<p>Hello there!
Thanks to everyone- I'm editting the 'dreamy' college list of mine!
The top-notch set is ready. Now for the safeties.</p>
<p>Can you suggest a Liberal Arts College which could be a good experience.
Good acceptance rates and finaid/scholarships for internationals should do well, I think.</p>
<p>And how was your college experience? I've great expectations :)
Thanks a lot! It's great to have your help!</p>
<p>As far as I know, most universities except for HYPS don’t really give decent financial aid to international students. You have to cover most of it yourself.</p>
<p>there’s no such thing as safeties for internationals. much less with scholarships and finaid, unless you’ve got a truly stellar academic record + extracurricular portfolio.</p>
<p>^Agreed.
As far as I have understood, only Princeton and Harvard are need-blind towards international students. If you are good enough to get into those, then there is not really much reason to have safeties.</p>
<p>
That’s not true. A number of liberal arts colleges give a decent amount of financial aid to international students, although they may not be need-blind in admission. In fact, the average financial aid package of international students at the top 20 liberal arts colleges usually exceeds tuition and frequently covers most of the cost of attendance!</p>
<p>Really? That’s pretty nice.
Well, Wharton only gives about 50% and I would think it’s the same thing with Yale, since they aren’t need-blind either.
It depends on your definition of ‘decent’. Even if they cover 70%, the last 30% is still a lot of money that many families can’t afford.</p>
<p>Well, Wharton was not a liberal arts college the last time I checked.</p>
<p>Yale’s average financial aid award to international students is $50,852, close to the full cost of attendance. Here are a few more figures from need-sensitive schools of varying selectivity:</p>
<p>Dartmouth: $43,063
Swarthmore: $42,728
Smith: $42,859
Colby: $44,118
Dickinson: $40,023</p>
<p>Remember that those are average awards, not the top awards.</p>
<p>Above colleges were the first colleges that came to my mind, I did not pre-select them for their generosity. Check a few colleges yourself if you don’t believe me.</p>
<p>Ah yes, of course. My point is though, that GETTING IN non-need-blind liberal arts is very difficult, although once you get in the package is decent.
With Harvard and Princeton, you have equal chance as American students.</p>
<p>
You do NOT have the same chances as American applicants. You have the same chances as other applicants from your home country who will not apply for financial aid. However, most international applicants will still be at a significant disadvantage compared to American applicants.</p>
<p>I think it is wrong to discourage students from applying to need-sensitive colleges. Yes, the chances of a financial aid applicant might be lower than the chances of a full-paying applicant at a need-sensitive college. However, the chances of a financial aid applicant being admitted to #20 liberal arts college are still higher than the chances of the same applicant being admitted to Harvard, so it’s definitely worth to apply.</p>
<p>For example, Mount Holyoke’s international admission rate is 25% compared to Harvard’s estimated 4%. While I don’t know their exact international financial aid admission rate, it must be at least 10% (90 students enrolled on financial aid each year compared to ~900 total applicants). </p>
<p>Suppose for argument’s sake that MHC’s international financial aid admission rate is 15% compared to 4% at Harvard. It also seems safe to assume that Mount Holyoke’s applicant pool is less strong than Harvard’s pool. I would conclude that an international student has a much greater chance of being admitted to and receiving adequate financial aid from Mount Holyoke than from Harvard.</p>
<p>Interesting. I need to choose carefully. Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Try pomona college…am international n am going there with almost full ride nxt year (97%)…n its arguably da best LAC in the country n definitely the most competitive with class of 2014 admission rate of 14.7%</p>
<p>Speaking of need-blind colleges, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, and Amherst (LAC) are all need-blind. Middlebury & Williams used to be, but turned out to be short of funding. However, them being need-blind does not mean that you are being evaluated within the U.S. pool. It means that within the international pool, your financial status will not affect your admission chances. What b@r!um said is correct – do not be discouraged from applying to non-need blind LACs – they oftentimes do award generous aid. Pomona, I think, is a little strict with aid, but Middlebury, Williams, Bates, Carleton, Bucknell, Bowdoin, Grinnell, Colgate, and Oberlin come to mind as attractive options.</p>
<p>According to this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/449605-how-much-does-not-applying-financial-aid-change-admissions-chances-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/449605-how-much-does-not-applying-financial-aid-change-admissions-chances-4.html</a></p>
<p>Internationals, who need FA, who apply to NEED-BLIND universities are put in the same pool as American students. The guy who claims it, says he knows an admissions officer from MIT.</p>
<p>I think you are misinterpreting the statement. Here’s the conversation:</p>
<p>
I am reading the conversation as follows. The first poster thinks that international financial aid applicants are always sorted into a separate pile, even when colleges say that they are not taking need into consideration. This would make all colleges, including the need-blind ones, “need-aware.” The second poster says that need-blind colleges do not make this distinction. He seems to refer to the distinction of full-paying international applicants vs international fin aid applicants, not international vs domestic.</p>
<p>The first poster (from the conversation quoted in post #15) does bring up an interesting point though. College admission, at the top schools in particular, is and should be “need-aware.” </p>
<p>Our financial situation determines the resources available to us and the social circles in which we grow up. Our background is reflected in various parts of our applications, less subtly in some contexts than in others. Admission officers will undoubtedly be aware of it as they read our applications and take it into consideration as they see fit.</p>
<p>In that sense I doubt that any college is truly “need-blind” in the literal meaning of the word.</p>
<p>(Of course need-blind is usually used as a technical term that refers to an unlimited financial aid budget.)</p>
<p>as usual barum! offers factually correct and insightful answers. nice job, barum - you’re an invaluable resourse on this forum :)</p>
<p>Yes, thanks a lot, Barium.</p>