I have UC Berkley and UCLA as top choices but I can’t afford them because I’m an international student. What do I do?
What is your college budget?
Do you have family in California? Could you afford to attend a CA community college for 2 years and then transfer as a full pay student for years 3 and 4?
UCLA and UCB are California public universities so they are subsidized by California tax payers and most of the aid provided is need-based for California residents.
Both schools do offer some merit scholarships such as Regents/Chancellors and some departmental scholarships if you are top academic applicant.
Other than the few merit scholarships that are available, there is nothing you really can do if your college budget cannot cover the cost of attendance.
https://www.financialaid.ucla.edu/Prospective-Student/Scholarships
https://financialaid.berkeley.edu/scholarships
https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/financialaid_from_ucb.pdf
California schools aren’t affordable for many US citizens from other states as all they will qualify for is federal loans.
You need to put other schools on your list.
“I can’t afford them”
This sounds like the answer to your question. If you can’t afford UCB and UCLA, then you apply to different schools.
The Universities of California are funded by taxpayers in California. They exist to provide an excellent education to students whose parents are paying taxes to the state of California. They do not exist for the purpose of giving a low cost education to out-of-state or international students.
We live in a different state. We applied to schools that we could afford. UCLA and UCB were not on our list. Seeing your budget from a different thread, they probably should not be on your list either.
Take your top choices of UC Berkeley and UCLA off of your list because these are California public schools who cannot afford to fund non-residents.
Last time I checked, in CA, no in-state tuition status if you come for the purpose of education. Attending comm college for two years won’t do it. Plus I suspect visa issues.
find some wealthy parents…
seriously, it isn’t supposed to be affordable for most international students.
If you have the stats to be competitive for UCB, private schools like USD, LMU and perhaps even USC are highly likely to offer lots of merit based aid.
good luck
Scratch them off your list and apply to colleges you can afford. UCs are not affordable to many American families living outside of California.