<p>So my parents have yet to even tell me or even establish a college budget (how much they would be willing or able to afford for my higher education). They tell me that I should apply to a broad spectrum of colleges and then present to them my acceptances and until THEN decide where it is reasonable for me to go "cost-wise".</p>
<p>I believe that for me to establish this "list" I need to take into account tuition and such considering that it would be ludicrous to apply to an institution, get accepted, and then not go because the cost was too high. </p>
<p>What exactly should I do? Should I follow my instincts and take into consideration price or should I just take my parents' approach? Is there any way to merge both? I am an international student and want to study in the USA and I know that undergraduate financial aid opportunities can become quite scarce. </p>
<p>When parents won’t give any set amount, then it’s not a good idea just to apply broadly without some kind of strategy…because the result could be NO AFFORDABLE schools…and yes, that happens a LOT.</p>
<p>So…this is my advice for a strategy…</p>
<p>1) First assume that your parents can pay a small amount, and apply to a couple schools that you LIKE that will give you assured HUGE merit scholarships for your stats. (those could be your lifesavers. These are often your financial safety schools. </p>
<p>2) Apply to a few schools that might give you a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>3) Apply to a few schools that might give you great financial aid. These are often reach schools.</p>
<p>Well I am an International Student with a 31 ACT and 2150 SAT. 780 CR 740 M and 630 W. I am currently unsure of my GPA but I just finished Junior Year the first in my grade and with (apparently unweighted) 100% in all courses. My ECs are rather pathetic at this point but I am trying to improve them during this summer and during my senior year. I am currently in Model UN and have gotten several Honorary Mentions, I play the Clarinet for around 5 years, etc. So yeah, ECs could be better. </p>
<p>I am most likely going into engineering, with particular interest to Aerospacial Engineering and Physics.</p>
<p>Do you know of some immediate merit based scholarships that could help me attend university in the USA?</p>
<p>Are you an international student who is currently in the US on an H-2, J-2, or other visa? </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Are you a true international student who is currently studying outside the US?</p>
<p>The advice for students in those categories is somewhat different.</p>
<p>If you are in the US, your first step is to find out if your state of residence will consider you an in-state student for tuition and fees. In that case, your home-state public community colleges and universities are likely to be financial safeties.</p>
<p>If you are outside the US, then you absolutely must know how much money your parents are willing to pay. It is very difficult for international applicants to get merit-based and need-based aid. If you don’t know what your parents will pay, your chances of creating your list is just about zip. You don’t have to look to far in this forum and in the International Students Forum to find threads with titles like “I got into XYZ university, but now how am I going to pay for it?”</p>
<p>If you are an international applicant attending a US-style international school that routinely sends students to study in the US, your guidance counselor will be able to tell you where those students have been admitted, and what kind of aid they have been offered. If you are attending your local school that follows your national curriculum, you need to read through everything at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/) and then make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. They are the experts at helping students from your country find good places to study in the US.</p>
<p>Most colleges and universities in the US look at international students as sources of revenue. If your family is in the fortunate position of being able to pay USD 40,000 or more each year, you will be able to find a place that will accept you.</p>
<p>Right now, your stats aren’t high enough for better chances at the schools that give generous need-based aid to int’ls.</p>
<p>Do you know if your family would qualify for much/any need-based aid? Or do they have a good income and assets?</p>
<p>I can recommend some schools that will likely give you a good merit scholarship, but do understand, they are safety schools and aren’t the top schools that you often hear around here. Many schools won’t give merit scholarships to int’ls. But, some do. :)</p>
<p>I am an International student as in living in another country and with only a tourist visa to enter the USA. </p>
<p>Yes I am planning on retesting to earn a better ACT composite and a better Writing and a bit more Math improvement in the SAT. I come from a family with average income for a country in ways of development so I guess that some form of need-based aid would be applicable. </p>
<p>Either way, what exactly is the difference between need-based and merit-based? Which is better? If I cannot acquire the latter can I pay through college with the former only and my family chipping in what they can?</p>
