I dont think its fair that they have to pay so much, or just get barely any money. How is it fair for them??? For example, what if a kid is a genius from Tajikistan, and his parents devote their lives to getting him to a better college than the ones in Tajikistan, and this kid applies to a bunch of schools in America, and gets accepted to a top college but they barely give him any money?
To look at it another way, if the genius in your example is accepted to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, his/her full need will be met. How fair is it that another kid is born with lesser DNA, is only very, very smart as opposed to a genius, works very hard, and is rejected by these schools?
Look at it from the standpoint of US families. Why should US schools give international students any money? Their families don’t pay taxes here and, in most cases, those students can’t work here after graduation. Given the choice between giving an international student more money or giving a US citizen a larger grant, who do you think most Americans would choose?
@austinmshauri im an american applying to US schools and I see what you mean, its just I dont think that the kid from Tajikistan or Nairobi should at least be given a fair chance, not just in admissions but also in attendance
@sherpa I like the HYP thing about aid, but thats such a rare exception!
The world is full of brilliant people loaded with potential. Our colleges can’t afford to give all of them a free education.
@austinmshauri ughhhh, i wish though
also colleges, unfairly or not, want to continue to be appealing to a wide variety of partial- or full-pay American students. If the college becomes heavily weighted with one area of the world (say China or India), it may not be as appealing to Americans. Unfair, perhaps, but understandable.
How is it fair that one kid is born to a family with millions and another kid is born to a family who can’t even provide enough food to keep her from becoming malnourished and stunted?
What about all the American students who qualify academically but can’t afford to attend some of these colleges? Do you think it’s fair some of them are full pay or get minimal aid?
“I dont think its fair that they have to pay so much, or just get barely any money. How is it fair for them??? For example, what if a kid is a genius from Tajikistan, and his parents devote their lives to getting him to a better college than the ones in Tajikistan, and this kid applies to a bunch of schools in America, and gets accepted to a top college but they barely give him any money?”
It’s entirely fair. These are American colleges. They don’t owe anything to international students. Harsh but true. I think it’s entitled, frankly, when I see posts from internationals acting as though American colleges “owe” them some amount of money or that they’re entitled to a free or low cost education in the US.
@sherpa @PurpleTitan @austinmshauri @Pizzagirl @donnaleighg thank you all for the insight
I live in America and if I wanted to apply to oversea colleges, I would not expect them to give me need based aid. Merit, maybe. But they have no obligation to pay for my education. If cost is such a big deal, use the resources within your country. Similar to a student in America choosing a CC over a more expensive 4 year college.
I’m glad my kids go to school with International students. That’s one of the reasons we want them to go to such a school. And, I’m particularly glad that they’re not all the wealthy ones.
As an American who lives/works abroad and pays a crushing income tax bill to to USA and gets no tuition breaks for my American kids to go to college in their home country, I am SICK TO DEATH of hearing int’l students whine about this. Your country doesn’t enroll American kids in its college for free, so GET FREAKING OVER IT!!!
OP says s/he is not an international student. I don’t know why the situation seems unfair to OP though.
These are American universities, fundamentally funded (and otherwise resourced) since inception by American citizens and their capital: tax dollars, individual gifts, farsighted Federal/state policies that incentivize educational charity, tuition/fees, research grants, foundation and corporate donations, support from religious and philanthropic groups, and much more. Therefore, @thegrant, it seems to me that it is eminently fair for Americans to receive the principal return on trillions of THEIR dollars – not resources from Tajikistan, or anywhere else – invested American higher education since the Seventeenth Century.
We welcome foreign scholars and we seek diversity of ideas, values, culture and backgrounds. However, your statement, “I dont (sic) think its (sic) fair that they have to pay so much, or just get barely any money. How is it fair for them???” is (in my opinion) simply as absurd as it is naïve. You act as if these institutions “belonged to the world.” They do not, although many American universities are preeminent global resources. In fact, the public universities are owned by the applicable taxpayers and the private universities are the property of their Trustees (etc.). If Tajikistan – or any other nation – desires primacy in a superior higher educational system, let them make the investments in intellectual and monetary capital to EARN it.
I’m not an international student, Im just thinking about them
“I’m glad my kids go to school with International students. That’s one of the reasons we want them to go to such a school. And, I’m particularly glad that they’re not all the wealthy ones.”
I’m glad my kids go to school with international students too. That’s not the point at all. It’s the entitlement that American universities, funded by American resources as TopTier spells out in post 15, “owe” international students something that is galling.
It’s the same way most state universities have their primary mission to benefit the students who live in that state and whose families paid taxes to that end.
@thegrant: Why don’t you provide the funds your parents (and others) have saved for your higher education to some poor, but clearly deserving, foreign student . . . thereby literally “putting your money where your mouth is” (to employ a long-used maxim)?
Its absolutely fair. Americans don’t go to university abroad for free. Many Americans can’t afford college and its a huge sacrifice.