Earlier today, I heard a student in UCSF said that international students like her don’t have much chance to have FA?
Is it true and why?
UCSF is a graduate school in health sciences and research, so it would depend n which degree program. If this was medical school for doctors then yes, I think that is the case. International student don’t often get accepted to US medical schools at all.
@BrownParent: Thanks! I was looking for financial aid in a business school, and when I saw she said that I panicked, since I can’t afford much haha!
About a dozen or so elite colleges and universities offer excellent need based aid to internationals, think Harvard etc. A few others offer limited need based aid. Most schools only offer merit aid to internationals.
So unless you have the stats for a Harvard or Stanford you and you family will likekly have to pay all or a large portion of the cost.
Do universities in your country pay for many foreigners to attend?
@TomSrOfBoston : Not really sure though haha but I’m not that good, probably will not get into the Ivy League :). I was thinking about UC Berkeley or other schools that offer generous FA haha. Thanks anyway!
@GMTplus7: No, actually there are very few foreigners attend uni in my country haha! My language is not popular though. I think there are a few foreigners in RMIT (mostly Taiwanese, Korean or so…).
UC Berkeley is a PUBLIC university. Public universities tend to limit the FA given to students who are NOT residents of that state-- that applies to American citizens, too, not just int’l students.
You will get no aid at UC Berkeley as an international student.
Omg. So public universities give no aid for int’l students? I had a look at it and I really want to attend it though… And as an int’l student I can’t afford enough…
Does it mean I only have chances in private universities?
@TomSrOfBoston @GMTplus7.
Some public universities do give FA to int’ls, but not many. There are a number of public ones that do give very generous MERIT scholarships to int’ls. Univ of Alabama gives AUTOMATIC full tuition scholarships to int’ls with high SAT and GPA:
http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html
There are also many private universities which will give either merit scholarships or FA to int’ls. Read each school’s website carefully to determine whether intl’s are eligible. Each school had its own policy.
http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php
^^ note that this website has separate lists for 4-year universities, liberal arts colleges, and public universities
@GMTplus7: Thank you so much! You really helped! <3
Some public. universities give merit aid. UMass was giving 12k this year.
For pursuing merit aid, I would not waste time pursing those schools where your stats are not solidly in the top 25%, in relation to the school’s stats.
The schools which give the most generous need-based FA to int’ls also tend to be the schools that are the most competitive one to be admitted into (free anything will naturally attract huge crowds).
@gearmom: Thanks! I’m wondering if the universities that give merit aid to int’l studnets are in the top 50 or not. And sorry to ask but what “UMass” are you talking about? Uni of Massachusetts Boston, Armherst or Dartmouth? 
“UMass” typically refers to UMass Amherst
To maximize your chances of getting an opportunity, you need to be open to considering schools beyond just the top 50. I urge you to read the many posts from int’l students who imprudently applied only to the most elite schools and ended up empty handed.
Be pragmatic. Cast a wide net.
@GMTplus7: For me, if it covers 30-50% of the fee, it is good enough, since I’m not academic result is not super good. My parents wouldn’t let me go abroad if the uni is not in the top 50 or maybe at least top 100; so as I saw public uni are a little bit cheaper, I thought I’d want to give UC Berkeley a try (it stands #10 in marketing and I’ve decided to do marketing), but it turns out I have no chance… (That’s sad huhu).
And yeah thanks for your answer, you give the best advice! I will definitely take a look!
I think the advice about casting a wide net is especially wise if you either have to go to an American college or not go to college at all. Someone in that situation (where it’s either go to college here OR nowhere) shouldn’t be too picky I think if you are comfortable attending college in your own country if you can’t get into/afford a top 50 or so university in the U.S., then it’s OK to narrow your focus to just those and save yourself some money in terms of application costs.
In addition, what some people end up doing (depending on your preferences – this may not apply well to marketing specifically) is to go to the best school they can afford for undergraduate and then target a top school for their graduate degree. Financial aid past the undergraduate level operates on very different rules than for undergrad (as other posters have mentioned) so that might be something worth considering if, a few years down the road, an MBA makes sense for your career goals.
Zoey, most of the top 50 colleges will have price tags of greater than $50,000 a year…some greater than $60,000 a year. You have a number of issues.
- Some schools are need aware for international students. This means your ability to pay will be considered when you application for admission is reviewed.
- There are schools that guarantee to meet full need for international students (those tend to be the most competitive for admissions. There are schools that give reduced aid to international students, and there are schools that give no aid at all to international students. Ypu would need to check the websites for each sxhool you are considering. This applies to need based as well as merit aid. You need to check each school for what they do for international students.
- There are only six colleges that are both need blind and guarantee to meet full need for all international students who are accepted. They are highly competitive colleges.
- Even at the generous colleges, there is almost always a student contribution...and this can be several thousand dollars a year. Also, some schools do not give need based financial aid for things like personal expenses and transportation. Some do.
Your need based aid will be determined by your parent income and assets.
Merit aid is based on your SAT or ACT score, and your GPA.
What are the above things?
What are your parents saying about how much they can pay per year?
Let’s talk specifically about Berkeley. You are not a CA resident. That being the case, you will be exoected to pay the $23,000 differential between OOS and in state costs, plus whatever Berkeley determines should be your family contribution. In addition, it’s a highly competitve university, and an acceptance there is not guaranteed for you.
What are your interests? And how much can you spend. What are your academic stats? With those,more naps folks could give you some realistic choices to consider.
what are your stats?
how much will your parents pay each year?