Which scools can I get accepted at? International, merit aid, CS.

College Search & Selection
1

I have always wanted to attend college in the us and i will do so fall next year. Right now i have a ACT score of 34 that i could try to improve early this fall if needed. I have not calculated my GPA yet but it “should” be pretty high. I cant afford schools that cost over 40k per year so i need merit aid if the school cost over 40k. Im majoring in computer science. I have checked out the following schools that meets my requirements.
University of Arizona
University of Georgia
ASU
Northeastern
CSU:s / Cal poly slo
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of Alabama

I have no idea of how good these schools are in computer science and therefore i would need some help. Are there any schools that i have missed? I think i am eligible for a full ride at University of Alabama because of my scores. Ofcourse im expected to go home after my studies but i would atleast want to do as many internships as i can and work with the opt. What are my chances at the schools listed?

2

You’re eligible for full tuition at Alabama (not a full ride). You’ll also get 2500 per year, as long as awards stay the same.

You’ll get into Alabama. Apply when the app opens in July.

3

If you want to consider some smaller schools, you would qualify for substantial merit aid at St. Olaf, Trinity University and Denison U. All 3 are ranked Tier I in CS by Rugg’s Guide. They are from 2400 to 3600 students, and NO TA’s teaching any CS classes, all Phd’s.

Good luck!

4

If the schools you listed, here’s how I would tier them for CS:

Tier 1:
Northeastern
Cal poly slo
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Tier 2:
CSU:s
University of Arizona
University of Georgia
ASU
University of Alabama

All of them will offer a solid CS degree in the end.

For other schools to check out, check out BU too if you like Northeastern.

5

@Jarnkrok, Have you eliminated the possibility of getting need-based financial aid? Many US colleges – including the most selective – offer need-based aid to internationals, and quite a few guarantee to meet full demonstrated need. As a source of funding to internationals need-based aid is far more widespread and generous than merit aid.

The complication with need-based aid and internationals is that it’s difficult to predict and is dependent on what the college determines your need is (which may not match your actual need).

The financial aid department will ask your family to “demonstrate” need by providing tax returns, income statements and various other indicators of economic status. It’s an imperfect science, however, if your family would be considered low income by US standards or if it is a middle class family in a developing country, then you have a good chance of qualifying for need-based aid.

6

" Many US colleges – including the most selective – offer need-based aid to internationals, and quite a few guarantee to meet full demonstrated need.

Actually, only 5 US colleges offer both need blind admissions and full demonstrated need coverage to international students: Amherst, Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Yale.

7

@mom2collegekids oh yeah i mistook full ride for full tuition. Do you happen to know how many of these scholarships they give out?

@PengsPhils Thanks for the ratings! Do you think that i have good chances to get accepted at Northeastern and BU? I have read amazing things about the co op possibilities at Northeastern.

@momrath I have not really looked into need based aid because at all of the schools i have checked out need based aid is strictly for us citizens only. I know that some of the ivies and MIT meet full need even for internationals but unfortunately i dont think i have a chance at getting accepted to them as i have no amazing EC:s. My Family is middle class.

@ColdinMinny Thanks! I have not thought about liberal arts colleges but you just opened my eyes to them. Are internship possibilities as good as they are when attending a big university while attending a liberal arts college?

8

With a high GPA, you should be in good shape for a chance, but no one can say for sure. I don’t believe Northeastern even considers test scores for international students - double check before sending them in. If they do, the 34 will serve you well too.

PS: I’m actually a Northeastern CS student - the program is absolutely amazing and yes, co-op really serves CS well too. I’m guessing you’re going to need a high merit scholarship to get the price down too, which means that an acceptance could still be a rejection, unfortunately. Still, you should be competitive for those scholarships. Certainly worth the application.

As far as LAC’s go, make sure they offer sufficiently for CS. @ucbalumnus has a great thread on that:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/math-computer-science-majors/1814245-computer-science-at-some-smaller-schools-including-liberal-arts-colleges-p1.html

With a 34 ACT and a good GPA, I think taking a flier on MIT may be worth it - just don’t get your hopes up.

9

Based on employer ratings that I’ve heard:

Top 2 :
Cal poly slo
Northeastern

SLO will provide better opportunities though since it is so close to Silicon Valley.

