i really need advice on financial aids for international students

I'm a senior from Nigeria as well. And with months of research, and having to redo my application process, here's what I know. To find an affordable school in the US isn't easy, and you have to be smart.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A LOW ACCEPTANCE RATE SCHOOL

1. If you are applying to IV league schools, financial aid isn't the problem. Getting into the school is the nightmare. But when you do get in, they offer all admitted students a need-based scholarship (you pay what they believe you can afford). It ends up being affordable for the rich families and the really poor families, but it is usually a huge financial pressure on the middle class families.

However, there are still other low acceptance rate schools that will you merit based scholarships or full scholarships. The nightmare here is still getting in tho.

IF YOU'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A GOOD AFFORDABLE SCHOOL

1. If you don;t have the best grades, when you are applying, make sure you put a lot of effort into your resumes and make sure you get really good reccomedations. Check the school's website to see what they are looking for in an application, whether they just really care about your grades or your application as a whole( eg. Clarkson University vs. Case Western Reserve University). If you do have a really good academic record, look for schools who see a lot in just grades.

2. At times, the total cost of attendance (especially tuition) matters more than the scholarship.

E.g.

You can get a scholarship to a school with a fee of over 70,000 USD with a scholarship of 25,000 USD, leaving you with 45,000 USD to pay for. However a school of 40,000 USD can give you a scholarship of 10,000 USD leaving you with 30,000 USD to pay for.

3. Always go to the university's website to cross-check any information. If you can't find what you're looking for, send an email to them

4. Try checking some schools in states with a low cost of living (Texas, New Mexico, Utah, etc.) and avoiding those with a high cost of living (New York, California)

5. Don't forget that international student's and in-state's cost of attendance is usually very different. Some scholarships are only offered to citizens.

6. Allot a week to hunt for schools, it's worth it.

Unfortunately, most international students are not eligible for federal financial aid. There are of course a few exceptions, which you can check out here: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens

However, depending on what schools you are applying to, you may be able to receive some institutional aid. Collegevine has as masterlist on their blog that I would recommend you check out! It also provides a nice refresher on all things international financial aid.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-grant-financial-aid-to-international-students-a-complete-list/