didn’t apply to uk colleges at all last year*
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As I suggested upthread- you need to invest time in understanding the US immigration system. Your school is NOT the one applying for a visa. You- as an individual- are. Take half an hour and read the recent news reports about students NOW in the US on student visas and the chaos going on.
And the proof of finances piece is critical. You will not be allowed IN to study if it looks as though you can’t afford to pay for four years. So you don’t have the luxury of living in Chicago and then “figuring things out”.
You are stellar candidate- but there are easier paths than the US right now. Sadly.
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Several issues here:
- What you want to pay only matters if the college agrees. But international students in many cases are a revenue source - so they will choose students that can pay. There is a growing list of schools though that meet need and that won’t impact admission. I only ssee a couple on your list.
- Now you have the added effect of will the country even be welcoming to international students - and if so, will it be welcoming at all the schools on your list? Do you want to be caught up in the - are they going to expel me or send me home many times during your studies? It’s a possibility it seems.
If you have no need, then you can’t get into Berea and you can’t afford schools that give no merit aid - and frankly, you can’t afford any school on your list.
So you’d need to apply to schools that you can afford (assuming no need) - for example, and I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but a U of Alabama has applied math and gives international students the same merit aid as undergrad - so you’d easily be under budget, well under.
I know that’s not what you’re seeking - but unless you have need - you have no US school from your list to attend that I see. Even UIUC would have been above budget.
Good luck.
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So thankful for the reply. 100%, I’m definitely applying to Canada and Australia. And maybe a few european universities.
I’m 100% applying for financial aid. I am in need of financial aid.
I’ve been to America alot.
If I had to recall from my shoddy memory, my parents definitely said something about ‘50k a year is affordable for a top college.’ I will talk with them further but it seems they also considered the living expenses, as my siblings have gone to expensive colleges and graduated too.
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I would just like to thank everyone who replied and helped me. Our academic counselor was a bit… uninvolved in the process. I feel like I’m finally grasping onto something… like grabbing onto railing when I’m in zero gravity.
Thank you for the guidance! Forever grateful.
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When looking at the prices, remember to adjust for the local currency. The Canadian and Australian dollars are both somewhat less expensive compared to the US dollar.
I am originally from Canada (although I live in the US), and have family in Canada. Feel free to ask any questions that you might have about Canadian schools. There are a few other Canadians who are active on this web site, some of whom still live in Canada. Australia I know very little about (I did once enjoy a visit to Melbourne, and understand that there is a good university there but I do not know much about it).
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Which of these did you apply to last cycle other than UIUC? Really, you shouldn’t expect better results than you received last time. Given the political climate, your chances may be worse. Sorry to say you probably should have taken the UIUC acceptance when you had the chance, assuming it was affordable for all 4 years.
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Is this a tourist visa? This means nothing in terms of employment. You will need to be sponsored for a work visa, which is quite different from a tourist visa or even a student visa.
As @blossom said:
Unless you have demonstrated financial need and you get accepted by a college that meets full financial need for international students, $50k isn’t going to be sufficient. The “top colleges” cost almost twice as much.
All this isn’t meant to discourage you, but rather to help set the right expectations.
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So at Chicago, making some reasonable calculations based on recent reported data, the admissions rate for Internationals with need appears to me to be something like 1/10th the rate for full pay Internationals. It can be an even worse ratio at other meets need/need aware private colleges. Unfortunately the admission rate at meets need/need blind for International colleges is often not much better, and instead what they are mostly doing is taking a lower rate of full pay Internationals.
I am mentioning this because for Internationals where their budget is at least $25-30K per year, by far their best chances are at US colleges which are NOT meets need, but instead can get to your budget either with no aid, or with attainable merit aid. This is largely going to be public universities, and while they may not be as “prestigious” as the private colleges which are meets need for Internationals (and then admit extremely few of the Internationals with need who apply), they can provide a very good education.
