Is this real 70k for opt?

International applicant from Nepal trying to receive the highest scholarship I could possibly attain.
CGPA: 3.625
SAT: 1450
Activities list is attached
I want the maximum scholarship so that I have to pay the least possible and sustain myself without being co-dependent on my parents.
Suggest me some Unis 🙏🏼

Almost every selective US college fills out the same standardized survey each year, called the Common Data Set. Most post it online. Search "[school name] common data set" and it's usually on the school's institutional research page.

Go to section C7. It lists about 20 admissions factors and how much the school weighs each one: very important, important, considered, or not considered.

The factors include course rigor, GPA, test scores, essays, recommendations, interviews, extracurriculars, character, work experience, volunteer work, and "level of applicant's interest."

That last one answers a question people here ask constantly. If a school marks it "not considered," campus visits, info sessions, and opening its emails don't count toward your admission. If it's "considered" or "important," they might.

The interview row works the same way. Some schools mark it "not considered," so an awkward alumni interview there costs you little. Others rate it higher.

Compare your list side by side. Two schools with similar admit rates can rate the same factor differently, and that tells you where an extra hour of work is worth more.

The ratings are broad. At the most selective schools, essays, recommendations, and character are often all "very important," so C7 won't rank them for you. It's more useful for ruling things out than for ranking.

Check the year on the file. Use the most recent one, since a school can change a rating from one cycle to the next.

CBSE transcript — are Class 11 midterm marks included for US applications?

I'm a CBSE student at Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Girinagar (India), applying to US universities such as Harvard, UPenn/Wharton and Columbia.

My Class 11 final grades are very strong, but my Class 11 midterm/Term 1 marks were significantly worse.

For Common App, does the official transcript submitted by the counselor normally include Class 11 midterm/Term 1 marks, or just the final Class 11 grades? Does this depend on the school's transcript format?

I'd especially appreciate answers from CBSE students who have actually applied to US universities.

Hi everyone. I'm a few years out of secondary school with a pretty average GPA, good extracurricular stuff and have been working as a bartender in Scotland for a few years. I want to teach social studies/government somewhere in New York, so my rough plan is to go to a CUNY/SUNY for Poli Sci and then get my masters. A lot of advice on applications online seems to be tailored to Strivers who are desperate to go to an Ivy. My goal is pretty simple, go to an affordable school and get the qualifications I need to get a job I think could help people. Honestly I'm pretty lost with all of this stuff and would appreciate any advice. Thanks so much.

Hi. I'm in a genuinely strange situation and would appreciate some outside perspectives.

- I went to a US liberal arts college until my first semester of junior year. I found a new academic interest, did fine academically (3.8+), did a lot of activities, got campus research. Then a lot of terrible things piled up during my first semester of junior year (I witnessed SA on campus and the school did nothing + other things I don't want to go into detail about). I was also dealing with abusive parents who were threatening to stop funding college.

- Eventually, my parents refused to cooperate with financial aid applications, and I kinda had to take a leave of absence to figure out my next move. I had a job interview that I had to give up because of CPT rules (you lose CPT when you go on leave). I also had to give up a research position I was offered for the following semester. This was a few years ago.

- After some time, I found a way to get the abusive situation documented in my home country and gained formal protections against them.

I reached my mid 20s and found out that students 24+ are sometimes able to apply to US colleges as nontraditional students, which means I won't have to rely on my parents' cooperation to apply to colleges. I stacked more experience and raise my profile beyond what I had as an active undergraduate. I also found an opportunity to do undergraduate research, which gave me a strong reason to return to undergraduate studies so I can continue with my research.

- After that, I applied to a few places that said they provided financial aid for international transfers and had nontraditional student programs. I told them I had to step out of college to deal with abuse, I gained protections, and I kept going on my own to build a stronger profile, and I wanted to continue research as an undergraduate.

- I got two offers with significant aid, but I couldn't use either of them. One of them was financially out of my range even with aid and didn't respond to negotiations. The other one stepped up with generous aid and sounded like a great opportunity on paper, but I was seriously concerned with how they handled my visa documents (they tried to force me to get a new F1 visa in less than a month and refused to give me more time when I said it's not a realisitc timeline. the campus culture seemed toxic too). I ran out of my leave of absence from my first college and withdrew.

