Hey everyone,
I am an international student on my gap year applying to US universities and today I received my admission decision from Lehigh, I chose it because of its unique computer science and business degree. Anyway, it was not as expected as they sent me an email stating that they can not offer me admission due to not contributing even though I can’t as a low income student I mean on their website they claim to meet 100% of one’s need. They also said if i had additional funds, I should contact them so they can offer me admission as they said they were unable to admit me because of my zero financial contribution even i am good at academics. I know that I can still apply else where but I guess I should contribute no matter where i will go even if its little as most students from my country last year had to pay at least $8k, I will def ask them how they funded it. Long story short I’d be very happy if somebody recommended some additional scholarships i can apply to or give some advice. Thank you 
Financial aid for international applicants is almost always different than financial aid offered to US applicants.
Only a few schools meet full need and are need blind in admissions: Harvard, Yale. Princeton, MIT and Amherst. Otherwise, you have to apply for merit scholarships, and deadlines may be past. So sorry!
Do you have a social security number? That is needed for federal grants (Pell).
Read this about Lehigh, which is need-aware and only offers aid to internationals until funds run out. Need can affect admissions.
Lehigh University provides need‐based financial assistance to a limited number of admitted non-US citizens who have applied for financial aid and who have demonstrated financial need. It is our goal to meet 100% of the demonstrated need (not including travel and personal expenses) for as many admitted students as possible with the limited funds available. Admissions decisions for non-US citizens are, however, need-aware. This means that international citizens will be evaluated for admission with consideration of the ability of students, guardians, or sponsors to pay educational costs alongside our holistic admissions process. Some candidates who apply for financial aid and do not demonstrate need may be admitted without a financial aid offer. Other candidates whom we would like to admit may be declined because we have exhausted our financial aid budget.
Even if you have a SS number, if you are an international student, you can not receive a Pell Grant.
The best aid is given by the schools. Most outside scholarships in the US are really small (one time awards of a few hundred dollars). It’s impossible to fund 4 years of residential college with those. Your best bet is to find a college that meets 100% of need for international students that is also need blind. I think there are only a handful of those. Most US students who attend college can’t afford residential college. They commute to a local community college or in state public. If you have any affordable options in your home country, make sure to apply there too.
To be a bit nit picky: There are a few universities that meet full need for international students but that are not need blind for admissions – it is hard to get admitted to these if you need full financial aid. However, it is not clear that they are any more difficult to get accepted to compared to the schools that both meet full need and are need blind.
The tiny handful of schools that both meet full need and are need blind are all exceptionally difficult for admissions. “Top student in your high school” is a start but is not likely to be enough for any of them as an international student.
Otherwise I agree completely with @austinmshauri and the other comments above. The best aid is generally given by the schools. Given how expensive university is in the US, finding enough financial aid to fully fund your education here is going to be tough.
Check out options in your home country.
A school determines what your need is. That’s why they ask for all of the information. By saying you can contribute $0, some schools think you mean you don’t want to come enough to sacrifice a bit. They are telling you they don’t want to cover 100% of your expenses but might be willing to pay some, if you do. Perhaps their institutional priority is to use their money to pay for a portion of 3-4 students rather than all of just 1.
I know it’s really getting harder each year however I still want to be hopeful of the fact that maybe one school would accept me and meet my need and by that I mean the less selective schools not including ivies because I intend to apply RD to them. I am contacting some local organizations and hopefully it works out for Lehigh but still i am open to applying ED2 to other school likely to be Trinity college do you think it’s a good decision in hope for a generous aid?
That’s an interesting point! Thank you for suggesting that I will discuss it with my mom and edit it if possible.
The schools mentioned getting a social security number for a “federal grant.”
I actually don’t have one
Sorry that was actually for expats- you would not have a social security. I need to find my glasses!
The universities are recovering from the Pandemic, where they lost millions in revenue from sporting events, university merchandise, cafeteria and franchise receipts, etc. They don’t have the funds that would be otherwise available to them. They are going to choose to fund 10 students with small amounts of scholarships/grants vs. paying tuition, fees, and room/board expenses for one student.
Unless you can pay full fees, you’re going to have a hard time finding a university that can fully fund you. It would be great for you if there were a school that could, but there just isn’t the money. Where would they get it from?
@K_miso this post is what you need to look for in the fine print for your other colleges. Or maybe for this one.
At minimum, they were looking for you to cover travel and personal expenses. If you put 0 then you did not demonstrate the need they were looking for.
Budget all of that out and then if you see that again you will know if your plan is viable.
Have you budgeted what those costs would be?
How much are flights to the US snd back?
Where will you stay during breaks between semesters and how will you pay for that? Do you have extended family here? How would you pay for travel to see them. Even if a dorm is an option, dining halls may be closed, so you will need good during breaks.
How would you pay for items needed for your dorm room? Where will you store those items in the summer? What will that cost? Many international students can not also work here depending on their visa, can you save money money from jobs at home? Tally all of that up so you know all of your costs?
You need to investigate how a US education will impact you. Financially, you need to be able to pay for your education. If you can find a school to fund your degree in CS and business, then you will be in luck. What happens afterwards?
The US universities will educate international students and that’s it. Immigration provides a Student visa. Once you graduate, you are expected to return to your home country because you wont have permission to work. Did you calculate this into your future plans?
If you study at a US college, you are a guest of the college and the country. As an international student, you will have a student visa and wontt have permission to work. Without being sponsored by a US company for a work visa, your future employment options would be in your home country. You need to understand this before you invest lots of dollars to come to the US for school.
In addition to the list Pathnottaken provided, another key expense is health insurance. All colleges require all students (not just international ones) to have health insurance in case of illness or emergency. It is sold by outside companies, not the school, and I am not aware of any school that pays that bill instead of the student/family (not to say there isn’t one, just not any I know).
Just for clarity…this is an international student. Getting a social security number will not make them eligible for a Pell Grant or any other kind of US federally funded need based aid.
and there are limits on who can get a social security number:
Social Security Numbers | International Students and Scholars Services (gatech.edu)
This is your main problem.
And this!
Are you aware that the health insurance alone will cost about $2000 for one year, if not more?
I suggest looking in your home country, or try again next year. Between now and then, do something amazing to make yourself really stand out. Be exceptional. I mean, like Greta Thunberg exceptional, so that they will be falling over themselves to have you. I’m sorry to sound pessimistic, but I think your chances of attending college in the US are small without you being able to contribute something more substantial.