AKRON INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS AWARD
The Akron International Scholars Award is a full tuition, room, and board scholarship awarded to a small number of outstanding applicants who also demonstrate significant financial need.
The application will be posted shortly. http://www.uakron.edu/international/scholarships/index.dot
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
You are allowed to post the link. However, IME, 2 of the colleges on that list are ones that few international students are targeting. Also, while one can link to Wikipedia, one should remember that, as they themselves say, it is “the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”
@MYOS1634 So it’s okay if I apply there?
You have to look at their merit scholarships and see if one is a full ride. If not, then they don’t offer any need based aid and URoch isn’t possible.
@MYOS1634 They actually offer need based aid, and they appear to have one full ride.
Are you sure? Because last year I was directly told they don’t - merit only. But if they do offer a full ride then you’re good 
@MYOS1634 They asked for the CSS Profile, so I suppose they do offer need based. Anyway, thanks.
Requiring CSS profile doesn’t mean they will give you need based aid. they can just use it to determine your financial situation
@paul2752 That could be the case. The new Handler scholarship takes financial situation into consideration.
So I’m in a bit of a dilemma: To apply or not to apply to Howard University
My concerns are primarily financial-
First there’s their unwaivable application fee. I think I can manage that one from my own pocket, but it’s tight, and I could spend that sending my SAT score to at least three more schools or filing 2 CSS Profiles
Next, there’s the issue with TOEFL. English is my native language, and so the TOEFL shouldn’t be required of me, but every international student I’ve spoken to says the TOEFL is mandatory. Supposedly I can wait to take it after I’ve been accepted, but still, I don’t know where the money will come from.
Third, the WES evaluation. This is expensive, but also mandatory. They say differently on their website, but I’ve talked to students from my country, who said they had a lot of problems because of not having one. I can also wait until after a decision.
So most of my problems, apart from #1, can wait until a decision, and by then I may have other offers and not have to worry about those. But this is a problem in itself, because what if, somehow, scarily, I don’t have any better offers or any other offers at all? Then Howard becomes, in a way, a safety. (I’ve seen the acceptance rate but it’s literally the only school I think I may have a chance of getting into, or getting in on a full ride)
So I don’t know what to do, and would really appreciate any advice.
@gigichuck, have you explicitly mentioned that you are a native speaker? That doesn’t make sense because I am a non native speaker with high SAT score, and no school including Howard required me to take TOEFL.
I would still apply to Howard University.
@paul2752 Did they require the WES Evaluation?
I graduated US high school so no.
@paul2752 Thanks. What if it comes down to Rice vs Howard? For Rice, I’d only have to pay for the CSS Profile, but for Howard ^^. But Rice’s acceptance rate is low, so Howard wins there. For Howard, I’d be competing for merit aid even if I get in. Rice meets full need, but is need aware.
Have the Howard scholarship conditions been posted for 2018-2019?
Perhaps hold off on Howard till you know your score (do send the score there just in case but before you decide to apply and pay WES wait till you know whether you have 32+ or whatever the numbers are).
@MYOS1634 Thanks. I’m using the 4 free SAT reports. If I send it to Howard free, then I have to pay to send it to Rice, because the other three spots are already done deals, and then there isn’t enough for Howard’s application fee.
I think I’ll send it to Rice. I have a couple of other schools for merit aid anyway, and Howard aid is always uncertain.
Rice accepts test scores on the transcript. Your adviser/counselor/principal/headteacher/form teacher will have to include them in the school report they upload on commonapp, section “Testing”.
@MYOS1634 I actually emailed them about that, and they said explicitly that they only take scores from testing companies, and do not take from the transcript.
Argh just last year they did !! They must have changed it for your year, it really sucks.
Sounds like Howard is out then.