<p>International Student (Hypothetical): </p>
<p>Single Parent
$50,000 income.
$800,000 house worth
$30,000 debt. </p>
<p>What would be the financial aid? </p>
<p>Student savings $2,000</p>
<p>I don’t like to waste time satisfying someone’s hypotheticals–there are enough real people with real situations asking for help here and they get my first priority. And that situation sounds a bit odd with the outsize house price vs. income, so I don’t think commenting on that situation helps very many people.</p>
<p>But I can tell you that you will likely get nothing from Berkeley. As a public school the first priority is to serve students in the State of California so scholarship funds almost never get given out of state. The look for full payers. Michagan too, although a better chance to get partial aid. It is the private schools that give the large need based aid.</p>
<p>I don’t know how international students estimate aid. U.S. students use the Net Price Calculator on the college website. You might give it a try.</p>
<p>Debt is not a factor in financial aid.</p>
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<p>Oh please…stop with they hypothetical. According to other posts, you are from Australia.</p>
<p>First hurdle, you need to get ACCEPTED at these highly competitive colleges that give very generous need based aid. Some on your list are need aware for internationals, meaning that your ability to pay WILL be considered when you admissions application is considered.</p>
<p>These schools accept roughly 5% of applicants. In the 95% or so who are denied admission! there are many extremely well qualified applicants. You application will be reviewed in the international pool of applicants which tends to be very strong.</p>
<p>So…apply…and then see what happens.</p>
<p>But you need to also have some less selective schools on your list that would give you sufficient aid to attend. Your list is extremely TOP heavy.</p>
<p>OH…and don’t apply ED. You need to compare financial aid packages. </p>
<p>If you do gain acceptance, I believe your aid will be fine. I’m assuming that $800,000 house is your primary residence (I always wonder how a student from a very low income family can have such a house).</p>
<p>Sometimes that happens post-divorce, when one parent is awarded the family home. The home could also be inherited. The OP should be aware that colleges will vary in their calculation of the significant home equity and the impact on financial aid.</p>
<p>Colleges have net price calculators on their web sites. Use them to get financial aid estimates (if you are not a US citizen or permanent resident, be wary if the net price calculator does not ask about that).</p>