Which universities should I choose for good financial aid

International Students
1

Hello guys, I am an international students looking to apply to a US university for the Spring 2016 period - preferably, but I am certainly fine with Fall 2016 if I get a full ride aid. I did my A level in Singapore, and got A,B,B,C for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics, all at H2 level. My SAT score is 2130 - 780/700/650 for Math, CR, WR, and SAT II of 750/780 for Math 2, Physics. So here is the list of the universities that I want to apply to:

Kent State University Ohio
University of Minnesota Morris
Coe College
Stony Brook University
University of South Florida
Truman State University
Troy University
Florida Institute of Technology
University of Buffalo at Sunny
Binghamton Sunny
University of Iowa
Iowa State University
University of Utah
University of North Dakota

As I have flunked my high school, I do not dare to dream about top tier schools, but I want to apply to a university which could give me good financial assistance - for an international student, and from there I would try to transfer to one of the following schools in sophomore year in order of preference:
University of Minnesota Twincities
Arizona State University
Rutger University
Ohio State University
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Purdue West Lefayete
University of Maryland College Park
Geogria Institute of Technology

for Computer Science and Mathematics
I may still qualify for some schools that I aim for, but I cannot handle the cost as I could not afford 25k/year for all 4 years. I noticed that it might be more difficult to transfer from university - university than from CC to Uni, and I certainly did some research about CC system in Cal, but most Cal schools are also too expensive. But most CC systems outside Cal do not have such clear articulation, and my parents are not so supportive of the uncertainty. If it is possible, please give me an advice on the schools that I should apply to, and if you know of any school that provides great aid, or any CC outside CA system that has good transfer prospect, please feel free to post here. I would really appreciate your help.

Oh and I am looking at University of Minnesota Morris, because of the low tuition fee, but I am not sure if it is possible to transfer to UMN twin cities from here. Does this school offer any amount of aid?

2

“I have flunked my high school”

What do you mean by that? If you truly have flunked, you aren’t going to qualify for any scholarships here!

Just exactly how much can you afford to pay? It will be almost impossible for you to get decent financial aid as an international transfer student. You need to find some place that you can afford for all four years.

3

What’s your GPA? and why do you want to come to USA? Are you from Europe? If so, why would you NOT want to go to school for free in Europe?

First, consider thses schools ONLY for you:
UAlabama-Huntsville, Birmingham, or Tuscaloosa. I would recommend Huntsville and BHM sincei t’s more leninent in Howard University

All the other schools in your list either don’t give money or not good fits for you, or BOTH. Plus, UNC-Chapel hill and
GIT are impossible if you have bad grade/

4

Hi I’m from Singapore also. I don’t think you flunked your A-levels; the grades are good enough for second-tier and third-tier universities (Top 50-100 Unis and LACs). One thing you can still improve is your SAT score though. If you pull it up to >2250, your chances would increase significantly.

Regarding financial aid, you have to apply to PRIVATE schools to get significant financial aid. Public unis usually do not give aid to internationals. Your best bets are liberal arts colleges which do not specialize in STEM e.g. Trinity College in Connecticut, Bates College, Bard College (NY), Westminster College, etc. You can refer to this list if you want to know which colleges give the most aid to internationals.

http://www.fulbright.sk/data/Doug-Thompson-Scholarships-list-2013.pdf

PM me for more info!

5

I’m sorry, but I’m very confused.

You say you “flunked” your high school. Americans are going to interpret that as you received failing grades-- presumably below 65%-- in the majority of your high school classes.

If that’s true, you won’t receive a high school diploma and will not be accepted by any American college or university. It won’t be about financial aid; you simply won’t get in.

I suspect that you’ve overstated your academic difficulties?

As others have stated, a free ride is tough for any student, particularly an international student.

6

Ok maybe I did not phrase it correctly. So basically, I aimed for at least 3 As in 3 sciences , Maths/Physics/Chemistry, and I did studied really hard. My school is a good high school so getting at least 3 As is kinda the norm, and I did expect to get myself a better score. But the result is out and I got only 1A, kinda sad :frowning: and disappointing. What I flunked is the Lab component in the Sciences, which I did not prepare well, so kinda I got what I deserve, but I am still very sad nonetheless. I did not get in the local unis - NUS and NTU for Computer Science, which require 3As, so now I have to look for US unis.

Regarding my SATs scores, I did them when I finished A level, and my mom actually forced me to do the test since I was confident in my A level. I did the test half-heartedly and got such result. I dont know if I should try again since the next test is in October, which is after the admission period.

My aim is to apply to any school, even tier 2 or tier 3 as long they provide me good aid. My parents are willing to pay for everything, but I am very guilty that I waste my parents’ hard earned money just because I flunked my highschool, so I want to reduce the amount as much as possible. Maybe from 5k to 10k for tuition if possible. My plan A is to apply to any school above, get a good grade then try to transfer. Kinda difficult as I have done my research. My plan B is to apply to a CC then try to transfer. This got better chance, but my family is not supportive because of the general condescending views towards CC, and the concern that I could not get into any unis even after CC.

I am really thankful for all of your reply. It is hard for an international student to get aid, but a low tuition is fine enough.

7

A few things to keep in mind: there is almost no aid for transfer students. If you plan to transfer (whether from a community college or from another university) plan on paying 100%

Plan on paying A LOT MORE than $5,000 to $10,000 per year. In general, that is an unrealistic number for an international student. (If you luck out and get a full ride, that’s different. Just don’t count on luck.)

MOST public colleges and universities do not give financial aid to international students - so most of the schools on your lists won’t work. Focus on privates, and the few public schools actively looking for good students (University of Alabama.) You will find valuable information and many suggestions here

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/1698406-to-all-international-students-asking-for-huge-amounts-of-aid.html#latest

8

Your best bet for a full ride or full tuition is to apply for automatic scholarships which are based on scores and gpa. Have your high school transcript evaluated to get a gpa on a U.S. 4.0 scale. It’s entirely possible that your A level passes already qualify you for top scholarships but you have to get the evaluation done (a paid service). You can also retake the SAT to improve chances a meet full need private colleges.