So I was wondering if anyone has any previous past experience with financial aid for international students. I am applying for universities that meet 100% of the reported need for admitted applicants, but I am worried about the ‘reported need’. I have been told that there’s a stronger strain on universities to get international students to pay a larger share of their tuition.
So what i wanted to know is whether the tuition one has to pay due to having a certain amount of income/assets is essentially the same for international students and domestic ones, or is there a significant difference? If so, does anyone have any insight on how they work?
If what you really want to know is whether the NPCs at 100% need-met schools are accurate for int’l students, then the answer is NO.
Colleges are always more reluctant to give a lot of need-based aid to int’l students, because it’s very difficult to verify overseas income & assets. It’s easy to lie.
Another thing to consider is that the colleges that will give 100% of demonstrated need to int’l students are most insanely competitive ones to get admitted into.
The tricky part about ‘need’ is that it’s not actually what you say you need but the university’s assessment of what you need. Many people (domestic or international) find that what the uni says they can pay their families can’t (or won’t) pay. Once you have been admitted to a ‘meets need’ uni, they do not apply a harder standard on the financial aid just because you are international.
Hmm. I see. Are you aware of how the universities fail to assess need properly? Do they take recent employment and lack of assets into account? How about family size? I know an accurate answer is difficult to get but let’s say for a family of four earning slightly less than $65,000 a year. How much would should it expect to pay in general ball-park terms?
I’ve seen for the domestic student aid list the family pays less than 10,000, would it be accurate to apply the same calculation on an international student family to estimate that such a family would have to pay less than 10,000? If anyone has any experience with this I’d greatly appreciate it.
The formulas do take into account employment, assets, dependent children, other children in university, etc. If you are trying to estimate your costs, my suggestion would be to email one or more of the colleges you are interested in and ask if the online NPC (net price calculator) is representative for international students, and if not, if they can give any guidance.
I am not sure that I understand exactly what you mean- it probably matters what you mean by ‘properly’. If you are asking why the university might say that you can afford more than you think that you can afford, then there are several answers. For example, some families have complex financial situations that can’t be captured in a single formula or have assets that are difficult to value. Families whose assets include property or a business may not have a lot of cash, and may not want to borrow against those assets. Based on what I have seen (anecdotal evidence!) most of the time it is the difference between the family’s overall view of their finances (and their idea of how much university ‘should’ cost), and the university’s calculation.
@Madison85 I understand these universities are extremely competitive to get into, especially for international students. The purpose of this post was to see whether I was doomed form the start. I think my stats are p good. I have a 1520 new sat, a 43/45 IB score, and am ranked rather highly. My essays and recommendations are rather good too. I’m not expecting to get in, obviously. However, I do think I have a somewhat average chance so might as well apply and see what happens.
There are only five schools that are BOTH need blind for admissions, AND guarantee to meet full need go for international students. This means that the vast majority of schools will consider your ability to pay when they consider your application for admission.
And coupled with that…Amherst and Yale do guarantee to meet full need for all and are also need blind for admissions…but admission rates for international students is UNDER 5%…maybe lower depending on where you reside. If you are an Asian student, your admission rate will be teeny tiny.
Some schools do meet full need fo admitted international students. Some have limited aid...and some have no aid at all. Check each website very carefully. And remember...the school calculates your need...not you.
What IS your family income in U.S. dollars. What can your family contribute to your college education.
You will not be eligible for any loans as part of your financial aid package. Ditto work study which is federally funded. And your number of hours you can work will be limited by your visa.
You will need to show documentation that your family has enough funds to cover at least one full year of college. Some schools actually require more than this.
And my questions to you…are you also looking at colleges in YOUR country?
Does YOUR country offer significant financial aid to students from other countries?
will meet 100% of need based requirements doesn't meant need-blind. I am aware of that. Vassar, for example, is not need blind but will meet 100% of all admitted students. I understand this makes it more difficult to get in but I do think I can try and be a tad bit competitive for the application. Also admission rates are low, I understand that. I'm merely taking a risk.
I checked that all schools I'm applying for claim they meet 100% of a students' need. Vassar, UPenn, Amherst, Yale, and Trinity.
My family income at the moment is below 30,000$ by a mile. One of my parents recently got employed so I expect that amount to increase significantly, but due to lack of savings I am rather concerned about whether this will be taken into account in the CSS/Profile.
I am aware of the limited work hours. I am currently working in order to get a bit of money for that specific reason.
What if I can't afford a full year but am granted enough financial aid to cover it?
Colleges where I'm from are too expensive, not an option, and almost no financial aid is offered. I want to study, and I require financial aid. U.S universities make up one of my few limited options. Why else would I bother with the hyper-competitivity had it not been my only choice?
I don’t understand your hostility towards me as a financial aid international student. I’m not taking FEDERAL aid, only institutional aid from universities, which are the same for all students regardless of ethnicities. So really, it doesn’t harm you or any American student in the slightest. Especially considering I’m not likely to get in (good scores and essays is nothing without international extra-cirriculars, something not available where I’m from.) YOUR country doesn’t offer any aid to international students. Private institutions do.
Yes, the 1520 is my projected SAT scores. I got the 1460 with only 3-days' worth of practice. I've done all new 6 SAT practice exams and averaged a 1550. I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that I can get a 1520. Still, I'm an optimist, and I wanted to see how my chances are under a best case scenario.
