So I’m planning to apply Early Decision to Columbia University, however, it is impossible for my family to pay ANY tuition, even partial financial aids. I’m an international student so my application will be considered in a need aware manner. I need full financial aid. Will this DRASTICALLY reduce my chances of getting in?
I can’t chance you but the acceptance rate for international students needing full financial aid at Columbia is likely in the low single digits, so you will need to find additional colleges to apply to.
Do you have college options in your own country? Have you considered EU or UK options?
Are you still looking at studying both film and math?
How will your family afford to pay for your travel to and from any college, and other things like health insurance (mandatory in the US)?
Yes I still want both film and math. I have considered EU options but not UK. I will apply for EU but I haven’t considered any specific university yet. Regardless of the other options (currently I’m focused on researching Columbia), I know it reduces my chances, but the admissions committee still reads the whole application right? They don’t just throw away my application when they see that I want full aid. So even though it’s low single digits, it’s not 0? (Yeah I know, I’m too optimistic but I just want to decide if I should apply ED to Columbia)
Well I’m not a current or former Columbia AO, but yes, they will read your full application, and no your chances probably aren’t zero, but we don’t really know.
You do have good academic stats, but are you one of the best students in your country? That’s what it will take to gain a full ride scholarship at one of the best universities in the world.
Meanwhile read and understand everything on this page: https://isso.columbia.edu/content/applying-your-i-20ds-2019
Even if you were the most desirable international candidate in the world, it is unlikely that Columbia would give you 100% aid. They offer a mix of grants, loans and work-study. You will almost certainly have to do work-study. And they might make you take out international student loans.
The UK is likely to be less affordable as FA is almost non existent for internationals, with only a few exceptions.
When you apply early decision, you have to be aware that if they accept you, you are telling the university that you are going there, “no matter what”.
They don’t have to give you aid, and, often they don’t because you’ve applied ED, saying you’re going to go regardless of not having any funds.
People who apply ED know that the advantage of applying early is that they may get in. The risk is, no financial aid.
Yes.
Oh and if you are not a US citizen you don’t qualify for federal work study or any federal loans and grants. So if you need 100% financial aid, not going to happen.
Note this from the ED agreement (https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/ethics):
“Should a student who applies for financial aid not be offered an award that makes attendance possible, the student may decline the offer of admission and be released from the Early Decision commitment.”