Should I apply ED to Haverford (or Pomona)?

Odds of admission are relatively low for internationals who need financial aid at any US school. Here are some ways to get at the information you can use to inform your decision. Here is Pomona’s common data set, most schools fill this form out https://pomona.app.box.com/s/vb4ql62a5yl5tzib4sgw3faxi0j44dho

Section B2 shows us that 46 international freshman matriculated, and in total there are 189 international undergrads. Section H6 shows us that 83 of the 189 international undergrads receive need based fin aid and on average, those 83 students received $59,477 in aid. Pomona’s COA for 2018/19 was $74,352, so the average international student who received aid (again, 83 of 189) still had $15K in costs…that doesn’t include travel to and from home, clothing, incidentals, etc.

So, most internationals are full pay (106/189) and not many of the 83 who receive aid received a full ride (we don’t know how many). You can do this analysis for all schools to help in your application strategy. You also should look at how many students from your country attend each school on your list.

Bottom line is that you can apply ED, but know that chances of admission for an international student with financial need is low regardless of application round. Open up your search to include schools that are need blind for internationals (not many), those who have a relatively larger share of international students (e.g., Grinnell), and where your stats are in the top 25%.

Lastly, have Plans B, C, D, etc, which should include colleges in your own country. Good luck.