Looking for safety schools

College Search & Selection
1

Hello,

I am a student from Czech Republic and I would like to study in USA. However I can’t afford it (my parents earn about $30k a year). This is kind of a problem, but I can’t see myself anywhere else in the world but USA. So I know a lot of prestigous American universities offer scholarships (I don’t think I’m eliglible for loans), but obviously these are hard to get. So I was wondering if there are any less known colleges that award scholarships to students like me. I’m still not sure about my future career, but I thought about majors like computer science, managment, media design. I would really appreciate your help!

I’m currently 1/30 in my class, or 3/180 in my year. I have a few interests where I think I’m doing well. I’m in my sophomore year currently. I think I will be taking Math II, Biology and a language on SATs. I don’t think there’s a point in posting my GPA because it’s vastly diffrent from American.

I have one more question; I know it’s a bit off-topic, but do you happen to know how hard would it be to find a job in USA as a software programmer with a bachelors degree and 1 or 2 year experience? In case I wouldn’t get admitted.

2

What’s your GPA?

3

Honestly if you can’t get into the most elite universities that are need blind to international students, than you very likely won’t be able to afford to go to school in the US.

4

My GPA is 4.87/6 where
1 - 0-40%
2 - 40-55%
3 - 55-70%
4 - 70-85%
5 - 85-96%
6 - 96-100%
Usually though 6 is considered an A+. Also as I said my class rank is 1/30 or 3/180.

5

I think that the previous person who commented is being unnecessarily negative.

There are less prestigious universities that offer scholarships to many students to help get higher stat students into their schools. Some will care if you’re international, some will not. Also, some smaller state schools are often quite cheap in general.

https://www.desu.edu/admissions/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-fees
Delaware State University - says that they will cost around $31,000 overall including tuition, fees, room, board.

6

Congratulations on your school success!

I suggest you look at the thread for colleges that give good merit aid. In general it is difficult for international students to receive significant aid to U.S. schools, although I can’t say how it will work out for you. I like to provide this link for Miami of Ohio’s merit aid. I have no idea how it applies to international students. But gives you some idea of what a student can expect at a good solid university that gives generous merit aid.

http://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-grid/

There are many, many terrific colleges/universities (we use both terms for undergraduate studies, though there is a difference) in the U.S. For example, Miami of Ohio is a very good school with a beautiful, traditional U.S. campus.

Have you considered University Colleges in the Netherlands. They are modeled on U.S. liberal arts colleges (LACs), and all classes are taught in English. They are small schools affiliated with large Dutch universities (typically). They are excellent and cost EU students less than $10,000 per year (approximately). Students complete their degrees in three years. I’m thinking you could save a lot of money by doing your undergrad there and then coming to the U.S. for grad school, if you are thinking about grad school. Here’s a link to the one at Utrecht. There are about a dozen total, including in Amsterdam. Good luck!

https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/university-college-utrecht

7

Hello,

Perhaps you could explain to us what it is about US universities that attract you? I’m fairly certain you could find some of the same benefits/atmosphere in Europe at a fraction of the cost. Of course, that’s easy for me to say! I’m trying to convince my daughter to stay in Europe – and it’s not really working.

I know you probably really don’t want to hear this, but couldn’t you try Anglo-American and do a year abroad in the US? I know it’s too close, in the middle of tourist-land Prague, etc. I don’t find it particularly attractive either, but it’s cheap!

You could also try schools in Scotland, which cost less than 2,000/year tuition + room/board for EU students. St. Andrews has a ton of American kids, is a compact campus, etc.

Some US schools you might try (Google the Net Price Calculator) are Skidmore (huge international population and good aid), CalTech, Emory, Purdue, University of Iowa.

But I really think you can’t afford to come to the US for undergraduate. I honestly think you should stay in Europe and try to find a year-abroad program. St. Andrews will definitely offer that: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/csa-app/search.htm (put Computer Science in as program and you get to spend a year in Purdue, University of Virginia, etc.)

Good luck!

