<p>Why knock any off? You can get a fee waiver if application money is a problem. You need the most chances possible to get aid with admission.</p>
<p>A person who needs substantial FA needs to cast a wide net. Have you considered the University of Rochester or Pitt?</p>
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<p>Actually, the more selective the schools, the more it makes sense to apply to several. (Assuming, that is, that you are a truly viable candidate. Otherwise there is no point in doing anything beyond taking a flyer at one huge reach. That, of course, is why H gets so many applications: it is the school that almost everyone has heard of.) The reason is this: it is not as if there is a set standard, and if you meet it you automatically get in. Nor do they simply rank the candidates from 1 to 20,000 and take numbers 1 through 6,000 or whatever. These schools are called “lottery” schools for a reason. You may win the lottery at one, and lose at another.</p>
<p>@ Consolation :Hmm. Thanks for reminding me that. I’ll try to get fee waivers and submit the ISFAA instead of the CSS profile.</p>
<p>I would not rule out Vassar. It is pretty generous to international students and is very strong in the sciences. You need to email the school to see if you can get a fee waiver.</p>
<p>I already did that. Most schools, including Vassar, said that I am eligible for app fee waivers.</p>
<p>Also, have you taken a look at CUNY’s Macaulay Honors college? It provides a free ride for in-state students (including housing at some of the campuses) as well as a laptop and $7500 towards research opportunities. It looks like it wouldn’t give that same tuition break for international students, but I assume that it gives international students some discount or scholarship for tuition. It might be worth a few emails to see how much money internationals might be offered (unfortunately it doesn’t provide anyone with fee waivers). Here’s a link [Macaulay</a> Honors College - About Macaulay](<a href=“http://macaulay.cuny.edu/about/]Macaulay”>http://macaulay.cuny.edu/about/)</p>
<p>As a parent of 2 international students with lots of financial need already studying in USA I can recommend you: </p>
<p>-Apply to as much schools as you can. (fee waivers and online apps).</p>
<p>-Try the Questbridge route if your need qualify (app. is up now and deadline is Sept 26).</p>
<p>-Look for the lower specter of the tier 1 schools and for the LACs that have engineering, those are the ones that most likely are going to be interested in you. (unless you have super stellar stats, then you should apply to all Ivies too) </p>
<p>I will also include in your list University of Alabama, they have some assured merit scholarships if you have the right stats that cover full tuition + $2500 a year (the remaining COA will be around $10,000 a year) and as far as I know they are for internationals too. Here is the link: [Scholarships</a> - Undergraduate Students - The College of Engineering - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://eng.ua.edu/undergraduate/scholarships/]Scholarships”>Scholarships – College of Engineering | The University of Alabama)</p>
<p>Depending on where are you from, I will also check University of Rochester, they have great engineering programs and if you are from Canada or Mexico they are VERY generous with FinAid, they also have VERY generous scholarships for internationals of other countries, but they are competitive (although definitely a lot less competitive than the Ivies).</p>
<p>Also check this thread, some of those are for internationals too, but you need to do the research…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>