<p>I am an international student, being from Norway. MIT have appealed to me for a long time, and I have therefore been looking forward to applying. Now that this time has come I have some concerns. </p>
<p>First of all; the cost is a huge factor for me. Norwegian universities have no tuition fee, and are therefore very much cheaper. Still, I should be able to apply for financial aid from MIT. But if I have understood it correctly - if one has quite wealthy parents one will not be able to receive any fin. aid, even though one doesnt want one's parents to take the bill? And I guess one's parents will not want to pay the bill either.</p>
<p>This is my main concern. Is an education at MIT really worth the extra costs I would face? </p>
<p>If I would get accepted to MIT I'll have to decide before May '07, right? This could be a dilemma for me as I will not receive decisions from my Norwegian uni. before july '07.</p>
<p>Any comments on my issues would be very much appreciated!</p>
But if I have understood it correctly - if one has quite wealthy parents one will not be able to receive any fin. aid, even though one doesnt want one's parents to take the bill? And I guess one's parents will not want to pay the bill either.
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Each financial aid application is evaluated individually, and the amount of the package awarded does depend on your parents' income and assets. Still, unless they are really quite wealthy, you can probably expect to get something in financial aid. MIT promises to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, which is based on the parents' ability to pay, not their desire to pay.</p>
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Is an education at MIT really worth the extra costs I would face?
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All of us at MIT clearly feel that way -- most of us passed up significant merit scholarships to other universities to attend MIT. If I had gone to my local university, I would have gotten full tuition, full room and board, and a small stipend. I thought it was worth it to come to MIT, and I still think it was worth it after graduation.</p>
<p>This is, however, a personal decision -- not everyone thinks it's worth it.</p>
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If I would get accepted to MIT I'll have to decide before May '07, right?
<p>I would echo Mollie's comment (thanks, Mollie, for making it). We have a significant amount of resources available for financial assistance, and we do meet the full need of every international applicant (as well as every domestic applicant). More information can be found our our finaid web page.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your answers! I will at least apply to MIT this fall, and use my time to investigate all my questions thoroughly so that I can make the right decision in April (if I indeed will get accepted).</p>