<p>Merit-based means that you get a scholarship because of your grades and/or your test scores.</p>
<p>Talent-based means that you get a scholarship for some special ability like music, art, or sports.</p>
<p>Need-based means that you get some financial assistance because your family can’t afford to pay all of the costs.</p>
<p>Sometimes students receive aid from more than one of these categories.</p>
<p>There is not a lot of any kind of aid for international students. You need to be sure that you have good options in your home country or elsewhere in case you can’t afford to study in the US.</p>
<p>There are several very good choices here in Mexico however there is the overbearing stigma in our (Mexican) society that studying in the USA means success and I’ll admit I’m gripped to the idea.</p>
<p>Is it more realistic and, more importantly, more financially viable to do a Graduate program in the USA than the Undergraduate program? In other words, are the financial opportunities for International Graduates significantly greater, or just simply greater, than for International Undergraduates?</p>
<p>Jesu65, let your parents know that you need to know their financial information for when you apply to college. At minimum, you need to know what the family income is and what the family assets are, including the value of your home and anything else your family owns. If you want any financial aid, you will have to answer those questions to the detail. If you get the info now and run it through some estimators, you can find out if your family is even in the running for any financial aid. It isn’t what they think they can afford to pay that counts, but what the schools think they have to pay.</p>
<p>Once you do that, you can see if you are even going to be eligible for financial aid. This is important because many US schools that are need blind for US students are not for international kids. So if it is clear you are not eligible for need, you shouldn’t bother applying for it since it can affect your acceptance chances greatly. Your parents should know this, and it might change their mindset about coming up with some information since it can make a big difference in your tactics and results. As an international, if you do not get aid or scholarship from the school, getting into the US itself can be a problem as Immigration is going to want to see how you are getting the money to support yourself and pay college costs even if the school does not ask. So your parents are going to have to come up with financial information to present in any case. </p>
<p>You get financial aid if you fill out the paperwork for it and you meet the schools’ definitions of need. International students have to be funded entirely out of the school’s funds, so some schools, those that tend to meet need, often out and out say that internationals students are not accepted on a need blind basis or say they have no financial aid or very limited aid for international students. Usually, for merit money, it is not as big of an issue. Schools want the very best students regardless of nationality and are willing to pay for them via scholarship. You get merit money by being the best of the students applying. If you are not in the upper 5 or so percent of the applicants, getting significant merit money is not realistic. </p>
<p>I don’t know the answer to your question about Graduate programs.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, it is more financially viable to pursue graduate studies in the US. If you are in a Ph.D. program, it is likely that you will receive some kind of aid. This is less common in Master’s level programs (especially in the first year). Even if you do not receive aid for a Master’s degree, usually that is just two years, rather than the four years of an undergraduate degree.</p>
<p>In Mexico, your best help with this whole process is the closest office of EducationUSA. [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Mexico]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Mexico) Make an appointment with the counselors there, so that you can learn more about your options. Please remember that no degree from any one particular college/university on the planet can guarantee you success. Depending on your personal career goals, and your family’s financial situation, it may not make sense to leave Mexico for your education.</p>
<p>Is it likely that they would pay $15k+ per year for college if you got a merit scholarship that covered - say tuition - and then their money could pay for room, board, books, travel, and personal expenses?</p>
<p>If so, there are some schools that might give you a merit scholarship for your stats.</p>
<p>However, your stats aren’t likely high enough for schools that give great aid to int’l students (and that’s only if your family would qualify for such aid).</p>
<p>Jesu, I’m also Mexican and I have applied to a few schools in the states, with pretty encouraging results. If you’d like, you can PM me and we can talk that way I have some suggestions for you! So long as you don’t make fun of my norte</p>
I have some suggestions for you! So long as you don’t make fun of my norte</p>