwest an international transfer student is going to have a very hard time getting funding that will bring costs under $5000 a year.
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A huge thnx to all of you who commented. 
Ohk so I’ll be completing my BSc (Physics) from DU, which is 3yrs here. Then, I’ll apply for PhD in US.
I’m already in top 1 percentile of the country, but even then, I’ll be working hard to get the topmost grades in college, along with acing the GRE and doing lot of research/internship work.
Anything besides this to boost my chances to get into MIT, CalTech, UC-B or Stanford for PhD ?
You will need to cast a broader net than just CalTech, MIT, Cal and Stanford. Start thinking outside of the prestige box.
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Agree with @thumper1.
Why does it have to be those universities that happen to be the most competitive in the US?
You are on a prestige hunt and that does not bode well for any future acceptances.
Those departments are small. There are over two thousand colleges and universities, in the US, that may have hundreds, if not thousands of students vying for specialty Ph.D.'s
The schools limit their budgets to known students and researchers currently doing specific research.
Are there no research institutions in your country???
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While there are, such as IISc (Indian Institute of Sciences) and TIFR, but I also want some exposure along with the research opportunities; and hailing from a low-middle income family these are the only top universities that I’ve heard about. Also, its not only US, but I may also apply to German or UK uni.
And … it’s not the final list, surely as time passes, I’d know about more and more opportunities(maybe within my own country too), and so I’m just primarily focusing on being my best(since colleges only play a part in our success, most of it depends on our OWN self).
The quoted line was just like saying “if I aim for the sky, I’ll at least get to the cloud, which is obviously far up from the ground”. That’s why if I’m competitive for the topmost colleges, I’d surely land in a better place.
Any other uni. you’d recommend, I’d love to check that out too!
And how has that worked out for you?
India must graduate around 20,000,000 students per year. The top 1% is therefore a cohort of 200,000 students. MIT typically enrolls about 5 students per year from India. The top 1% doesn’t cut it. Nor does the top 0.1%. Nor the top 0.01%. You need to be in the top 0.001% before you start to get competitive.
Had you aimed at something realistic instead of the sky, you might be in a US institution today. Just to pick two, Iowa State and Texas at Arlington have good physics programs, and give out better international financial aid than most.
I would also caution you against picking a graduate school based on perceived prestige. The best school in experimental nuclear physics is not Harvard. It’s either Stony Brook or Michigan State.
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There’s basically no financial aid for international transfers so thinking of a PHD makes sense.
To have a shot, you need to join a research team as soon as possible and climb your way up till your name appears as an author on a paper. I know it may be very difficult but applying to a PHD program without it is likely to result in rejection. In addition, having tutoring or teaching experience can help for teaching assistantships that cover tuition and offer a stipend. If you can be an asisstant to a professor, tutor A Level or would-be JEET competitors, etc, it’s a good idea to try.
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ohh … thnx for that.
I’ll surely try to be at my best.