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so
Banned
| Joined: | Sun Jul 9th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 7 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 9th, 2006 07:07 pm |
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Hi,
My S got great IB results. 1 point short of full score. He wants to go to the US. Application time is over for fall. Should he try to for next fall? Or could he get in this fall or spring? How do you ask for merit scholarships? Would you contact school directly and hear what they advice?
Everyone on this list knows so much. Am hoping will learn.
Thank you.
So
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WestrnMom
Super Moderator
| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | West Coast, USA |
| Posts: | 1161 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 01:48 am |
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Merit scholarships come from the school, otherwise they are state or private scholarships. Federal aid comes from various government programs. To get merit aid through a school, look on their websites to see what they offer. It is usually found under a financial aid link or a fees link.
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so
Banned
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 04:51 am |
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Hi,
Thank you. Will the University offer a merit scholarship or do we ask?
Thank you.
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 02:25 pm |
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So,
First, welcome! Please take a moment to introduce yourself in the introductions section above.
As an international student, your son will not qualify for any Government financial aid, only for financial aid and merit scholarships awarded directly from individual colleges.
Unfortunately, both financial aid and merit scholarships are very limited for international students in the U.S. Only a handful of schools (perhaps 50 or so) offer either to internationals, and usually competition for merit scholarships for internationals is very keen. These scholarships are also often based on more than just grades and test scores -- most colleges are looking for students who can contribute to campus life outside of the classroom as well as inside.
IB scores alone are only very rarely enough to qualify for a substantial merit scholarship in the U.S. and often even IB merit scholarships are limited to U.S. citizens. Two schools that I do know offer merit scholarships based on IB scores for international students are the University of Tulsa (http://www.utulsa.edu) and Oregon State University. However, the total amounts of these scholarships are just $1,000 (Tulsa) and $2,000 (Oregon State U) a year. There are, however, a few other schools with similar programs that internationals might qualify for.
Finally, there are very few schools that offer "full ride" merit scholarships and/or financial aid to internationals, so be sure your family will be able to foot a substantial portion of the cost before you and your son start looking at colleges in the U.S.
I am not telling you all of this to discourage your son, but rather to give you a realistic idea of the college picture for international students here in the U.S.
That said, your son's best chance for either financial aid or merit scholarships would come from applying to U.S. schools for next year (Fall 2007) not this year, as most scholarships and financial aid are already given out for this coming year at this point. Some schools will have an additional application that students need to fill out to be considered for a merit scholarship, some schools do not require an additional application - only the application for admission. This information is generally on the school's website under "financial aid."
It is also important to keep in mind that just because a school offers merit scholarships, and a student seems to have the grades/test scores to qualify, it does not mean your son will automatically receive one. Again, competition for merit money at many schools is keen, especially for international students.
If he hasn't already taken them, your son will need to take the SAT and should also take at least two SAT Subject Tests. If English is not his first language, he will also need to take the TOEFL, which is a test of English language skills for international students. You can find information about taking all three at http://www.collegeboard.com (click on students).
He will need to move fairly quickly to complete the above tests in the fall in time to apply for next year, and test dates may be limited in your country, so I would check that as soon as possible. He will need to have all of the above tests completed by the end of December at the very latest in order to meet college application deadlines.
Scoring as high as possible on the SAT test is very important as it is usually a major factor in merit scholarship awards.
In terms of how merit scholarships are given out: Since only a small number of colleges and universities offer merit scholarships and financial aid to internationals, those would be the schools your son would want to focus on applying to if he wants to come to the U.S.
If he's already taken the SAT, and you feel comfortable doing so, let us know his scores , what he is interested in studying in college, and his activities outside of the classroom ("extracurriculars") his interests, and I can point you in the direction of schools where he would at least be in the running for merit scholarships.
Last edited on Mon Jul 10th, 2006 02:33 pm by CarolynLawrence
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jocelynDAD
Member
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 05:54 pm |
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Carolyn: excellent information, I am so pleased to be on your site. 
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entomom
Member
| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Oregon USA |
| Posts: | 362 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 07:27 pm |
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So,
I live in Corvallis, OR, where Oregon State University is located. If you have any questions about the community, please feel free to ask.
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 10th, 2006 09:18 pm |
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So, I just put some suggestions for how to search the internet for merit scholarships on my blog (http://www.admissionsadvice.com - it is titled "Internet search tips for college hunters. In addition to the ideas there, you may want to also do a search just for the term - merit scholarship international students - using the method I described there.
I have some other good resources and links for international students hoping to study in the U.S. but I am about to run out of my house so I will have to post them for you later.
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so
Banned
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Posted: Tue Jul 11th, 2006 06:19 am |
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Hi,
Just read the article. Excellent!
So
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 11th, 2006 07:48 pm |
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So,
I'm sorry I never made it back to the computer yesterday. Here are the three resources I highly recommend for international students and families:
EducationUSA: http://educationusa.state.gov/ This site was put together by the U.S. Government specifically for students considering coming to the U.S. for college or graduate school. It has excellent information about applying, financial aid, Visa requirements, and living in the U.S. as a student. It will also connect you with Student Advising Centers in many foreign countries, and let you know about college fairs (programs where various colleges are present to meet with students and discuss what they offer) in various countries. The site also has some of the information in various languages besides English, which can be helpful as well. It has a wealth of information and I usually advise all international students to start here.
EduPass http://www.edupass.org - Another very useful site (it is a commercial site) that has useful information on financial aid and scholarships, as well as details about studying in the U.S.
A good general resource if you just want to read up on various colleges is the Princeton Review site http://www.princetonreview.com -- It is like an online guidebook to all of the colleges in the U.S.
These three sites, plus the College Board site I gave above, should be more than enough to get you and your son started. And, of course, keep asking questions here! As you start narrowing things down, we will be glad to point you towards more specific information and answers.
Last edited on Tue Jul 11th, 2006 07:49 pm by CarolynLawrence
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warblers
Member
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Posted: Sun Jul 16th, 2006 06:40 pm |
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A number of colleges love IB applicants and will give merit money to attract them. The IBO website lists some. If your son managed to get nearly a perfect score (44?) on IB exams, he must be a strong enough applicant to secure some scholarships.
http://www.ibo.org/diploma/recognition/scholarships/index.cfm
Last edited on Sun Jul 16th, 2006 06:42 pm by warblers
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Jul 17th, 2006 03:25 am |
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Warbler,
First, nice to see you stopping by. Second, thank you for that terrific link. That should help So quite a bit! Hope you are doing well, and enjoying your summer.
Carolyn
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
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Posted: Thu Jul 20th, 2006 01:55 am |
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So, Just wanted to add a link to a list of U.S. colleges and universities that offer need-based financial aid for international students:
http://www.oacac.com/docs/IntFinAid.pdf
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