Your documentation can include college granted financial aid,mand approved loans you have gotten.
I’m not being hostile in the least. Even if your aid isn’t federally funded, many of these colleges DO use federally funded monies for many things…grants for research, for example. It’s not like these private colleges don’t take federal funding for some things. Most do.
But I digress. Your income is sufficiently low that you should garner good need based aid at the schools listed if you are accepted. So…apply and see. I would suggest ONE college in your country that is affordable be added to the list.
Also, most of these colleges do expect an annual student contribution even for low income students. This can start out at a couple thousand dollars a year, but usually increases as the years go on. For students eligible for federally funded need based aid, this student contribution is often funded with work study or federally funded loans…but international students are not eligible for those.
Also, most schools have an alloted amount in their cost of attendance for transportation. It is likely that your transportation costs will be higher than that amount…so that needs to be considered as well.
And lastly, some of these colleges do not provide lodging/meals during the longer school breaks (Christmas, spring break, summer). So, you will need to check the college policies for that, or be able to allocate funds to pay for this during these breaks.
What are your sure thing colleges on your list? Schools with a high probability of acceptance, that you like, that you can pay for (including aid)? You do need schools like that on your list as well. At this point, maybe…maybe Trinity would fit that as its not as competitive as the others…but really, in my opinion, right now, your list is very top heavy. I know you need full support to attend…but you also need an acceptance.
@Madison85 Heh, nowhere near. There aren’t any international or even that many national events where I’m from. I can’t compete with the other applicants who have Math Olympics or worked in labs or anything like that. I do have some basic stuff, some regional competitions in design, worked quite a bit in magazines and publications writing articles and similar stuff, founded an LGBT online publication and club in a conservative country etc… but that’s about it. It may raise a few eyebrows but from what I’ve seen, compared to other applicants, it’s nothing.
Int’l students need to be realistic. Fewer and fewer schools are giving much/any need-based aid to int’ls because verifying their financial need has become a nightmare. Plus the schools can’t “help” the pkg by including any fed aid…so it costs them even MORE if full aid is given.
Colleges have gotten wise to the extreme lying that goes on with int’l applicants applying for aid. Sometimes it’s easier to tell that an applicant is truly needy…sometimes not. There have been too many instances where colleges have discovered that real estate hasn’t been declared, bank holdings haven’t been declared, assets have been transfered to other names, under-the-table income is rampant in many countries, etc.
I remember a Greek student who “cried poor” to his top school and got full aid. The school somehow found out that the family was lying (lots of under-the-table income), assets, and fabulous summer vacations on their huge boat!, and his aid was rescinded and was told he had to pay the money back. Maybe a roommate ratted him out? I don’t remember what exposed him.
One thing I’ve noticed frequently is that some schools give “partial aid” to int’ls…and somehow, many modest income int’ls still come up with the $40k+ per year to pay the balance.
I don’t know if schools take into account “cost of living” in other countries…meaning that an income of $50k per year might be affluent in some countries since living expenses might only be $5k per year or so.
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Reported aid
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That means nothing.
Thumper isn’t being hostile…she’s just stating facts and advising.
That said, there are a large number of int’ls that seem to think that the US is paved with gold and ready to fund the world’s college education. Wrong. We don’t even have enough money to pay for most of our own domestic students…which is why so many have to commute from home to their local CC or state school. While it can seem wonderful that some of our privates are generous to int’ls, there are going to be some people that will wish that the generosity be more limited to domestic students and “diversity” of int’ls be gotten by those who can pay.
@thumper1 You’ll have to pardon me. I assumed by asking whether my country gives out financial aid you were accusing me of taking advantage of your country. I’m terribly sorry! It was a misunderstanding on my part.
I am fully aware of the contribution expected, and I’m currently working on that. The thing about the schools on my list is that unless I get a rather decent amount of aid, I can’t attend. I’m assuming I have a good shot at Trinity, maybe at Vassar I have an average chance? I’m not expecting anything for the rest, however.
@mom2collegekids Practically every school that offers need based aid to international student meets the requirements of every student that enters. There isn’t any money being taken away from domestic students as the only requirement is to simply be accepted (a feat that’s much harder for international students.) I am aware of this common misconception about the U.S being paved with gold however. I don’t think anyone actually thinks like that (speaking from personal experience.) From the way I see it most of us just realize that we have a much larger chance for advancement and a chance to receive a college education were we to study in the United States and get in to one of these competitive schools.
The universities I’m applying for are, again, committed to meeting 100% of my needs. It’s not an issue of the percentage of my need they decide to meet, the issue is with how they calculate my family contribution. I do understand that a lot of people don’t report their incomes. However, I am prepared to give whatever documents are necessary. I’m nowhere near wealthy,. However, recent employment changes means that my family income may rise a bit. This means that there’s a good income (Relatively speaking) with no assets. I’m just asking with it will be taken into account. Under a best case scenario, my family of 4 will probably earn somewhere around 55,000 USD if this new employment thing works out. I’m worried about how this will affect the calculated aid for international students. I believed international students had a strict formula for EFC, so I was just trying to see if anyone had any experience with it.