I am currently an international student in a Community College and I am about to finish my Associate’s. I am looking for transfer options for next Fall and since I hold a very high GPA, I was nominated to be part of the Transfer Scholars Network, which opened possibilities of applying to highly selective colleges in the USA. However, reviewing the Transfer Eligibility for most of these colleges (Brown University, Cornell, Yale, Pomona, Williams) they require not holding a bachelor’s degree to be eligible. I hold a bachelor’s degree from my country (Colombia) that I got in 2021 in political science, but currently my interests for finishing my degree in the USA is on theater, which is my major in my community college. All these colleges will not accept my application because I have a bachelor’s even when that bachelor’s was earned in another country and does not have anything to do with what I am studying now and what I want to pursue? What should I do if I need financial aid to be able to finish my bachelor’s? I have made a huge effort to have a great GPA that would get me into a college that would offer financial aid for me and now I find myself in this awful situation where I have no idea what to do, it is so discouraging. There is absolutely no exception to that rule in these colleges because I got my degree in another country? If someone could help me, I would highly appreciate it. I feel very sad because of this thing.
Even has a US citizen, there are more limited options for financial aid for second degree students. I would anticipate that you as an older student with several degrees and years of college completed already would have basically no options for expecting financial support from any of the US colleges.
Is your Colombian degree an Associate degree, a “first post HS degree”… or is it a 4 year degree? If it’s just a post high school degree it may not matter – if it’s not 4-year or in some countries 5-year it may not be considered equivalent - some degrees are 3 years but are NOT considered equivalent to a US Bachelor’s and US grad schools want 1 or 2 more years from foreign graduates with that degree.) In that^ case you could email each college and state “My Community College nominated me to be part of the Transfer scholars Network due to my GPA (… …) and my work in theater, which is my major. However, I got a first-level degree in Colombia (not a 4-year degree), in Political science. This degree does not qualify me for graduate study in the US even in Political Science let alone Theater - I would need 1 or 2 additional years in any case - but does it mean I cannot apply to transfer as a junior Theater major to your college?”
If you already have a four year bachelors degree, how do you plan to fund a second bachelors here as an international student? Many many colleges will not provide you with funding for a second bachelors degree.
“They require not holding a bachelor’s degree to be eligible.”
What you need to understand about US universities is they get their funding from a number of resources including the federal and state governments. Those amounts are small and only cover US citizens.
The schools also rely on donations from the community and former alumni. There’s no endless supply of money. It is finite, so they have to pick and choose who they will fund.
A number of universities have a directive that tells their staff to get their students in and out with a bachelors degree, in a timely manner. They can’t afford to fund students for more than four years.
If you have a bachelors degree, in any subject, you were already provided with an education.
The universities have strict, limited budgets. You could have a degree in underwater basket weaving but they are not going to pay for a second- degree for you; they can’t afford it.
Surprise, surprise, most Americans cannot afford an American university education.
There are so many students begging for funding to attend these schools. There just isn’t the money.
The universities save the most of their pennies for graduating HS students that they want and need.
You’re going to have to find somewhere that will fund your education or pay for it yourself.
Also, when you return to your country, will you have a job in theater? Remember that the universities in the US will educate you, but they don’t guarantee to provide employment. That’s a US immigration issue.
Non-citizens must return to their country of origin after completing their education in the US.