I am an international student asking for aid and thinking about applying to ivy league universities ED. Earlier I was thinking about applying to Columbia ED but got to know it explicitly defers international student asking for aid. So, I am confused that which university should I apply to ED. I am applying for engineering, I have good international and national level extracurriculars and honors, 94% in my sophomore year, will be giving SAT soon expecting above 1480 as per practice tests.
While Columbia out right says so, you should assume that is the case for all need aware schools. They prefer to evaluate all international applicants needing aid at the same time.
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I will repeat what people told you last year when you were a freshman in high school.
It’s far too early to think about these things. You have absolutely no idea what your profile will look like when you actually apply, so there is no point in thinking about where you should apply.
Moreover, you really need to consider what you are looking for in a university in the USA, and why you want to attend that university. “Ivy League” is a football conference, not a description of the type of universities these are. In size they vary from Dartmouth College with 4,500 undergraduates to Cornell with 15,500 undergraduates. Harvard and Columbia are Urban, Dartmouth is very rural, and Cornell is somewhere in between. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and education in each of them can be very different.
Universities and colleges in the USA are far more varied than they are in any other country. Many are private universities (like the Ivies, mostly), there are public flagship universities, and public regional universities, there are research universities, universities that teach only undergraduates and those which have undergraduates and masters programs. The number of undergraduates can vary between fewer than 500 to more than 50,0000.
You need to figure out why you want to study in the USA, what you want to study, how you want to study, in what sort of place you want to study, and how much you can afford to pay. Then you can start looking for the optimal combinations of these.
If all you want is “I want to study at the most prestigious place possible, but I only have very little money to pay for this”, you’re unlikely to find a place in which you will succeed, and admission will be even less likely.
Go back, do as best as you can at school, figure out what you want, and then come back here in another year with more specific ideas of what you want and what your options happen to be.
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I also replied last year. You still don’t have an ACT or SAT score, and I believe you have two more years left of high school…right?
Remember, ED is supposed to be a binding acceptance if you get accepted…but frankly, if you can’t come up with the money to pay, you won’t be able to get a visa to study here. You will need to demonstrate that you have at the ready the money to fund at least a full year of costs. Some colleges require more. This can include already approved loans (which you would need to get in India) as well as already received student financial aid, and money in the bank (proof will need to be provided). It cannot include future earnings, potential gifts from others, or anything else that you haven’t already secured.
As an international student, I honestly would not suggest applying ED at all.
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I agree with the comments of the posters above.
You actually need to show proof of funds for your entire length of study - typically 4 years. This requirement stems from U.S. immigration law, and while some colleges might only ask to see funds for 1 year to issue your I-20, the four year requirement will be imposed by the State Department when determining whether to issue you a student visa.
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Apply to one of the colleges which are need blind to internationals + meet full need. There are only a handful and the acceptance rates are very low.
I don’t think this is the best early strategy if one of those schools is not the top choice. Yes, they’re need blind, but as a result everyone wanting aid applies driving acceptance rates even lower.
Bottom line, acceptance will be a challenge regardless. Apply early to the top choice college that meets full need. There is no maximizing acceptance strategy to pursue.
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