I am an international student requiring great amount of financial aid.
My stats:
New SAT: 1340 (580 English , 760 Math)
GPA: 4.0
I want to settle on EDII choice. Something important about the EDII choice of mine is to guarantee for me to be a strong candidate and to have relatively good chances of getting in. I have some options:
Well, it kind of depends on what you are using it for.
Based solely on your test scores, the University of Rochester is a little bit of a reach for you - you’re just barely in the middle 50% of students, and you are probably in the bottom 30% or so of admitted applicants. So if you wanted a boost to your admissions at a school that’s a big reach for you, URochester would be the one. At Skidmore and Bucknell, you sit more squarely in the middle 50% of applicants.
All the schools offer pretty good financial aid to domestic students, but comparing their stats is pretty moot for you because you’re international. Skidmore explicitly says that they only give out a few need-based awards to very competitive international applicants every year. Bucknell has a similar statement on their website, although they call theirs “scholarships” and don’t specify whether they are need- or merit-based (or a combination thereof). The University of Rochester has a less discouraging but also much more vague statement on their website, simply saying that
Skidmore is on several different lists of ‘colleges that give the most financial aid to international students,’ including on U.S. News’ top 10 list in this area. The University of Rochester is also on one (the CollegeMatchMaker).
@juillet
That was really helpful.
I am also asking you if you have some other options where my stats lie above the average. Through which, I could have easier chances of beimg enrolled within. Also, what about gettysburg college as a pick for EDII
I suggest you google “colleges that meet full financial need.” Most are among the most competitive schools, i.e. Harvard, but you will find some that are more reasonable in terms of admissions.
These schools strive to meet all financial need for admitted students. So if a student can pay $10,000 per year, they try to arrange that is all they have to pay. A few things though: this might not apply to international students at a given school; a school may still be “need aware,” which means it does consider a student’s ability to pay in the admissions decision; a school may calculate that a student can pay more than the student and their family calculate. For example, your parents might feel they can pay $10,000 per year, but the school feels they can pay $18,000.
I found Franklin & Marshall, Salem College (in North Carolina), and Union College (NY) with a quick search. Maybe also Clark University (in Massachusetts).
Good luck!
I’d go with Bucknell. They’ll appreciate the high math scores and don’t receive as many applications from internationals as Skidmore. I think URochester is too much of a reach for an international who needs financial aid considering they only award merit AFAIK.