Hey there, I basically need help finding reach, match & safety schools in the US. I intend to major in Engineering/Science field, I’ve been jumping around a few majors and can’t make up my mind… I’m currently studying A-Levels & my subjects are double maths, chemistry & physics and will complete it by July 2016. Here’s some info :-
No GPA/Class Ranking
SAT ~ 2000-2100 or more (taking it later this year)
SAT Subject Tests - Maths Level 2 & Physics (high 700-800)
TOEFL isn’t going to be a problem
Joined a few EC’s but no ‘hooks’ and nothing that stands out
I prefer schools which are not rural, size doesn’t really matter
Tuition fee ~ $20000-25000 (pls include those that reach this range with financial aid)
Reach (15-40)%, Match (40-70)% & Safety (70-100)%. % is the acceptance rate. Do u think classifying them like this is a good idea ? If not, any suggestions are welcomed 
Please let me know if you need any other information that I missed out. Thank you 
Your budget limits may make it challenging to identify true matches and safeties (with respect to both admission and cost). Does your limit truly apply only to tuition? Can you actually afford another ~$15K for room, board, and fees (bringing your total limit up to ~$40K)?
Private schools can cost more than $60K, and the ones with the most generous need-based aid are very selective.
Public schools with engineering programs typically cost $30K-$50K or more (in total costs) for out-of-state (and international) students, but most of them give little or no aid to internationals. Do you not have any suitable schools in your own country?
If you can afford ~$40K for the total cost of attendance, then many public universities may be realistic “match” possibilities. Click-sort on the “total cost per year (out-of-state)” column on the following page:
http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php
Otherwise (if your total limit is only $25K) then for your combination of goals, budget, and qualifications, I think your best bet is to look for schools that guarantee merit scholarships for students with your stats.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
Check carefully to find the ones that are open to internationals, and that give the amount you need to students with your combination of grades and scores. You probably will need to present a GPA.
One good engineering school that is not too selective, and which you may be able to afford without aid, is New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology. I don’t know if it would quite be a safety for you, but check it out.
Yes the limit is just for tuition, should have been clearer on that. I think ~$40K is alright, will check out the websites now. Thanks for the fast reply !
That’s good, then.
Given your qualifications and budget, for engineering programs, one concentration of good values is among the state “flagships” (University of [State]), such as the University of Minnesota. Many of those would cost $40K or less, and should be “match” schools if your grades are in line with your expected scores (2100), and if you actually get those scores. Some will be high matches or reaches (or in a few cases, such as Berkeley, even out of reach for an engineering applicant).
For lower matches, consider public universities that are not state flagships, but that do have the programs you want. Maybe Iowa State, Washington State, Kansas State, etc. Some of these may be safeties. Check out their admission stats once you have actual test score results and have figured out a GPA.
Alright then ,will start searching and finally start narrowing down my searches. How many universities do you think I should apply to ? I’m planning to apply to 10 schools and around 4-5 are match schools, is that too many ? And also if my current school doesn’t give out GPAs, how do I get them ?
10 schools sounds like a reasonable number for your situation.
Talk to your Guidance Counselor, or someone in a similar position at your high school, about how grades are reported to US colleges. They must have some way to account for your performance compared to other students at your school.
If you apply to 10 schools, I would suggest 2 safeties, 2-3 reaches, the rest (5-6) matches.
Here is a website that provides rankings for engineering programs (including subfields of engineering): http://best-engineering-colleges.com/. Many of the schools – especially the public universities – that are highly ranked in engineering are likely to have good science programs as well.
@tk21769 10 it is then Will check with them then regarding the GPA.
@gandalf78 Alright, I think I’m gonna go for 5 matches and the rest safeties/reaches. How is MIT ranked No.11 in that list ? There are also others that look ‘out of place’ compared to other rankings. Is it because “Unlike the majority of sites dedicated to engineering school reviews, our site is not contracted by any school or college group. This allows us to keep it unbiased when analyzing various governmental and independent sources of college data and to present both positive and negative information about engineering schools and programs.”
Thanks for the replies, if I think of anymore questions, I’ll post them here.
OP consider Purdue as well. It may be within your price range.
Purdue, Virginia Tech, Penn State,Cal Poly SLO. ucsc, would all be good possibilities for you.