Am I dreaming too big with my college list? International student from Brazil needing a full ride

I’m applying to U.S. universities for Fall 2027 and I’m starting to get a little worried that I might be aiming too high. I’d really appreciate an honest assessment — especially from people familiar with international admissions and financial aid. Please don’t sugarcoat it; I’d rather hear that my list is unrealistic than get false reassurance.

I’m an international student from Brazil, attending a public/state high school. My family income is around R$6,000/month, so I would need essentially a full ride / full demonstrated need, including tuition, housing, meals, and other major costs. I cannot realistically attend a school if I’m left with a large financial gap.

Academic profile:

GPA equivalent around 3.0–3.1 on a 4.0 scale

Brazilian average around 79/100 so far, hoping to finish around 80–83

Stronger grades in some relevant subjects, especially math/science

Technical course in Administration alongside high school

SAT: 1010 first attempt; retook in September and am waiting for the score

My practice scores before the September test were mostly around 1250–1340, with a couple of 1300+ scores

English is not my first language; planning to take the DET

My extracurriculars are probably the strongest part of my application:

~900 hours teaching violin at a community church, mainly to 30+ children/teenagers from low-income/peripheral communities

Helped 15 students qualify for the church orchestra

~9 years playing violin; member of a regional orchestra

Published two beginner violin/music method books in English and Portuguese through Amazon KDP

Coordinated a Christmas violin performance for an audience of 300+

Independent research on math anxiety involving music students

Peer reviewer for 3 papers for IEOM 2026

Participated in OBMEP, reaching later stages

Stanford music certificate

International Youth Music Competition — reached the Pre-Final

Cat rescue/adoption project

Technical Administration course

My essays are also a big focus right now. My Common App essay is much more personal than academic, and my supplements are generally focused on the intersection of engineering, biology/medicine, mathematics, music, and interdisciplinary research.

I’m interested in engineering, especially biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace, bioengineering, or potentially related research fields. I’m still somewhat undecided because I genuinely have multiple academic interests.

My current college list:

Very high reach:

Brown

Dartmouth

Princeton

Duke

Notre Dame

Reach / selective:

Boston University

University of Wisconsin–Madison

University of Rochester

University of South Florida

University of Pittsburgh

More financially/academically attainable possibilities:

University of Kentucky

University of Alabama

Drexel

Michigan State

Marquette

Baylor

Central Michigan

Clarkson

The biggest problem is that I’m not just looking for admission. I need the financial aid to actually make the school affordable. Some schools on my list may look like safeties academically but aren’t financial safeties for an international student who needs substantial aid.

So, honestly:

Am I dreaming way too big with this list?

Are there schools here that you would consider particularly unrealistic given my academic profile + need for a full ride, or schools that actually make sense as financial possibilities?

And if you were in my position, would you add/remove any schools specifically because of the international financial-aid situation?

I’m not looking for a “chance me” based only on extracurriculars. I’m trying to build a list where I have some genuine possibilities of both getting admitted AND being able to attend.