Suggestions for low GPA international student

I’m an international student with a GPA of 3.66 currently in a gap year. My GPA dropped in my senior year so a downward trend. My EFC is about 8k/yr.
I have okayish ECs like every international student (Volunteering since grade 10 /tutoring /clubs/organizations with some leadership positions/independent projects) have done quite a few undergraduate Math and Physics courses from MOOCs not that it matters from what I have heard)
As for honors and awards, I have a few of them at the international/national level related to my field of interest.
I have 1510 in my SAT and I aim to get 1550+ in this October SAT.

Can anyone suggest to me some ED colleges/universities?
I am willing to work 20 hr/week to cover my personal expenses.

I love Reed and its environment but I would probably get rejected and I have no expectations from T100s due to my horrible GPA and the downward trend.
I was waitlisted last year by Reed and Kenyon but got rejected after.

Can anyone also suggest to me some colleges where after some scholarships/aid I can bring down my tuition to about 8k/yr?
I would love colleges with strong Math and Statistics department where I can take advanced level courses like algebraic topology, algebraic NT so that I can build a good profile for grad admission
Preferably small class ratio schools too but this may be a bit too much to ask.
On a side note my uncle has a house in New York and he “says” he has a spare room so he is assuring me to choose New york-based colleges but NYC- colleges are very expensive from what I have looked at so far.

I think you need to understand “EFC”. Since you are an international student, you don’t have a FAFSA EFC. You can try to calculate a CSS number, but all CSS schools are going to treat the info on the CSS in their own way. Also, most schools do not guarantee funding for international students. You may not be allowed to work 20 hours per week on your international visa. I think there is a limit to how much you can earn.

ED may not be the best route for you if you need FA, but if you do go ED, make sure it is one of the few schools that give full financial aid for internationals.

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Oh, alright thanks for the info on CSS and work limit. I will talk with the financial team of the respective colleges on that matter and hope my contribution doesn’t decrease.

As for the ED schools offering full financial aid, I have looked at a couple of them who have a tuition fee of >35k/yr they are all very competitive to get into seeing the stats of int’l students selected in the previous year so I think I don’t have a chance.

I was wondering if there are colleges with fewer tuition fee for international students and who also provide good aid/scholarship and is within my range.

Thanks,
.

International students applying to the very top universities in the US tend to be very strong. A GPA of 3.66 is quite good. However, it is lower than the typical GPA for international students applying to the very top universities in the US, or to any university in the US that gives full financial aid for international students.

Your problem is not getting accepted to a very good university in the US. Your problem is getting accepted with enough financial aid so that you can afford to attend.

How does your GPA compare with other students from your high school and from your country? Is there any chance that your GPA would be close to the top in your high school? GPA scales vary considerably between countries, and admissions at top US schools seems to understand this quite well.

What country are you from? Do you have good and affordable safeties in your home country?

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Greetings,
I am from Nepal and a GPA of 3.66 is an average nationwide but in the top 10% in my school. From what I have seen all my friends have a decreasing trend due to the fact that our grade 12 exam included 40% of marks from grade 11 which made getting top grades in some subjects a little impossible for me.
Most of the students from the class of 21’ and on will have a GPA of 3.8+ as for my class of 20’ the average GPA is around 3.75 from the people I have known who are I think all top of their class in top high schools in our country.
Recently due to covid schools had conducted the exam on their own so the rise in GPAs 4 and 3.92 was very much, If I had to guess every school has its own 4 and 3.92 students. Rampant cheating and the unfair exam were very visible. For comparison before the pandemic, no one used to have a GPA of 4, and only a few students used to have a GPA of 3.92/3.93 all over Nepal.
So to conclude my GPA is average for an International application this year, maybe below average too.

I don’t have any good safties in my country for the subject I want to pursue but I have a few of them in India and I am watching the possibility of other countries too.

I certainly don’t have hope of getting into any T100 with aid so I was wondering if there are any public unis with tuition less than 20k which provides scholarship to reduce my tuition to about 8k/yr.

Thank you,
.

I am confused about whether you are average or top 10%. If you are top 10% there is a very small chance you could get accepted to a top college that gives you enough aid. If you are average, you need to look elsewhere.

