I received a likely letter more than a week ago and was really excited because I didn’t think I’d get in at all (coming from an international and competitive pool)
But then I heard about an international student who got a likely letter last year but didn’t receive a single penny (he did have a big need) and other international students who also got in with insufficient aids. As a result I’m starting to worry that I wouldn’t be able to attend cornell because of financial situation (it’d be really frustrating since I think that likely letter means that they want you)
I’m posting this wanting to hear similar stories, to see if this is usual for international students admitted to Cornell.
Cornell doesn’t give more aid to people they “want” more. Financial aid for Cornell is entirely need-based. Schools that give out merit scholarships do so based on how qualified a candidate is, but everyone accepted to Cornell is very qualified, and they want everyone they accept. The financial aid office is separate from the admissions office. So while it is frustrating to receive insufficient aid, there isn’t much you can do about it and it has no reflection on how much they like you as an applicant.
If you take look on this website there are many international students who have received little or no financial aid. I think they just have very limited funds available for international students, which personally surprised me because I thought that priority would be given to these students to increase diversity. Best of luck though, anything’s possible and since you got in you definitely deserve it.
Honestly, if you needed significant aid, why would you apply to a school like Cornell, which, as far as I know gives poor aid to internationals?
I did apply to other schools and was accepted with sufficient aid, I just want to try my chance at Cornell. But then I got a likely letter…At first I knew that they have limited funds but didn’t think that it would be that limited to international students.
I guess that I would accept whatever comes next. Thanks for your replies