I am a first-gen student from a low-income household in Nigeria. I’m really interested in studying mechatronics and robotics engineering in the US and only few schools offer this program. My target school is Southern Illinois university Edwardsville but I’ll also be applying to other schools for mechanical engineering program. After graduating as the valedictorian of my class in 2021, I’ve been on gap years because of my family’s financial situation. For me to be able attend college, I’ll be needing a 100% need-based funding. My father’s annual income is less than $3000 and my EFC is $160 (if $1=750). Unfortunately, I also cannot afford the CSS profile fee for multiple schools so my list is mostly comprised of schools that gives fee waivers or use ISFAA.
My point for creating this thread is to seek for advice on which school I should apply to. The schools I know of that are able to provide full funding for international students are top schools. I need schools that have high acceptance rates and provide full funding for internationals. Below is the list of schools that I currently have and why I want to apply to them.
1)Washington university in STL (ISFAA)
2)Vanderbilt (ISFAA)
3)Cornell (CSS fee waiver)
4)Duke (CSS fee waiver)
(Dku fee waiver)
5)NYU (CSS fee waiver)
6)Stanford (ISFAA)
7)Harvard (ISFAA)
8)Northwestern (ISFAA)
9) Princeton (ISFAA)
10)Tufts (ISFAA)
11) Brown (ISFAA)
12) Dartmouth (ISFAA)
13) Amherst (ISFAA)
14) University of Miami (Stamps scholarship)
15) Southern Illinois university Edwardsville (meridian scholarship which covers full COA for four years)
16) University of Akron (low cost of attendance)
17) Wartburg college isfaa
18) Villanova university (CSS fee waiver)
SOME OF MY 2023 ACTIVITIES
Cyber foundation currently receiving cybersecurity, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing training.
It is exceedingly difficult to get a full ride to a US college as an international. Every college must be considered a reach. And if you do get a full ride offer you may need to pay for airfare, health insurance, books etc. It is fine to apply to US schools but you should also seek out affordable options in your home country.
Do you have any affordable college options in your home country?
What have you been doing since you graduated in 2021?
The Meridian scholarship at SIU is merit based, not need based. Besides graduating as valedictorian, what can you tell us about your academics…GPA, rigor, number of core subject courses, test scores, etc?
ETA:
There isn’t much overlap here, which is why happy1 said all US schools will be a reach for you. Even though Wartburg, SIU, and Akron may have relatively low costs, they also might not get to zero for you because they don’t meet full need for all students.
Howard University (which offers mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering) does offer scholarships to international students. Some years ago, a significant number of students from Nepal noticed and enrolled. However, at that time, the scholarships had announced GPA and SAT/ACT thresholds for various amounts up to full ride. Now, the scholarship web page (scroll to almost the bottom) merely announces their availability, along with indications that international students are eligible.
I would definitely look at Berea. It will meet 100% of need for the first year. For subsequent years you are expected to work in the summer (they will help you with a job) and save $1000 to contribute.
I suggested Howard because it has the OP’s desired majors and offers potentially large scholarships for international students. Berea, Morehouse, and Spelman would require compromising on major.
Thanks for your advice. I actually got admission into a university in my home country but I deferred it due to certain reasons. I just thought of using this period to apply to the US (more like trying out my luck)
I’ll give my best and accept whatever outcome I get.