8

Well I do realize there are many amazing universities in Europe, but I want to study in USA. I also realize I cant afford it, that’s why I asked for less hard-to-get-into schools than, say, Columbia or MIT, who might award me scholarships.

I won’t apply only to American universities. I also considered Malta, Holland, Ireland and Scotland, which you mentioned. However, USA is my top priority. And while universities themselves might be similiar, the culture, how cities look etc are much diffrent. I dont think I can logically explain why I want to study in USA but following only logic in life would be boring, wouldnt it? :slight_smile:

Do you think I cant possibly find such schools because Im not good enough? Or do you advise me to study in Europe because its more secure?

And are there more scholarships for international students on graduate programs? If you could explain that to me that would be great.

9

It’s okay, I know I sound like a parent. I don’t think my daughter can logically explain why she prefers the States, either. Crazy kids! :slight_smile:

What I think is that you won’t find a school you can afford on your parents’ income. We have an income only a couple of brackets above yours and I am struggling to find a school we can truly afford (daughters and I are US citizens so we are out-of-state instead of international, even though we live only a couple hours from you). You will also have to think about how you will travel home or how you will pay to stay over holidays.

I can’t really say if you’re good enough for the top schools. You’ve got better stats than my daughter, probably. If I were you I’d find an interest and pursue it as far as you can.

For graduate students there’s the Fulbright. That’s all I know as we are not international.

I gave a couple of options to check out, by the way: Skidmore, U Iowa, etc.

10

You seem like a very good student. The issue is that U.S. universities generally give less financial aid to international students. Not to say international students can’t get aid, it’s just a greater challenge.

Public universities are often $30,000 to $50,000 per year for out-of-state (OOS) students, sometimes more. Most school-based financial aid goes to in-state students. I should note that these schools are primarily supported by state, not federal, taxes. So it’s the families of in-state students whose taxes are paying for the schools. An in-state student might pay $20,000 to $35,000 per year to attend a state school and an OOS might pay $45,000 to $55,000 to attend the same school.

Private colleges/universities cost more like $50,000-$70,000 per year. The wealthiest private schools will meet full financial need for all students. Relatively few schools, however, can afford to do this. And they are the most competitive in admissions (Ivy League and similar schools). Many private schools will essentially discount their costs by offering scholarships and other aid to students. This can frequently bring the cost down 25-50%. Only rarely do students receive full or almost full scholarships, though it is possible. So it is most often still quite expensive.

Check out the College Confidential thread for schools that offer good merit aid. Maybe you can find some schools and go to their websites to see how they treat international students for this aid. I know some include University of Alabama, Kalamazoo College, College of Wooster, Denison University, etc. U.S. universities don’t get many Czech students, so that might be a bit of a “hook” for you.

Grad school can also be expensive, especially for professional programs like medicine, business, law. However, these often lead to high salaries so taking out loans might be worthwhile. For other academic disciplines like anthropology, history, and others, grad students can receive research and teaching fellowships that cover many of the costs. Good luck!

11

You might also look at the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) schools. These are some of the best (and wealthiest) liberal arts colleges (LACs) in the U.S. I know Williams College (#1 ranked U.S. LAC) meets full financial need, at least to U.S. students. I don’t know about the others but Amherst, Bowdoin, and Middlebury Colleges might be possibilities. Colby College has a strong international focus. They all have very competitive admissions, but I doubt they get many Czech applications, especially compared to the Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.), so that might be a good hook for you. Again, full disclosure,I don’t know how they treat international students for financial aid but at least they offer possibilities for you to explore.

(As you can probably sense, U.S. colleges/universities are very diverse and have very different policies regarding admissions and cost. For example, some states like Florida and Texas, offer relatively few public university spots to OOS students. They want to take care of in-state student needs. Others like Michigan and Wisconsin take a lot of OOS students, partially because they want to attract a lot of great OOS students willing to pay higher tuition and who will perhaps decide to live in their states. Some schools will be emphasizing an international student body. Others will pretty much require internationals to pay full tuition. So it might take a lot of research to unearth somewhere that works. You might google things like “U.S. colleges that provide financial aid to international students.”)

