Hi all,
I am an international student in a school that is a member of a partnership that provides scholarship to those without means to pay for full tuition, a lot of Ivy League schools and other top unis are also a part of this partnership and my school sends a few top students to those schools every year, most of them get full aid. My question is, if I were to apply for aid (since I otherwise would have no means to pay for an education in the US), would indicating on my application that I plan to graduate early/accelerate help me increase my chances-in case a school is not 100% need-blind for internationals? Bear in mind that the partnership would cover half of the cost, and the rest would be paid for by the schools, but half a school year is still nothing to sneeze at.
How do you know you will graduate early if you haven’t been accepted and don’t know what the graduation requirements are for your particular program? You may be counting on AP credits which the school you end up in won’t accept. Or end up at a college which has a strict sequence for your major where it’s just not possible to fit in your classes (a thesis if required) and your distribution requirements in 7 semesters.
So I think you’re jumping the gun here.
No, it wouldn’t help because the school would have no confidence that you would, indeed, graduate early. You may change your major, or whatever.
Every university program and major is different. Saying that your capabilities, at this stage, will enable you to bypass their sequence of coursework requirements and labs is a bit presumptuous and, I think, the school might view you as a bit arrogant. This would not be a way to get admitted.
blossom, all the schools I’m applying to accept AP credits 
and I have every reason to believe in my ability to graduate early, I was just wondering if it would be an advantage to claim I can-seems like it isn’t so I won’t do it.
Thank you everyone!
I think you are confusing two terms.
Need blind means the school does not consider your ability to pay when they consider your application for admission. The vast majority of colleges are need blind, although less so for international students.
Meet full need…these schools guarantee to meet the full need of all accepted students.
Personally, I can’t see how graduating early would have any effect on the awarding of need based financial aid, as that is based on your family income and assets.
thumper my logic was, if they will definitely inquire about my ability to pay (not need-blind) and know they would have to pay if they were to accept me, saying they will have less of a burden might help-but my saying I can graduate early means nothing so there is no point; it’s about getting in not getting aid
“I am an international student in a school that is a member of a partnership that provides scholarship to those without means to pay for full tuition, a lot of Ivy League schools and other top unis are also a part of this partnership and my school sends a few top students to those schools every year, most of them get full aid.”
You need to be talking with the college placement people at your own school. They are the experts on the situation with students from your school. None of us know enough about students from your school to give you the kind of advice that your own counselor can.
You won’t save the school any money. If you graduate in 3 years instead of 4, the school likely will just give that fin aid you would have taken that 4th year to someone else.
Also, if that money is coming from some outside foundation instead of the school, you graduating early would actually cost the school money.
Not to mention that no adcom is going to believe that a high schooler is for sure graduating early no matter what they say.