10

^^^Its not that close to Silicon Valley.
It is in the state of California.

11

@NLinsanity – from SLO to San Jose is about 200 miles. “So close”?

12

Yeah, have to agree with others here - Northeastern’s co-op program alone probably offers better connections to the valley, but more importantly, most of CS is not there. Boston is actually a larger tech hub itself these days than most places outside of the Valley, Seattle, and Austin.

Regardless, those two are both great options.

13

With your stats, my kid got $22k per year and a one time $6k stipend for a summer coop if that helps you figure your remaining cost.

14

@jarnkrok, I think there are a lot of misconceptions about need-based aid for internationals. First, whether a school is need-blind or need-aware is not the most important issue. Many, many need-aware schools offer generous need-based aid to internationals, even though they consider the applicants’ need for financial when they review their applications. Conversely, admissions committees at need-blind schools are not completely “blind.” There are multiple background clues in an application to indicate an applicant’s economic status and aid funds are budgeted, just as they are at need-aware schools.

The important statement to look for is “guarantees to meet full demonstrated need” which means that if you are admitted you will get enough aid to cover the total cost of attendance minus the amount that the financial aid office thinks your family should be able to pay, based on financial information you provide.

For internationals, calculating estimated family contribution is imprecise and inconsistent. Income and cost of living levels, especially n developing countries, vary widely and currency fluctuations and tax laws can obscure economic status. But my observation has been if you are a low or middle income family, and you are admitted to a “full-need” school your chance of getting sufficient need-based aid is good.

These are some colleges that guarantee to meet full need. This list is not comprehensive; it doesn’t cover all full-need schools, but it gives a picture of the range of choices.
Amherst, Brown, Chicago, Colby, Dartmouth, Davidson, Duke, Grinnell, Hamilton, Harvard, JHU, MIT, Macalester, Middlebury, Penn, Pitzer, Pomona, Princeton, Richmond, Rhodes, Stanford, Swarthmore, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams

15

Use the Supermatch tool to look for colleges that cost under $40K,e.g. SUNY Binghamton costs less than that.

16

@“aunt bea” and @katliamom - SLO is highly regarded in Silicon Valley. It’s close enough that students can get up there easily enough for interviews and the school’s ‘learn by doing’ philosophy is just what many companies there want.

OP - No aid would be available from Cal Poly or any of the CSUs. Also, Cal Poly admits by major and CS is one of the most competitive to get into. Your stats are in the ballpark for the major but the admit rate is pretty low. It’s a gem of a school though, so if you can afford it, go for it.

17

@Otterma, @katliamom and I know where both SLO and Silicon Valley are in location.

The reference was made that SLO was “so close” to Silicon Valley. It is still a distance from SLO. My dd at Davis is closer to SV than SLO is to Silicon. (FYI, I’ve lived in CA all of my life and have visited all over the state too many times to count.)

18

OP, yes there are internship options for small LAC’s.

CS is hot right now, with high demand. If you are not a US Citizen, there are some restrictions for hiring into some US firms, irrespective of where you attend school. However, there are plenty of internships for bright, motivated CS students. Our S secured one after his freshman year with some perseverance as a CS major coming from Trinity U.

Good advice up-thread on geography. Northeastern has a very strong co-op program, and CS jobs are going to be more plentiful in Silicon Valley, so add Santa Clara to your list of options, too, with good merit aid offerings. Texas is also strong in hiring in the tech fields, so Rice and UT and Trinity are all good options, too.

Good luck!

19

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i really appreciate it. I have looked at alot of lac:s and universities the past day but Cal poly slo and Northeastern are still my top choices. I just read on the cal poly slo admission page that admitted students usually have a gpa of 4.2 +. There is no way I can achieve a GPA like that because my gpa will be unweighted. A 4.2 must be a weighted score right? Do colleges take in mind that international students have unweighted gpa:s? I still take all the most rigourus classes in math, physics etc.

Also, will i have an advantage as i am from northern Europe and not the usual asian international student?

20

Almost all schools recalculate GPA on their scale - your high school sends a school profile and the college will use that to put everyone on an even playing field in their mind.