<p>Good for your friend. FA usually includes loans. Most state universities won’t offer FA for internationals. Many cannot offer enough FA for their in-state students.</p>
<p>If an international student can afford the cost of attendance and have good GPA and SAT scores, they have very good chances to be admitted. </p>
<p>I cannot comment on the IB score. Your SAT score is respectable as an international student but not high enough for the super-competitive schools that will give generous FA to internationals. You have to figure out how much you can pay so you can choose affordable schools to apply.</p>