International ED Results

confused_vnese
Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:21:21 +0000

is it wise for me to apply ED to need-aware schools i.e. Upenn/Columbia, particularly if the fin. package doesnt meet my need fully or is full of loans? I’m still confused about how universities calculate your ‘demonstrated needs’ - my family owns no asset besides the house we live in, so the house doesnt really count since they dont expect my fmailyto sell the house to fund my edu, eh?



I was advised that internationals should not apply early to a need-aware school. It’s very unlikely that they;ll take you in early + give you a generous aid package because their funds are so limited, they’ll want to at most defer you and compare you with the rest of the aid-seeking pool. Some schools (Chicago, for instance) specifically state that internationals needing finaid should not apply EA. Come to think about it, it’s only logical that they defer you (in the best case scenario).

Of course there are exceptions, like the OP, but those are VERY rare.

Not sure about the demonstrated needs thing but method of calculation varies among universities. Obviously the more generous (think the holy trinity HYP) they are, the more grant they’ll give you. Just to give an example: my family income is about US$20,000, our only assets is our house (present market value 200,000USD). Our indicated level of contribution (from parents’ savings) is 10,000USD/year. However, my FA from Yale is 100% (scholarship 49k; parents’ contribution 0, rest is on-campus jobs)