International Student Forum/ Message Board

This is the definitive guide to Tuition-Free Colleges, Financial Aid, Scholarships in the United States FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (updated 28/06/2010).

For Tuition-Free Colleges, Financial Aid, Scholarships around the WORLD, go to
(viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9340)

U.S. Financial aid and Scholarships (up to full need and full tuition) for international students are hard to find and harder to obtain. The United States is one of the leading places that students choose to study abroad. Of the 1.2 million students pursuing postsecondary education outside their home countries, more than one-third choose to study in the United States.

Reality of Financial Aid for International Students
The reality is that there are limited places at the top schools for international students. The financial aid pool for international students is also limited and there is fierce competition for a slice of the pie. Unfortunately, the subprime financial crisis led to a drastic fall in the endowment of many American universities and colleges, which further led to cuts in funding, financial aid for American students, and invariably financial aid for international students. Some notable casualties are Williams College that just announced its abolishment of its need-blind practice, and Olin College that cut its full tuition scholarships for incoming students to half scholarships. There are yet more U.S. colleges that cut their budget for financial aid and merit scholarships for international students.

However,
For lower-income, high-achieving international students who aspire to an overseas education but require financial aid, the United States remains THE BEST place to do so in the world. (If United States is too competitive and you require financial aid, it may be good to look at Singapore in South-East Asia which has a world-class education taught in English and has full tuition scholarships for international students)

Keeping in mind the reality of competitiveness for limited funds in the U.S. and the smaller pool of financial aid for international students post-financial crisis, I have several recommendations for U.S. universities and colleges. These recommendations are based on historical data, testimonials from international students, and official college information.

First, financial aid for international students can be classified into two categories – Need-based and Merit-based aid. Roughly, need-based aid is awarded based inversely proportional to your family income. Merit-based aid is awarded based on your merit (academic or otherwise) and does not depend on family income. Of your financial need (the difference between the cost of study and your ability to pay), colleges that award need-based aid can cover up to your full demonstrated need, whilst others leave a gap that you must cover with loans or borrow from relatives. Most colleges are need-sensitive, which means your financial need affects your admission – i.e. more financial need results in lesser likelihood of being admitted.

A) Need-based Financial Aid
Need-blind colleges do not consider your financial situation when deciding admission. There are only six schools in the U.S. that are need-blind and meet full-need of international students:

1) Amherst College
2) Dartmouth College
3) Harvard University
4) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
5) Princeton University
6) Yale University

Need-sensitive schools that are generous in awarding financial aid to international students are (in no particular order):

1) Williams College. Williams College used to be need-blind for the last admissions cycle but nonetheless still awards generous financial aid to the very best international applicant.
2) Middlebury College
3) Swarthmore College
4) Vassar College
5) Vanderbilt University

B) Merit-based Financial Aid

Schools that offer merit-based scholarships (up to full tuition) to international students are (in no particular order):

1) Wesleyan University. Freeman Asian Scholars program for 11 Asian students which covers full tuition for four years.
2) University of Richmond. Full tuition scholarships to up to 12 Science Scholars, 20 Boatwright Scholars, 6 Artist Scholars, 7 Oldham Scholars (this includes room and board)
3) University of Southern California (USC) - 100 full tuition scholarships and more than 200 half tuition scholarships
4) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) - 70 Johnston Scholarships for entering freshmen
5) Washington and Lee University (W&L) - Johnson Scholarships

C) Tuition-Free Colleges

Schools that offer the equivalent of tuition-free scholarships to every incoming student (including international students)

1) Berea College. Preference for students from low-income families.
2) The Cooper Union. Requires a U.S. mailing address to apply.

Other U.S. universities to consider; your mileage may vary (in no particular order):

1) Reed College
2) Skidmore College
3) Colby College
4) Colgate University
5) Carleton College
6) Bates College
7) Lafayette College
8) Bowdoin College
9) Kenyon College
10) Wellesley College (for women)
11) Bryn Mawr College (for women)
12) Mount Holyoke College (for women)
13) Smith College (for women)
14) Deep Springs College (for men) – tuition-free college

*I know that there are MANY U.S. schools out there that award partial and half tuition scholarships; in absolute terms, these schools may even be more generous to international students. However, upper-middle income international students rarely need to go out of their way to find such financial aid options - some of the schools on their shortlist are likely to offer some measure of partial funding and they should have more financial flexibility than low-income students. Hence, I did not include the great number of U.S. schools that offer partial financial aid to international students.

Also be prepared for U.S. colleges and universities to be less generous than anticipated, or even to be rejected due to financial need. You would be surprised how many high-achieving students get rejected from their dream schools. In fact, one of the reasons why I am posting this is because I know of so many outstanding students who failed to study overseas due to applying to the “wrong” universities. After all, reputation of a school does not correlate perfectly with generosity in funds, but it is easy to assume so.

I hope to continue updating this list with more information as I find them. My heart goes out to you for the arduous application process ahead. Here’s to wishing that you find the college of your dreams.

All the information I have researched over the past 3 years on financial aid for international students has been uploaded onto the desperate guide website. Students, especially those from low-income families, who want to study in the US and in countries around the world will find the information helpful.

There are more than 30 college profiles, more than 50 scholarship info, and I will be updating with more colleges and college news as I get to them.

Initially, I did the research for myself and for schoolmates who wanted to study overseas. It is surprising that no one has come up with such a comprehensive one-stop guide when most international students have done some preliminary research on colleges and much of the information is already out there.

I hope that students who do benefit from my guide, in turn, share the information with others. It's a tall order for students who may be competiting with each other, but surely, when you have friends applying to college together it is more rewarding.

Thanks!