<p>Hey everyone.
I am an international student applying to the US. My parents do not earn much which is why I would not be able to cover the tuition costs of american colleges. I am applying willing to receive financial aid (where it is available) or a merit award.</p>
<p>Now, I am filling out the financial declaration forms. My parents barely can pay $10,000 a year, so I am in a serious need of financial assitance. What bothers me is whether a college considers my financial situation while reviewing my application. I mean, if I cant fully pay for my studies, could the college still admit me? Or when they see I cant pay the tuition (with or without extra financial aid), they will just automatically decline my application?</p>
<p>Because you see, my boyfriend's parents earn much more, and they said that if I get admitted, they might support me financially. But I do now want to state them as my sponsors because it just... depends. So I would still like to get admitted even if my parents would not be able to pay the whole offered cost.</p>
<p>So yeah... its a complicated situation, Im not sure if I described it clearly. What I need is your opinion about it. I am just worried that when colleges see my financial situation, they will just simply reject my application, even if they find me as a student worth being admitted.</p>
<p>A lot of need based aid is given by US institutions to international students, but in this pool there are far, far more applicants than dollars available. At nearly all universities, need is a consideration for international admissions. It is not the case that you would be first admitted regardless of your financial situation and then you would negotiate financial arrangements or aid with the school.</p>
<p>I’ve seen many international students apply in more than one admissions season. Like you are considering doing, in the first year they try to get as much financial aid as possible. If that doesn’t work out and they aren’t accepted and offered an acceptable financial aid package, they take a gap year, do something productive and apply again the following year with a different strategy. That works for a few people, but generally I think the better course is to honestly report all your available financial resources and ask in the first place for only as much aid as you really need.</p>
<p>I understant all of this, and this is what I am going to do.
But I did not get the answer I need.</p>
<p>Wont colleges automatically reject my application if they see that I cant afford the tuition cost (with or without financial aid/merit)? Because even if a college cant offer the financial aid large enough my parents could pay, I still want to get admitted so I know I have chances to study there.</p>
<p>“So yeah… its a complicated situation, Im not sure if I described it clearly. What I need is your opinion about it. I am just worried that when colleges see my financial situation, they will just simply reject my application, even if they find me as a student worth being admitted.”</p>
<p>You need to apply for financial aid when you apply to the colleges and universities. If you are admitted and receive enough aid, you can attend. If you are admitted and don’t receive enough aid, you can look for other sources of money - your own government, your extended family, your friends, etc. </p>
<p>If an institution does not admit you because they believe that you cannot afford to pay for your education there (and yes, some colleges and universities do have that policy even for US applicants), then that institution is doing you a favor. Toss the letter in the trash, and move on.</p>
<p>And DO NOT take out a lot of loans for a college education either in the US or elsewhere. Sooner or later those loans will need to be repaid. $100,000 of debt could ruin your life.</p>
<p>You need to be looking for affordable colleges and universities in your own country, not just here.</p>