I was wondering what kind of merit-based and need-based aid colleges offer for international students. And I am mostly wondering how rigorous it is to receive a scholarship there as an international student. I could only attend with a full scholarship. I come from a very low-income family (30000). I have an ACT score of 27 (which is a bit low), I don’t know my gpa (not available in my school system), also class rank is not avilable (what I can say though is that in my country, Switzerland, only 20% of all teenagers receive a high school diploma, which shows how difficult high school is here). So I am basically at least at the top 20%. I am fluent in four languages (Spanish, German, Italian and English) and I am learning French as well as Portuguese. My high-school thesis was awarded as best thesis of my class. The main subject I want to major in the life sciences/biochemistry. My ECs are:
Attended several summer research institutes (two in Switzerland and one in Israel in the Weizmann Institute).
1st in my region in rifflery
40h voluntary work at a vet clinic (I know it is very little, but in Switzerland voluntary work is not common. I definitely want to contribute voluntary work to the community)
Student Organisation
Spanish cultural involvent in my town
Babysitting (3 kids)
And did some catering on my holidays
I really like the LAC system. It seems very appealing to me. I am only wishing to get into an LAC college.
I would be very grateful if someone could help me and tell what colleges I should look at. Thank you
It is great that you are in the top % in your country but your low ACT is problematic-and surprising because it usually reflects academic achievement (unlike the SATS which do so less). Unfortunately for you, you won’t be competitive for US schools that provide financial support for International students without some very strong objective test scores. Did you take SAT2’s or did you participate in any competitions that would provide indication of your ranking (like AIME, etc). You and tons of US residents would love to attend a LAC. But many are too competitive and too expensive for most students. Most financial aid is earmarked for US residents like I am sure most financial supports in your country are earmarked for residents of your country.
Very few schools give good financial aid to internationals and they receive a large number of applications so they are hard to get into. And your 27 ACT will not be very competitive for them.
Agreed, unless your ACT improves you should explore options in your home country.
And I’m not from Switzerland but per the article below, 88% of people in Switzerland get a HS degree. http://www.data360.org/dsg.aspx?Data_Set_Group_Id=1653
You might want to look at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC; or perhaps Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas (but you will need a 32+ on the ACT to be considered for their full-ride scholarship). If you are female, there are some good all-women’s colleges that may be able to give you merit-based and/or need-based financial aid. Any significant merit-based aid from any college, however, is likely going to take more than a 27 on the ACT; so if you are seeking to apply to matriculate in Fall 2017 or later, you should consider taking a test preparation course or two, and retake the ACT.