How competitive is Villanova University’s presidential scholarship?
(For ex, number of applicants and recipients, etc)
Not entirely sure what it takes to be considered, but my D who was accepted back in 2014 was not in the running with a 3.95 u/w GPA, 35 ACT, all APs, honors, etc. We live in a neighboring state, and her GC warned her she would not likely be considered, because, in his experience, candidates for the scholarship are often URMs with high need, or have a other “hooks” along with high stats/outstanding leadership and service activities (my Ds ECs were good, but not exceptional, and she had no hooks). She was offered a $10k merit scholarship and some need based aid, but had much better offers from other schools, including several full tuition scholarship offers, so chose another college.
Thank you @mamag2855 for your answer. May I have one more inquiry? What are several other colleges that offered full-tuition (or even full-ride) scholarships, given that I’m an international applicant?
My D was offered a full tuition scholarship at George Mason U, but I believe the max for I international students is $10k per year. She qualified for the National Merit award at the University of Alabama, which was full tuition plus some additional merit, plus some other perks, but I know that UA has changed their scholarship criteria recently, so you should check their website for details, including whether merit is still available to international students. She was also offered full tuition at the University of Richmond, which she attends. They are need aware for internationals, but meet need if admitted (as determined by them, it is a CSS profile school). International students are also considered for merit aid, but it is very competitive. If you share your stats, you might get some more suggestions. How much can your family pay each year?
Full tuition and full ride merit scholarships are becoming increasingly rare, even for US students.
In response to the inquiry about family contribution, let’s suppose that I can afford only 10000$-13000$. I know it’s pretty inferior to US natives’ financial ability, but it would be great if you know about some colleges that can fit me. Thank you @mamag2855
At most colleges, $10,000-$13,000 will cover only housing and meal plan costs at most US colleges and Universities, and that amount is also still a considerable amount of money for most US families. The majority of US students attend community colleges or local public universities and live at home with their families.
You would also be required to purchase a health insurance plan, costs can vary, but estimate $3000. You would also need to pay travel costs, and potentially additional housing/meal costs during breaks. In order to get a student visa, you must prove you have all funds needed up front.
You need at least a full tuition scholarship, perhaps more if your parents truly cannot cover all of your costs. You must research each college/university individually to find out whether they offer merit aid at all, how much, or whether they consider international students for merit or need based aid. Unfortunately each college/university operates individually and how they evaluate financial matters is constantly changing.
There are very few colleges which meet demonstrated need for admitted international students, and most are need aware and will consider your family 's ability to pay in their admissions decision. They determine how much they think your family can pay. You can research potential colleges by looking through threads about merit aid here on CC. Some of these may be out of date, but give you a place to start.
You can research the international threads for potential colleges and there is good info here
https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/
Good luck.
Great! I will absolutely check them out. Thank you with that @mamag2855