Getting 'invited' to apply

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi all,
a few months back i got an email from a univeristy i wont name saying that 25% of intl' candidates get merit aid and that i should apply, so i did.</p>

<p>i scored 2060 in the sat, 800/770/650 in sat iis and this university is by no means top-tier/very selective.</p>

<p>so my question, is this kind of thing commonplace in america? is it really a moneymaking scam or does this kind of thing happen a lot? I'm an internationall applicant and find it v. frustrrating to have wasted an application fee and gotten references just for this place only to be offered no aid!</p>

2

<p>Yes it is pretty common for schools to send unsolicited mail inviting students to apply. They get the names, I assume, from ACT and SAT forms. At first we would get excited with the letters and brochures arriving - then it became annoying. We ended up with a large black trash sack full of letters and brochures (many of them duplicates, triplicates and above and non of which we had asked for).</p>