None of this is intended to address the visa issues. I just wanted to provide some context explaining why looking for a lot of need aid from private colleges in the US severely reduces your odds of ending up with such an offer.
And if you do not consider the publics that are far more likely to meet your budget competitive with your non-US options–that is entirely up to you. And you can try for one of those very rare need offers anyway (assuming it makes sense in general), but the most likely outcome even with very good qualifications is you will not end up doing your undergraduate degree in the US.
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With respect to your interest in applied math, consider colleges with an available major in data science. With this major, you could combine statistics and computing with an applied domain of your choice.
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For OP’s knowledge:
There are also private schools that can offer enough merit aid to bring the cost down to around $50–60K. However, these aren’t the top-tier schools you’re considering.
Also, most top public universities will not offer you merit aid, and most will cost over $50K per year. If you’re looking for public schools that will meet your budget, you’ll have to target southern schools (which tend to be cheaper), or those that are a couple of tiers down the prestige ladder that offer generous merit aid to attract top students.
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When you talk to your parents, ask them to run the NPC (Net Price Calculator) for a meets need school. Then you will be more informed about your need for merit aid vs need-based financial aid to meet your budget. Your parents may have some idea if your older siblings attended US schools, but there is no way to know without running the NPC with current information. I suggest starting with the Princeton NPC as it is one of the most generous meets-need schools.
In the meantime, keep researching schools and the current climate for international students. You’ve received very good information from other posters. Keep asking questions and you will receive a lot of good advice here. Best of luck!
ETA: Berea is a school for low-income students. I don’t expect you would qualify since your parents can pay $40-50k. So keep researching. 
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What does this mean? You can’t just randomly create a hook.
What does this mean? Please explain a “long visa”. If you are a student, you might need to change to a student visa. @MYOS1634 might be able to explain.
Maybe you can attend college on your “long visa” but I’m not sure you will be able to work here on that “long visa”.
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Just an FYI. The net price calculators are often very inaccurate for international students.
And all schools that meet full need for U.S. citizens do NOT do so for international students…check that.
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No and no.
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OP: What is your end game here? Do you want to get an advanced degree beyond a bachelor’s degree, or stop there? If you wish to get an advanced degree, then you should think about applying to a less prestigious school – where the costs are lower, and you have a better chance for financial aid as an international student – and try for a more prestigious school as a graduate student.
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (https://www.siue.edu/admissions/international/) is one example that appears to be financial feasible for you at the undergraduate level; and you might qualify for merit scholarships there as an international student.
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My advice would be to apply to Oxford or Cambridge + Imperial if you can take the relevant exams, but definitely add Bath, Durham, St Andrews.
In Europe,
https://programmes.polytechnique.edu/en/bachelor/about-the-bachelor/bachelor-of-science
is well within budget (€18.800 tuition).
The country where you can enjoy libraries, study math/applied math/data science, then graduate and make a nice living is Canada.
Waterloo (do their math competitions to improve your odds !), UBC, UToronto (seconding the Pearson idea!) McGill should all be on your list, then add 1-2.
Do start reading about the current US situation international students find themselves in. If you can access news archives, start in March 2025.
In the US, your ECs and skills would be fully recognized, so the trick will be getting enough FA (and that’s without the current issues).
If you like libraries, include Vassar.
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Please clarify…are you attending an international high school…or are you on a gap year.
And do you currently reside in your home country, or here in the U.S.
Do you mean a visa from the US? It won’t be a work visa unless you have already been sponsored by an employer, which clearly is not the case. You cannot use a B1/B2 visa to work (or study) in the US.
Echoing what others have said about finding work here. The jobs market is shrinking, and there are enough US citizens and permanent residents looking for work where companies don’t need to spend any extra expense or jump through hoops to hire them. If you want to go to somewhere like Chicago for the educational experience, great, but don’t expect it to be a stepping stone to a job.
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I just graduated this week. So now, my gap year begins.
Currently residing in my home country.