Match American citizen living in India [rank 1, IGCSE 8A*, A-level predicted 4A*, 1A, 1560 SAT, <$10k; physics / math]

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Demographics

US donestic student living in india. Small high school with very less students applying to US

Cost Constraints / Budget
$10000 per year

Intended Major(s)
Physics and maths
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
1560 in Sat. School does not use GPA
Class rank is 1 in every year of high school

Took igcse and a level courses.
IGCSE:
Physics - 97
Chemistry-99
Biology-97
IT-97
Maths-97
Additional mathematics( a subject i took on my own) -98
English-97
Hindi-90

A level courses . Expected A*
IT
Phyiscs
Chemistry
Maths
.
Taking 3 college courses online. Thry are concepts of chemistry for engineering, calculus of several variables and classical mechanics.

Certified in introductory mechanics from rice university. CS50p and cs50AI

I have been the headboy of my school for one year. Organized all ny school events and was the speaker at all the events. Led and organized our school’s first cultural fest. Created coding club and led public speaking club. Was the vice captain of a house the previous year.
Volunteering with non profit to raise funds for hiv affected children.
Writing opinion polls online in a student newspaper.
Certified and tutoring physics and maths online through schoolhouse.world

Essays/LORs/Other
Pretty strong lors. Essay have to work
Which universities do you think are targets reaches and safeties for me?

Your budget will eliminate most schools.

There are schools that meet need - and you need to apply to them.

Most are what’s called need aware meaning - if you need too much, they’ll deny you. But some are need blind - meaning they don’t take your need into account.

Now the other question is - you have a $10K budget but the schools may say you need to pay more - because need isn’t determined by your budget. So you might talk to the schools to find out the best say to get an estimate. They have Net Price Calculators - but many say they are not accurate for international students.

These schools do not use your finances in their admission decision:

Others that meet need - but will factor in how much you need into the decision include the following. You should review each school individually to make sure they meet 100% of need for international students - and again, that doesn’t mean it will be the amount you want to pay:

  • Stanford University
  • California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Columbia University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Cornell University
  • Tufts University
  • New York University
  • Rice University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Swarthmore College
  • Williams College
  • Barnard College
  • Carleton College
  • Pomona College
  • Pitzer College
  • Reed College
  • Dickinson College
  • Hamilton College
  • Wellesley College
  • Haverford College
  • Vassar College
  • Colby College
  • Claremont McKenna College
  • Grinnell College
  • Middlebury College
  • Washington and Lee University
  • Case Western Reserve University
  • Smith College
  • Brandeis University
  • Oberlin College
  • Scripps College
  • Macalester College
  • University of Rochester
  • Wesleyan University
  • Mount Holyoke College
  • Colgate University
  • Kenyon College
  • Davidson College
  • University of Richmond
  • Occidental College
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • Lehigh University
  • Trinity College
  • Connecticut College
  • Bates College
  • Colorado College
  • Denison University
  • University of Miami
  • Lafayette College
  • Rhodes College
  • Union College (NY)
  • Franklin & Marshall College
  • St. Olaf College
  • Gettysburg College
  • College of the Holy Cross
  • Sewanee: The University of the South
  • Berea College

Also, many colleges will require you to purchase health insurance. For example, Gettysburg College says the following: For Cost of Attendance, including billed and non-billed costs, please review our Tuition and Fees webpage. The College Student Health Insurance Plan of $3,490 is mandatory for matriculated international students.

So with that and travel, it’s highly unlikely you can study in the US for $10K.

Good luck.

I am a domestic student (I checked with a few universities). When I said 10k I meant only tuition and boarding, I am willing to pay more if needed

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The CSS is used to determine need. Schools will determine what you need to pay.

Depending on your gpa and test score, you could go to a US school for as low as $20k ((tuition, room, and board) without need aid.

Yes, as a US citizen you will be regarded as a domestic student. Your GPA (the college will calculate, not you) is probably 4.0 or pretty close, based on your GCSEs. 4 A*s will be impressive - does your school do predictions for these, or would you only apply after A levels are completed?

Health insurance is usually required regardless of nationality unless you can show you already have insurance that is valid in the state you’ll be in - which I’m assuming you don’t given the description of your circumstances.

Being domestic does mean that you will get need blind admissions at more schools than an international would - a lot in the second list in post 2 as well. Unfortunately you don’t have residence in a state so cannot benefit from instate tuition anywhere afaik. And as already mentioned, it is the college that determines your financial need regarding the financial aid they will offer you.

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Based on your intended areas of study, some of these schools may be of interest:

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You’re a high-stats/high-need applicant which means you have a lot less to worry about in terms of private college affordability than the average upper-middle class kid. Like it or not, that’s just the lay of the land. You can run the NPCs of a few of the east coast Ivies and NESCACs to get a better idea before worrying about “merit money” which as anyone here will tell you, is a royal pain.

