@kgunited123, Is it correct that you are not a US citizen or green card holder and will be applying as an international? If yes, then you need to clarify your strategy regarding financial aid.
As mentioned, most schools are need-aware for internationals, meaning that your application for financial aid will be a factor in admissions. Statistics on international admissions are not widely available. Generally we know how many resident aliens are enrolled and we know how many enrolled students receive financial aid, but in most cases we don’t know how many internationals applied and what percentage were offered places.
It’s a reasonable assumption that an international’s application for financial aid could be a negative in admissions and that a full-pay application could be a positive. Therefore, don’t apply for financial aid unless you really need it.
Conversely, if you do need financial aid or think you might going forward, apply for it at the start. Most colleges will not offer aid in later years if it wasn’t requested in year one.
I’m not familiar with Niche, but unless the site specifically provides international student stats I would be wary of the outcome. Again, it’s very difficult for international students to gauge accurately their chances of admissions, but it’s a fair assumption that overall international admission rates are lower than US rates, maybe even half. MIT says “Every year more than 4,000 international students apply to MIT, and we can admit fewer than 150.” That equals a 3.75% admit rate.
@aquapt, You write:
I don’t mean to challenge you because I agree that that seems like a logical possibility, but wonder if you could provide more color on which schools you are referring to?