<p>hey,
I'm an international student applying in USA. I've completed AS levels with 4As. I am currently doing A2 (final year of alevels). </p>
<p>I'm going to be giving my SAT exam this week. </p>
<p>Planning to apply to University of Chicago, Indiana Uni, NYU, Northwestern Uni. I just want to know if anyone knows about the likelihood of financial aid at these unis? Just personal experiences, that's all</p>
<p>Also, how difficult is it for an international student deciding to study in USA (freshmen; undergrad) to acquire financial scholarship. I would require a substantial amount too.. about 50-60%</p>
<p>First thing you need to do is to check the financial aid websites and call the financial aid offices and find out if those schools even give financial aid to international student. Some colleges don’t and you are wasting your time trying to get those funds from a college that bars giving them to you. The next step is to find out how much, % and other data to get some idea what the likelihood is for you to get the money. For some schools, like Indiana U or NYU, you know right up front that they do not meet full need for all of their students, or even for the majority of them. You can ask if the % of international students getting full need met is the same or what it is as compared to common data numbers over all.</p>
<p>The way it usually works is that those internationa; students who have very high academic or other qualifications to make the hot prospects for colleges, have a better chance of getting money from those colleges wanting them. An athletic scholarship might be possible from some schools for example, and very high SAT scores might make certain school more inclined to ante up the money for you. This is the case for all students, but for international students, the bar is higher. Few schools, for example, will guarantee to meet need, even as they define it for all international students, and many schools that are need blind for admissions for US students will not be for International students. So you need to complile a list with all of that info. For those schools with few or no merit money that also do not give fin aid to internationals, off the list they go, since there is no money there for you. You then assess the chances at each school and find some where you are likely to be a top candidate.</p>
<p>That a school is need aware for admissions for international students is not in itself an issue as such schools can be generous to those students they do accept. But do look at the numbers. IF they only accept a very tiny % of international students with need, you had better be in that same percentage test score wise to have a chance of being one of them. </p>
<p>So it will depend on how well you do on the SATs and whcih school you apply to. If you are an average student for that school and the school is need aware for you, the chances are not good.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse thank you so much for the reply!</p>
<p>My results have been fairly above average so far and I’m looking into Economics/Mathematics with Accounting and such for my undergrad. Granted I’m largely undecided about what to do yet, I’m still quite confident about what I will do</p>
<p>I’m quite good at football (soccer) and will try to get some sort of verification or evidence of playing football up till my 13th year in school.</p>
<p>I have heard about NYU and Indiana being quite stingy with scholarships but I have never been completely sure. Do you know any top unis for Economics that would be willing to supplement my tuition – apart from the ones I have listed?</p>
<p>I realised my mistake in that I have been so focused on studying for the SAT that I have not been able to research my unis with purposeful care and now I have to put in my 4 selections in the TCB website for which unis to receive my score :/</p>
<p>Mikey, NYU only met 100% of need fot 3.3% of their freshmen. So what do you think your chances are of getting your need met from them? Indiana met full need for 15.8% of their freshmen. I believe Chicago and NW met 100%, but I don’t know if those stats include international students and I don’t know for certain if either school is need blind for international applicants. I know they are NOT on the list of schools that are need blind AND meet full need for international students. Very few schools do that, and they are the most selective of all of the schools, Harvard, MIT, PRinceton, being some examples, so the chances of getting accepted may be smaller than getting accepted AND getting aid from schools that have some constraints. </p>
<p>You can see from the numbers that NYU is not a good bet number wise, but I know kids whose best package was from there. THey were in that 3%. Many schools are very, very generous to the sctudents they most want, but most schools do not have much for the vast majority of their applicants who need sizeable aid.</p>
<p>The people who did get in, do you have any idea about their abilities? I know unis have a wide criteria and choose on a holistic parameter but it would be nice to have a ball park.</p>
<p>Most of the students who meet the most selective critieria have very high test scores or some other special “hook” that a school wants at that time. If you have close to perfect SAT scores, the likelihood fo getting accepted to a highly selective school and getting the money to pay for it are higher. An athletic scholarship is another venue. Few people get full ride for the schools with ratings, reputation and recognition. When you aren’t the top of the top, you look for schools where your numbers will put you there. That 's the real work and challenge of finding a college here.</p>
<p>IU awards a limited number of Global Engagement Scholarships to incoming international freshmen each year. For fall 2014, these competitive, merit-based scholarships range from $1,000 to $11,000 per year. </p>
<p>Students who need financial assistance may apply for a need-based scholarship through iStart year-round. The amounts of the awards vary from $500 to $2,000.</p>
<p>so, even if you somehow super lucked out and got the most money, $13k per year, that would not be half of what you’d need.</p>
<p>NYU is awful with aid.</p>
<p>If you need 50-60% in aid, how much will your family pay each year?</p>
<p>Why not apply to a couple of schools that will FOR SURE give you large merit for your stats as back ups?</p>
<p>EducationUSA has two advising centers in the UAE. <a href=“https://www.educationusa.info/UnitedArabEmirates[/url]”>https://www.educationusa.info/UnitedArabEmirates</a>
Make an appointment with the counselors there, and find out where students with your profile have been admitted in recent years, and whether or not those students received any financial aid. The counselors have access to that kind of information. They can help you revise your list.</p>
<p>EducationUSA is a not-for-profit organization, so if there are any fees, they will be minimal and will go to maintain that specific office. The counselors are expert at helping students in your country find good places to study in the US.</p>
<p>You also could run a search here at CC, and identify other posters who are from the UAE. Some of them will have specific advice for you that we don’t have because we aren’t experts on your situation.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse,
Regarding athletic scholarships, what do you think I will need to tilt the scales in my favour? I play football till my 13th year in school and I am quite good. Up till the 11th year I was the senior cricket team captain. I can compete at a high level in swimming as well. The only downside is the lack of certification for this. For swimming, even though I am quite good, there were very little opportunities present in terms of inter-school competitions.
What schools do you think have a good athletic scholarship and a good athletic program for football (soccer) and swimming?
Greatly appreciate your reply!</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids,
Hey!
according to status quo, my father can afford around $1,700 per month. I realise it is quite small relative to my ambition in studying at a good college… but I’ll never let money be the imposition. </p>
<p>Can you be the judge in terms of what unis would be generous in their financial aid and would be a good university? I realise I am being very vague here and it seems I’m making you guys do all the hard work but I’m really just trying to grasp a general understanding of all the issues and opportunities present </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>@happymomof1,
Oh my! I’ll be very honest, I have always doubted these counseling institutions. But the fact from the outset that it is an NPO improves it credibility immediately in my eyes. I’ll definitely give this one a shot. </p>
<p>It is going to be very hard for you to get an athletic scholarship. Those go to recruited athletes…meaning the coaches have you on their radar screen because you are a star…and they want you to attend their school. Unless you are top in your sport, and have a coach at your school who can contact coaches here regarding your talents, I’d put this right out of my mind.</p>
<p>Talk to your coaches and others in the sport and ask if they have any connection to colleges in the US that might be interested in you. Also see if you can get film of your games and contact some coaches of US college teams and send an email. Most coaches have an easy to contact them along with an info sheet if you go to the website page for the sport. You need to do research as to what schools have soccer scholarships and where you are in terms of ability. There are also website for soccer and any sport where all of these things are discussed, message/discussion boards, and you can glean info from there.</p>
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