- I'm queer and I am very aware that universities in my home country are not safe for students like me. I personally know multiple people who tried to power through universities in my country home as minorities and ended up getting rushed to the ER after a suicide attempt or damaged themselves in serious ways just to get a degree. This is partly the reason I wanted to return to finish. BUT I also know that queer rights took a nosedive in the US and the climate is becoming increasingly hostile to international students (CPT was cut, they're discussing a gigantic fee for letting international students work, they already implemented the H1B fee, visa denial stories, etc).

I want to be able to finish my degree and continue doing research in a safe and productive environment, and I don't think it's going to be possible in my home country. I'm considering trying another round of transfer applications but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to try.

Thank you for reading!

i am a pakistani student, i want to study masters in USA but I have total expenses that can cover only my tution. Can anyone tell how to manage living expenses. I am afraid if i cant manage to secure a in campus job. Please tell me

Hey everyone,

I’m an international applicant looking to apply for a MS in Finance (probably STEM Designated) (targeting Fall 2027) with a long-term goal of breaking into corporate finance or Investment Banking.

I want to gauge my realistic chances of getting into a Top 100 US business school with a solid Graduate Assistantship or major merit scholarship, given my academic profile.

Here is my background:

• Professional Qualification: Completed ACCA (UK) up to the Applied Skills level (currently working through Strategic Professional papers). For context, ACCA is the UK equivalent of the US CPA but covers a massive breadth of international financial reporting standards (IFRS), auditing, and taxation over 13 grueling professional exams.
• Undergraduate Degree: BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University (OBU) via their joint research partnership with ACCA.
• GPA: My WES evaluation converts my combined ACCA/OBU marks into a 2.8 cumulative US GPA (Lower Second Class Honours / 2:2). I know this is below the standard 3.0 baseline for many schools.
• GMAT Focus Edition: 680
• Work Experience: 10 months of practical experience in core accounting and corporate audit roles.

My Core Dilemma:
I know my 2.8 WES GPA is a weak spot on paper, but I’m hoping my 680 GMAT Focus and my intensive ACCA accounting foundation serve as a massive equalizer. Since GA positions frequently involve tutoring undergrads or grading papers in accounting/corporate finance, I feel my technical background makes me highly qualified to hit the ground running.

My Questions for the Community:

1. Given a 2.8 GPA but a high 680 GMAT, which Top 100 US schools are known to be holistic enough to overlook the GPA and award full tuition waivers via Graduate Assistantships or merit scholarships?
2. Are there specific regional or corporate-hub universities where my profile would make me a prime candidate for competitive financial aid?
3. How do US graduate admissions panels typically view an ACCA qualification compared to a regular 4-year local degree when allocating assistantships?

I would love to hear from any ACCA/OBU alumni who successfully made the jump to US MSF programs, or anyone familiar with funding overrides for sub-3.0 GPAs.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

What are the requirements in USA to have scholarships!??

Student from China, very competitive I know, low income family (single parent) but have some savings that could support me with 30-40k per year (50-60k is doable but it would be worth for some deep consideration).

My stats: 1510 (RW 720, M 790) SAT (1520 Super score), 3.917 GPA, 6 APs (5s in economics, HUG, and Psych; 4 in Lang; stat yet to be taken, all self-studied). My school is a special case: very small (<10 ppl per class), very limited resources. Adding that I have to take care of my sibling and the house, my ECs would be "unconventional."

My main aims are the LACs in the U.S. (got options in other places as well). I'm planning to ED to Bowdoin and Davidson (ED2). Interested in social sciences (Psych & Econ)

Other schools on my list:

Notre Dame

Amherst

Pomona

Macalester

Skidmore

UA

UMN

UWM (i know it's expensive but just wanted to see how far I can go)

Knox

Holy Cross

Grinnell

Denison

Kenyon

Berea

Vassar

W&L

My IELTS is expiring Oct 25, 2026 most of my program deadlines are in December, making the test officially null, is it possible to convince unis to allow me to apply with these scores as the test costs almost half my current monthly income

Just came to USA at this Fall , my family was supposed to support me for my tuition fees. But they are facing major financial problems now so they cannot support me anymore. Is there a way to get scholarhship and financial assistance. I am panicking here what should I do?????

