Full ride scholarship for an International (african) studentAnswered
I'm currently in my junior year of secondary school ( 10th grade) and I've decided to pursue my undergraduate degree in the US. I'm confident in the grades I'll receive during my time in- high school, I've already began sat prep which I'll write next year but I'm a little worried about raising funds for college. I want to take a course for my premed but I know I'll definitely need a scholarship. I want to know if there's a way for students from underrepresented countries to get a full ride scholarship which lasts for my entire time in college. Currently I'm got my eyes set on Upenn, Cornell, Princeton and Boston- my reach universities. Is there a way out for me?
Ps. I'm open to advice for my college list.
Earn karma by helping others:
1 answer
There certainly are good scholarships for International Students however they are not as widely available as one might think. To date there are only about 6 Need Blind College which do not take into consideration your family income. They are the following:
Amherst College
Dartmouth
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University
Yale University
-I know that Boston College is unable to provide need-based financial aid to international citizens.
-And International students are not eligible for need-based financial aid from Boston University, the state, or the federal government.
-And Beginning with the class enrolling in fall 2017, Cornell admissions decisions for international applicants will be need-aware. This means that they will be evaluated for admission with consideration of the ability of students or parents to pay educational costs.
-UPenn is need-aware for international applicants, non-citizens, and non-permanent residents of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This means a family's ability to pay does factor into admissions decisions.
I don't know very detailed information about admissions for Int'l students but do know that admission rates can be significantly lower so harder to get into. Part of the reason is that US HS curriculum is different and unless you can show evidence that you are fully prepared to take college classes like American students who take 8-12 APs or the IB diploma curriculum, it's a judgement call on admissions officers to determine who get into top colleges from out the country. So Int'l students who have supplemental coursework always stand a better chance because they are competing with their peers from their city or country to get into these small selective group of schools.
Some successful African HS students who got into Ivys or Elite college take a year off and attend a College Prep Academy in Africa prior to applying top US colleges.
To help you search for other colleges that I didn't mention, I would look for colleges that are both "Need Blind" and "Meet 100% of your financial need" for international students. Many US college provide financial aid but it's not readily available for International students or they are fractional scholarships that only cover 1/4 or 1/2 the annual cost of attending.
Good luck.
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
You can apply to any university in the US that meets 100% of the student’s demonstrated financial need. I advise you to make a college list with school that are need blind so that your financial situation does not factor in the reviewing of your application as well as 100% need met so that you will not having problems financing your college education. For example, UPenn, Cornell and Duke meet that financial aid criteria.