Having said that, there are still a host of questions you haven’t answered yet. Like, what sort of college atmosphere are you looking for (big, small, city, small town - are you open to women’s colleges?) No doubt you will want a college with cutting edge STEM facilities and a reputation for research. Just be aware that the line separating small but wealthy liberal arts colleges and large R1 universities is smaller than you might think. All the T50 are constantly updating their science departments.

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Only at colleges that require the CSS Profile. There are many colleges that meet full need for SOME U.S. citizens, but not all.

For aid purposes, you will be considered an American citizen. If your family can pay $10,000 a year, you can also take the Direct Loan of $5500 for freshman year. That would mean $15,500 would be your budget for freshman year. Is that possible?

Depending on your FAFSA results, you could also be entitled to a portion of the Pell Grant which could be up to about $7000.

You appear to be a very strong student. Some colleges here DO include a small allowance for travel, and they also include health insurance.

One issue you will have is your application will be reviewed alongside others from the region in which you reside.

@MYOS1634 any suggestions for this strong student?

Places like Washington and Lee (Johnson Scholarship) would be very affordable should you get it. The Ohio State University Morell is another to consider.

@DramaMama2021 what other full merit awards could this student consider?

This list is for INTERNATIONAL students. This student is a U.S. citizen living abroad and will be treated as a U.S. citizen, not an international student. The vast majority of colleges here are need blind for U.S. citizens.

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But not all will meet full demonstrated need

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Many colleges provide generous merit scholarships for which this kid could qualify.

In addition, many of these colleges don’t meet need for ALL students but could for some.

This kid is a U.S. citizen which opens the door for more options than the ones listed above.

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This student is an American citizen…not an international student.

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Also, this is an excellent SAT score. IIRC most colleges will understand your school’s grading system. Is this correct, @skieurope

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I have no preference for the type of city or the size of the college. I am male, ruling me out of women’s colleges, and my only criteria are good research facilities and affordability (less than $20000k).

How will you pay this amount annually?

Apart from schools with aid, I want to know which colleges I could considers safeties, which I could consider reaches and which are targets

Yes. Likely every school that will be mentioned will have had plenty of applicants from India so every single AO understands the grading system and understands IGCSE

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Perhaps looking for colleges with significant merit aid should be added.

As a U.S. citizen, you can take the Direct Loan ($5500 for freshman year) and it sounds like you might be eligible for the full Pell grant (about $7000)…if you are low income. So…you would need a full tuition scholarship at least.

Places to research…

  1. Colleges that have auto merit like all of the University of Alabama campuses. They might be more costly freshman year, but off campus housing is less costly so you would save money after that.
  2. Look at the Arizona publics…University of Arizona and Arizona State. They might be above budget, but check. Also, look at University of New Mexico, and Mexico Tech @WayOutWestMom can tell whether these might come in as affordable. College of Charleston if you got the Charleston Scholars in addition to other merit aid is a maybe. Utah and Montana are also worth checking.
  3. There are some competitive merit awards ar some schools…worth pursuing…Washington and Lee (Johnson scholarship), tOhio State University (Morell), and there are many others. Hoping @DramaMama2021can post some. And that @Mwfan1921 will make some suggestions as well.

These suggestions (which were originally posted in another topic) emphasize undergraduate-focused colleges with excellent research opportunities in physics:

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Have you run the NPC at any meet-need schools? It would help to know if there is the possibility of meeting budget with need-based aid.

Use the NPC (not MyIntuition which is less accurate) on each school’s website. Here are a few.

W&L estimate your aid

Carlton estimate your aid

Princeton estimate your aid

MIT estimate your aid

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ooof - to OP and others, I apologize. I missed that - the US Citizen part (funny because it’s in the title).

The Arizona schools even with merit will be above budget. U of Arizona might be ok-ish but have a proposal to reduce merit and tuition freezes, etc. That said, it’s a top physics school.

I’m not sure how GPA will be determined but if it’s high, your best bets will be schools like Troy University (potential full ride), Alabama, Alabama Huntsville, and MS State - but they are GPA and test dependent. The last three will be $20K-ish so above budget. W Carolina is $20K full pay. Florida State would be $25K with a test waiver - if - the GPA comes out ok.

Obviously the schools requiring the CSS that meet need will determine your need - whether that’s $10K, only they can say. You have a less than $10K budget - but then you say you can pay more and if they determine you could, their price will reflect that.

You should have your family run the net price calculator for each. Just google the school name + net price calculator. They will give you estimates based on your family’s situation.

If the #s are too high and you want an LAC, there are many that can come in under $40K with merit - like Wooster, Kalamazoo, etc.

Good luck.