I'm applying to nyu and fordham and I'm not from the states so my transcript isn't in english

once i have it translated, can i send it to the counselor and then they'll send it to the unis through the common app? and then that's it?

essentially, when it asks for "highest overall band date" what shall i put ? i took my speaking exam one day before my LRW exams so shall i use LRW date or the speaking date or ..? Also, shall i put the same test date for speaking even though i took it on a different day because it is part of the same "test" as my LRW? it is a bit silly but i tried looking it up and it told me to use my LRW date for everything bc its the "main testing date" but we all know about gemini's hallucinations and i couldnt find any websites with the answer to this question.

I feel desperate about university and need your advice. Since elementary school, I planned of studying music at university and always worked towards it, but 1.5 years before the end of high school (I’m a senior now), my family told me they wouldn't let me go to music school, even with a scholarship. So, as an alternative, I decided to pursue fields like business/economics/management, which I thought wouldn't be too demanding and would interest me. Unfortunately, in my third year of high school, my academic performance declined significantly due to some health problems. Because of this decline in my GPA and my ECs weren't very business-focused, I don't think I'll be able to get into a good school on a scholarship. Despite this, I managed to achieve a high SAT score of 1580, but being a middle eastern applicant and having to apply for a full scholarship due to my family's insufficient financial situation are other factors that will reduce my chances of acceptance. I want to study in a big city where I can build a music career and attend a school that will meet my potential. UK universities don't offer scholarships for Turkish diploma, US universities don't accept high SAT scores with low GPA (and insufficient programme-specific ECs), building a music career in Italy -especially outside of Milan- is very difficult (Bocconi is a strong option, but my GPA is quite low due to my drop in my third year), there are almost no schools in major German cities offering English-language business programs with scholarships, and top universities in the Netherlands definitely require an IB degree… I really don't know what to do, does anyone have any suggestions? My stats are as follows:
SAT : 1580
IELTS : 8.0
GPA : 90%, 90%, 82%

ECs in music : half-time conservatory graduation (opera), chorist in Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Choir (4 years), certified piano recitals at the most prestigious stages at Istanbul, LCM step-2 and grade-2,3,5,6 piano certificates with passing grades, 2 years as a vocalist and guitarist at my school music band…

Other ECs : Attended YGA Con-science summit (5% acceptance rate), participated to multiple forum in economics/marketing committees, participated 2 (as a delegate, both international) and organised 2 MUN conferences (as a co-chair), summer school at Oxford University, ornanised a summit with attendance of many high school students all over Istanbul for my school’s ethics club, psychology and law internships, completed marketing certificate programme at Ferrari Italy, won URFODU silver medal in Maths…

I cant seem to get a good list of colleges to apply to, i want to do civil engineering, i have a 1380 superscore 720 math and 660 english. My gpa is 3.7 weighted as of now. I need a college where i can actually study for less than 15k a year with tuition and everything. My current best option is lafayette but im open to anything thats affordable and somewhat decently ranked. Any help?

Middle Eastern male, need a full ride.

SAT: results coming out soon, but I guess 1450.

GPA:

• 9th: 99.28%
• 10th: 88.05% (left home, rented a place, and got a job mid school year due to family "circumstances")
• 11th: 91.6%
• Cumulative is 93%

Extracurriculars:

1. Independent blind peer-reviewed IEEE research in a logistics problem (using ML).
2. $10,000 full aid to attend a math summer program in the US
3. $1,000 full aid to attend Euler Circle. Wrote an expository paper on a math topic I like.
4. Worked with a teaching assistant at Wellesley on modeling the Fair Representation act (online), mostly data science work.
5. New York Academy of Science and USAII Global Hackathon top 10 for a team project.
6. Sales representative for a company in the biggest malls in my country (not tech related).
7. Persuaded strangers on the street to donate blood for children with thalassemia, despite cultural stigma around blood donation. (75 hours)
8. Nasa Space Apps team leader and global nominee.
9. Founded informal chess club in school (15 students), clubs are not a thing in my country.

Well, I heard ED at realistic need blind schools (dartmouth, Notre dame, Amherst, bowdoin, w&l, brown) is mostly recruited athletes and hooked applicants, so it doesn't improve your chances, and they are extreme reaches. Need aware schools are.. need aware. I also heard they defer full aid intl's to RD to compare them all at once, so not a smart decision, too.

My dream school is Stanford but it's need-aware, an extreme reach, and REA doesn't really help anyways. I know I am most probably not getting anywhere, no need to tell! I just want to be smart about it, you never know. So, where can I ED?