12

Thank you for help, I really appreciate it.

Tbh I find it odd how some countries can have inexpensive higher education (like the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, Germany) while others’ costs are so high (like USA, Australia, Japan etc).

PS If someone could answer that question from my first post, about a software job, that would also be great.

13

I think as long as you’re good at what you do it should not be hard

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm

The bureau of labor sees a positive outlook for the field.

14

Bemidji State offers in-state tuition to out-of-staters and international students. They also offer music scholarships with online auditions that don’t require you to pursue Music as a major. You fly into Minneapolis and then there are daily flights from there into Bemidji. http://www.bemidjistate.edu/admissions/ A friend of a friend from Ohio went and liked it, though eventually he finished up his degree at the Ohio State University. It’s cold, but that’s why they have underground tunnels between buildings. :slight_smile:

15

I guess I should clarify that - Bemidji State charges in state rates to out of state and international students (that’s a huge break on the mark ups that happen at a lot of state schools). Still if you start with a lower figure to cover you’ll need to scrounge up fewer dollars in scholarships.

16

It would be very hard to try to get a job, in the US, as an international candidate.
The US government requires that employers employ applicants who are citizens, first. Then, employers have to claim that there are no US citizens, who are available for open positions, before attempting to hire a non-citizen. Then, the employer has to pay fees to sponsor a non-citizen, and they have to wait for government approval.

Most employers just hire domestic applicants.
It is assumed that international candidates will return to their home countries after their education in the US.

17

Honestly that Bemidji town looks so amazing! I mean very adorable! And I love cold climate and winter so that’s a big plus!

As I understand, there are scholarships that are awarded by non-government and non-university organisations?

18

Someone already mentioned the NESCAC colleges (Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, etc.) – you should definitely look into those. I’d also recommend the College of Wooster which is a very fine college that is generous with aid. Unfortunately, I can’t speak on their policies for international students; but I’m sure they’d love to have you. In the Midwest, there’s also Oberlin, Grinnell, Macalester, Carleton, Depauw, etc. We loved the Claremont McKenna colleges (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd) as well.

Maybe check out the list of the top 75 or so Liberal Arts colleges on the US News & World Report rankings?

19

If you are researching U.S. universities, keep in mind there are 2000 to 3000 schools, depending on how you define it (full campus, academic programs, etc.). So when you start looking at the rankings and see a school ranked #150, for example, remember that’s out of a very large number. Hundreds and hundreds of schools offer the full U.S. college experience I imagine you are imagining.

If you find a few small LACs (under about 2500 students) that seem to offer generous financial aid to international students, you might email the admission representative responsible for international students so that you can start a dialogue. Usually reps have responsibility for geographic regions, and they are often listed on admissions websites. A smaller school will have one or two who handle international applications. You might let them know you are interested in the school and why. Gently explore with them the possibility of financial aid. You might get a sense of what’s possible at their school. The process can be personal at smaller schools, less so at larger state (public) schools. They would know way more than anyone in the general public.

The upcoming months are a good time to do this. They have been very busy with this year’s applications and are probably now finishing up apps for transfer students. In the fall, they often travel to visit high schools in their regions. The upcoming months are less busy for them.

I offer all this advice because I think it will be challenging for you to find sufficient financial aid, but probably there is somewhere that might work, especially if you’ve developed a bit of a relationship with an admissions rep who would be reading your application. Part of that is the fact that relatively few European students apply to U.S. schools because of the much higher cost.

20

If a person’s family income is 30k per year, virtually all of the very richest US schools will allow a student to attend almost for free. Of course, the student has to be admitted first.

Only 5 US colleges are need blind in admissions for international students AND guarantee to meet full financial need for international students who are admitted. Those schools are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT and Amherst College.

However, many other top US colleges do accept some international students and guarantee full financial aid for everyone who is accepted, including international students. Here is a list of those schools.

 http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/

Understand this - many of the schools on this list will only accept a few international students, and it will be harder for international students with financial need to get accepted. But SOME international applicants with financial need will be accepted at every one of them.

Good luck