In the US, the colleges that give good aid to internationals are the ones that are the best in the country. This is why competition is so fierce for those schools. As you go down the rankings, admission gets easier but financial aid gets worse. Most public universities only give aid to students from their own states. Students from out of state or international usually pay full costs without aid. Some colleges have scholarships, but even at publics those are only for top students. You are not going to find a lower ranked school that will get your costs down to $8k.

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Greetings,
I am in the top 10% in my school in terms of my GPA whereas I lie in the average range if we account for all the applicants from the country.
Yes, I have no chance at the T100 universities so I wanted to look for Unis where I can get into and who also provide scholarship so that my tuition goes down to $8k and yes as you said the scholarships are only for top students but I was wondering if there are any universities by chance which meet my requirements.
Edit: I was looking for Unis like U of Alabama which give good merit aid for my GPA range
Thanks,
.

University of Alabama is the most generous of the large public colleges. You won’t find anything better than their scholarship. Will they get you down to $8k per year? Remember that in addition to tuition and room and board you will have travel costs and will have to buy health insurance.

Thanks for the info about the information about the scholarship.
Yes, I think they will get my cost down to $8k /yr.
As for the travel cost and health insurance and other first-time accessories like laptops, books, etc, my parents have around $10k to spare.

I just went to University of Alabama’s website. Total estimated costs for international students is estimated at $48,614 and it looks like that doesn’t include travel. How much merit do you qualify for?

From the net price calculator and talking to their financial team, I get around $28000.
I have talked with some seniors who have lived there and they have advised me to live outside with roommates as that will decrease my cost by a lot and I will also work the full legal hours available to students which shall bring my cost down to $8k/yr.

I know this is very idealistic but I have no choice

You will not make much through working. International students are allowed to work only a limited number of hours and are only allowed to work on campus. You will only make spending money - maybe $2k per year max.

International students are required to show ability to pay in order to get their visa. You can’t just say that you will make it work somehow.

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I see, then maybe I will look at some other alternatives and also talk more about this on-campus job and its pay with the university and then finalize my decision.

Thanks,
.

Do you have good and affordable universities either in your own country or in India? I will admit that I know almost nothing about universities in Nepal. I know that there are many very good universities in India but I do not know what they cost for students from nearby countries such as Nepal, or even if they accept students from nearby countries.

I agree that you will not be able to earn enough through a part time job in the US to help much with the cost of attending university here.

  • Some schools require students to live on campus, for at least, the first year.

  • Also, you may not be able to work on campus if no jobs are available or if the position doesn’t work within your class schedule. Also, working, while going to school can impact your grades.

  • You need to realize that a campus job does not pay you in advance. Sometimes you get paid monthly and sometimes it’s twice a month, which depends on the university’s pay dates.

  • Your tuition and fees are due at the beginning of each semester. No money, no class registration. Your class schedule gets kicked out of the system if you don’t pay your fees.

Trying to justify and balance how you will pay your fees will impact your visa approval. If you don’t have the money, you wont be able to go.

Edited to add:
You will pay health insurance every year. It’s not a one-time thing. It is required.

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Check University of New Mexico.

Are you willing to be very very cold? If so, some of the western state flagships have low tuition for OOS and international students, plus they offer scholarships, so you could get the cost under $20k. Look at Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska. As suggested above, New Mexico (not as cold).

Your first year will probably cost you more, for travel, for the visa, to get established.

Some states have a $15 minimum wage, but some have lower. The amount you make may vary widely by location, but those locations with lower wages probably have much lower costs of living too. My daughter only makes $12.75/hr in Laramie, WY, but her rent is only $400/mo too. She’s expecting a raise next Friday (thank you Starbucks!)

What do you want to study?

Forgot to add: Costs rise yearly.

Hoping to keep your rates at the same level, each year, probably wont happen.
Tuition and fees will go up.
Rents and utilities will go up.
Transportation costs go up (look at fuel costs now).

Wages won’t go up as fast.

Greetings,
Yes, there are Universities in India that are good for my major which I need to sit through an entrance exam for which I am prepared, and even if I don’t get a scholarship the cost is manageable.

Thanks,
.

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Greetings,
The points you mentioned are very right and I should have looked into them, thank you for pointing those out.
I will try to talk with the college officials beforehand and then only will I consider continuing to go ahead.
For the health insurance, I think I can add some extra budget from my home.