Should I rely on scholarship to pay through university?

Paying for College
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<p>I will transfer next fall, and there are two that I aim for, UCSD and CalPoly Pomona. I will apply for both because base on my family's income right now, it is impossible for me to afford going to UC, but I want to keep my options open. I'm also an international student, so I have to pay more, and I can't take a loan.</p>

<p>However, I have heard of people who essentially study for free because of the many scholarship they get, and it is actually not that hard to achieve. My GPA is 4.0, so I'm confident that I can get at least some scholarship, but that is still risky.</p>

<p>The UC tuition and other expenses for a non-resident is $40000/year. If I can afford half of that, can I rely the other half on scholarship?</p>

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<p>and I can’t loan.</p>

<p>Well, of course you can’t loan money. You’re not a bank. I think you meant that you can’t BORROW money.</p>

<p>However, I have heard of people who essentially study for free because of the many scholarship they get, and it is actually not that hard to achieve. My GPA is 4.0, so I’m confident that I can get at least some scholarship, but that is still risky.</p>

<p>It’s uncommon for int’ls to get scholarships to go to school in the US. Unless your home country will give you a scholarship, who would give you a scholarship to go to a UC? </p>

<p>Are you a transfer student? If so, where are you transferring from? Int’l transfer students would have an impossible time finding scholarship money.</p>

<p>The UC tuition and other expenses for a non-resident is $40000/year. If I can afford half of that, can I rely the other half on scholarship?</p>

<p>No, unless your home country would provide it.</p>

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<p>I meant to type “take a loan”. Thanks for the correction.</p>

<p>I’m an int’l student who is studying in a college in the US, and I plan to transfer to a university next fall.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t rely on scholarships unless they are renewable for every year you attend. Some scholarships are only there for a year or a semester. </p>

<p>Also, anything can go wrong that can drop your GPA or requirements to maintain the scholarships. I would caution on depending on scholarships, but not saying it isn’t impossible. Definitely look into what scholarships you can receive and the renewable factor.</p>

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<p>Are you at a Calif CC? is your family paying for that? </p>

<p>Are you living at home and commuting? If so, what CSUs or UCs are close to you? </p>

<p>Are you saying that your parents will pay about $25k per year for a UC, but you need to come up with the rest (the other $25k)???</p>

<p>I can’t think of any scholarships you could get as a transfer int’l that would come up with any significant money.</p>

<p>The UC tuition and other expenses for a non-resident is $40000/year</p>

<p>they’re over $50k per year.</p>

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<p>I only calculate university-related expenses. Living expenses are already considered and subtracted out, so I came up with around $40000.</p>

<p>Are there really very few scholarship for Int’l?</p>

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<p>Yes, there are very few (VERY FEW) scholarships for int’ls to go to the schools of their choice. And, even fewer ones for int’l transfers.</p>

<p>Why are you so surprised? Private US entities have little motivation to provide scholarships for int’ls.</p>

<p>So, how much will your parents pay for room and board, and how much will they pay for tuition and university related expenses? From that, we can tell you what’s affordable for you. </p>

<p>What’s the most your parents will pay IN TOTAL per year towards college and living expenses?</p>

<p>And…what CSUs and UCs are close enough to commute to from your home?</p>

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<p>

You should talk to those people!</p>

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<p>The prestigious University of Southern California in Los Angeles has been known to give scholarships to international applicants (at least that’s what I heard). Definitely look into this; sounds like it might be a possible solution.</p>

<p>Unless I’m mistaken the University of Southern California in Los Angeles is actually higher ranked than both of the schools you listed according to the all-important US News Ranking of Universities, so that’s a plus too.</p>

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<p>For transfer students, USC offers one type of competitive scholarship. it’s for 1/4 tuition. So, the student would still have about $50k uncovered for COA. </p>

<p>This student has two strikes against him…he’s an int’l, and he’s a transfer student. He actually has a possible 3rd strike; he wants the scholarship to apply to the school where he wants to go.</p>

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<p>Notably, some schools “buy” National Merit Scholars–they pay all, or almost all, of their expenses to go to their university (unlike most top tier schools, where NMS students are wall-to-wall, and don’t need to be “bought.”)</p>

<p>But for internationals, I don’t know what is out there, if anything.</p>

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<p>

It is actually *very *hard to achieve.</p>

<p>You should certainly look into it, but you can’t rely on it. In general, scholarships for transfer students are less generous than those for freshmen. For instance, at my school the best scholarship for incoming freshmen covers all costs (but is very hard to to get) and there are a couple of other fairly generous freshman scholarships (full tuition plus some additional costs covered). None of them are easy to get. There are also numerous smaller partial tuition scholarships. For transfers at the same school, the best scholarship covers only a very small portion of tuition. </p>

<p>You should of course check on what is offered by the schools you are interested in and apply for whatever is available. It is possible they will offer something so definitely look into it, but be making plans for how you will pay if you do not get any, or sufficient, help.</p>

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</p>

<p>I don’t think anyone here is really giving inaccurate advice. The facts are: OP is (1) a transfer student and (2) an international student. With just those two facts in mind, OP’s chances of receiving a generous scholarship from the institution is slim. </p>

<p>So, to answer the original question, OP should not rely on scholarships.</p>

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<p>^^^
did the person who wrote the above quote delete his post?</p>

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<p>^ Yeah, he posted before swimcatsmom. :frowning: How awkward.</p>

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<p>hate it when people do that!</p>

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<p>seppy93</p>

<p>Are you eligible for California Dream Act?</p>

<p>[California</a> Dream Act](<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp]California”>undocumented-dreamer-students - California Student Aid Commission)</p>

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<p>seppy93</p>

<p>Also, if you are willing to move to Texas, you can look at A&M and Texas Tech</p>

<p>A&M can provide good money if you join Core Cadets, even if you are international <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-texas-austin/1501726-financial-assistance-intl-students.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-texas-austin/1501726-financial-assistance-intl-students.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Texas Tech has scholarships for international students, and their website says: “International students are eligible for all award and scholarships offered by the English Department and Texas Tech University. The office of International Affairs provides additional funding opportunities, including general scholarship and financial assistance. Your best chance for getting a scholarship is, believe it or not, from your own major department. If you qualify with the proper grade point average, you are eligible to be considered. Contact your department for more details.”
[International</a> Student Awards and Scholarships :: Awards, Scholarships and Financial Aid :: General Department Information :: Department of English :: TTU](<a href=“http://www.depts.ttu.edu/english/general_info/awards_financial_aid/awards_and_scholarships_intl.php]International”>http://www.depts.ttu.edu/english/general_info/awards_financial_aid/awards_and_scholarships_intl.php)</p>

<p>Both universities have very strong Chemical Engineering programs.
You should NOT go for BME, you will have problems with employment with Bachelor degree only. No problems with Chemical Engineering. </p>

<p>You can also check if you are eligible for ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Scholarship (recruitment scholarship), it’s available at both universities for engineering students</p>

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<p>It’s the Corps of Cadets at A&M.</p>

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<p>Sorry. Too late to fix. :(</p>