<p>I'm an international applicant to Chicago's undergraduate program from Delhi, India. Thing is, I did not apply for aid at Chicago since my SAT scores weren't high enough. (1420/1600). But just recently, I received an email from Chicago saying that, "* According to our records, you have not applied for need-based financial aid. As an international student, if you do not apply for financial aid before the time that your admissions decision is finalized, you will not be eligible for any subsequent financial aid if you are admitted. We recommend that students not rely on merit-based aid if they do not have the fund to afford the entire four years of schooling; if you have indicated that you wish to be considered for merit aid but do not have the finances for four years of study, we recommend that you submit the ISFAA and the UChicago Financial Aid form as soon as possible*"</p>
<p>I've heard Chicago is notorious for admitting VERY few international students with aid. In fact, I don't know ANYONE from India who got in with aid. Can anyone confirm that Chicago HAS and DOES admit students from India with aid?</p>
<p>I don't need a lot of aid.. just about 30% or so. </p>
<p>Information about international financial aid by country isn’t available online, sorry-- I looked but couldn’t find anything. However, here’s what you really need to consider.</p>
<p>Does UChicago take aid in to consideration for international student admission? Yes, they do. But does it look like you can attend without any aid? No, it doesn’t.
What would happen if you were accepted to UChicago without any aid-- would you be able to afford it? I’m not sure of what your plan is for this, but coming up with an extra 17k a year plus cost of flights and incidentals not covered in the cost estimate for UChicago seems like it might be difficult, unless you’re planning on taking out large amounts of loans. This becomes especially noteworthy with the fact that international students who do not apply for aid may not apply for it later on, which will be very tricky for you if your financial situation changes for the worse.
It really seems like you’re not applying for aid to maximize your chances of getting in, which I understand. But if after getting in (which I can’t guarantee anyway, although in looking at your stats you seem reasonably competitive) with no aid you won’t be able to afford it, is it worth the risk of not getting in to apply for aid that would allow you to attend? I can’t really make a strong recommendation one way or another without first knowing how you’re planning on coming up with the extra $$ to attend, but tentatively I’d say although you are at a decreased risk of acceptance as an international student while applying for aid, applying for aid seems to make the most sense if you wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford coming.</p>
<p>Agree 100% with grace, but here’s another way to look at it:</p>
<p>What is your goal?</p>
<p>If your goal is to tell people that you were accepted at the University of Chicago, then not applying for aid increases your chance of achieving that goal.</p>
<p>If your goal is to attend the University of Chicago and graduate from it, then not applying for aid makes that goal nearly impossible to achieve, and the only way to have any chance of success is to apply for aid.</p>
<p>If you want actual education, not just bragging rights, then not applying for aid is a meaningless option.</p>
<p>Thank you for your feedback! Yes, my family was thinking of taking some loan to fund the remainder of the cost of attendance. I know that Chicago is not need-blind, and applying for aid hurts my chances. That’s why I didn’t apply. </p>
<p>If I could get aid, then good. But if I don’t get aid, it’s still okay. My parents believe that the cost isn’t too much, and they are willing to take the loan. </p>
<p>@JHS
My goal is to attend Chicago and hopefully graduate from it too. But I need to KNOW that Chicago has students from India receiving some sort of financial aid. Until I don’t know that, I don’t think I’ll change my finaid status. And that’s the purpose of this thread: to know.</p>
<p>I got wait-listed too! The numbers being wait-listed this year is shocking
Although their normal acceptance rate is much higher than the Ivies, they take in REALLY few internationals with aid. Also they are need-aware for international aid applicants.</p>
<p>Oh well, hope something else works out. Good luck to you!</p>
