<p>I'm an international student and need some kind of financial assistance. I know that getting a FA is really hard for undergraduates. Is it possible for me to earn a Merit-based Scholarships when studing at college?</p>
<p>Yes. You have to do like everyone else. Subscribe to Fastweb, google for awards, find all the goodies. Make sure that they do not restrict the scholarships you apply for, to just US students. Very hard to get, and most you get when you first apply. Most are through the colleges themselves. Far fewer for those already in college.</p>
<p>If you are still applying to college, read the threads on automatic merit aid and on competitive merit aid at the to of this forum. Some of those scholarships are open to international students. There also is a thread at the top of the Parents Forum that lists places known to be generous with merit aid. Some might have money for internationals.</p>
<p>If you are already studying here, your best source for merit money is probably your own college/university. Check the website for information about merit scholarships for continuing students, and ask your advisor.</p>
<p>Looks like this student is applying to top schools …ivies, Duke, etc.</p>
<p>You’re not likely going to find private scholarships to help you pay for those schools. </p>
<p>Fastweb, etc, scholarships are usually small and only for freshman year. And, you usually have to be a citizen.</p>
<p>If you need scholarship money and you have ivy stats, then you need to apply to the SCHOOLS that will give you the money. Hurry, tho, those deadlines are soon. </p>
<p>You’re a bio major. You don’t have to go to an ivy type school for that major. Virtually every good school will have an excellent bio dept. it’s not hard to have a very good bio dept.</p>
<p>How much money do you need? What are your stats?</p>
<p>If you are a senior, you may have missed the early application deadlines some colleges have for,scholarship consideration.</p>
<p>Check the guaranteed merit aid thread above to see if any will work for you.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: Thanks for your concern. My family is only going to provide me for 2 years of college expense, so it’ll be hard if I cannot get a FA. My scores are not bad, with a 2270 SAT(730CR 800Math 740W), a 2380 Subject tests, and a fine toelf.</p>
<p>thumper1: yes I am a senior student…</p>
<p>cptofthehouse & happymomof1: Thanks, I will definitely check those.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: Thanks for your concern. My family is only going to provide me for 2 years of college expense, so it’ll be hard if I cannot get a FA. My scores are not bad, with a 2270 SAT(730CR 800Math 740W), a 2380 Subject tests, and a fine toelf.</p>
<p>What does that mean? </p>
<p>Does that mean that your parents will spend $120k ($60k times two years)? </p>
<p>Does that mean that you can use $120k spread out over 4 years ($30k per year)??</p>
<p>Or does that mean that if you choose a cheaper school that only costs $20k per year, then your parents will only spend $40k total? </p>
<p>Your words need clarification. We need to know how much they’ll spend “in total” - which can be divided into 4 years.</p>
<p>Are you planning on applying to top schools w/o asking for FA…and then ask for FA for years 3 & 4? If so, that’s not a good idea.</p>
<p>Do you have a financial safety? For example, if you were to apply right now (before Dec 15), Alabama would give you free tuition for your stats. Your remaining costs - as an international - would be about $20k per year (including room, board, fees, insurance, int’l travel, personal expenses, etc)</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: </p>
<p>I mean I can use $120k spread out over 4 years. </p>
<p>I know that FAs are only available to students who have requested FA when they were applying. So I’m mainly applying for Ivies that have generous FAs.</p>
<p>$120,000 over four years? </p>
<p>Have you looked into any of the SUNY (NY State) schools. I believe their cost of attendance is $30,000 or less per year. And they are excellent schools. Binghamton and Geneseo are very good ones in particular. But so are others. SUNY Purchase is near NYC, and SUNY Stonybrook is on suburban LI, I believe.</p>
<p>Big question…if your parents can afford $30,000 a year for college, are you sure you will even QUALIFY for financial aid? Need based aid is determined based primarily on income and assets.</p>
<p>well, 60k in the first two years if needed.</p>
<p>Eric…the important item you need to consider is your family income and assets. Your story here keeps changing. Do your parents have $120,000 for your education or $60,000? Is the anticipation that this money will be out of current earnings (which implies a pretty high income) or is this college money sitting in a savings account someplace?</p>
<p>Well. I have to admit that our finacial condition is not that definite. Thanks for your concerns, yet I just want to discuss scholarships, not personal case. It’s complex and I cannot tell in a few words.</p>
<p>dang, I wrote a long response and then it went poof!</p>
<p>You need to make sure that you have ALL FOUR years funded before you choose a school.</p>
<p>Outside scholarships aren’t going to fund your needs. You’re an int’l. they’re not available to you in most cases. They’re also usually only for small amounts and for one year. </p>
<p>don’t be short-sighted and think that as long as you have the first two years funded, then it’s ok to go to a pricey school. A school likely will not give you big money for those last two years. You could end up with no degree after spending $120k.</p>
<p>For safeties, you need to apply to some cheaper schools. Some that only cost $30k per year…and some that will give you enough merit to get costs down to under $30k per year.</p>
<p>True. Safety schools already applied. I just want to find more oppurtunities for my funding, through Merit-based scholarships.</p>
<p>As an int’l, I don’t think we can help suggest where you can get outside scholarships. Private entities in the US that award merit scholarships usually always demand US citizenship. </p>
<p>In the past, when this subject has come up, the answer has been…look in your home country for scholarships that can be used here. Some countries have those, some don’t.</p>
<p>why don’t you try from your own home country ??</p>
<p>Unfortunately, EricPhoenix, the devil is in the details. If you don’t want to post specifics, it is hard to give you advice. Based on what you wrote, the only advice we can give you is to go to the sticky thread, check out merit and look up schools on the web (or even call) and ask if they require recipients to be U.S. residents/ citizens. If you are undocumented and live in the U.S., there may be schools willing to give you instate tuition and even willing to give you financial aid from their own money-- assuming you qualify for financial aid. If you are an international whose parents can afford two years of private college, you should include some colleges with lower costs on your list in order to get through all four years. As an international, you will not qualify for U.S. student loans nor will you be able to work if you’re here on a student visa. Work and loans are cornerstones of most U.S. college students’ strategy of paying for college.</p>