10 Colleges That Award International Students the Most Financial Aid
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It's conventional wisdom that paying for college is a challenge for many American students. What's less well known is that for international students, footing the bill for a U.S. school can be even harder.
Unlike their U.S. counterparts, international students do not qualify for federal aid programs, such as Stafford and Perkins loans, or state government scholarships. Need-based aid is available to non-U.S. citizens at some schools, but it's not common.
[Explore our international student infographic.]
Fortunately for international students, there are schools that make it a priority to give financial aid to students from outside of the country. Much of that funding is usually merit aid, which typically means students qualify on the basis of their academic achievements.
Nearly 375 ranked U.S. colleges offered financial aid to at least 50 undergraduates from outside the U.S. during the 2013-2014 school year, with the average award totaling $18,790, according to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey.
International students may have the best luck getting aid at some of the country's top-ranked colleges and universities, which tend to be more liberal with their financial assistance.
Of the 10 schools that awarded the highest average aid to international students, more than half are ranked among the top five National Liberal Arts Colleges or National Universities. The bad news for international students is that while these schools tend to be the most generous, they are also among the most selective.
[Find out which schools have the most international students.]
For example, Yale University, which awarded an average of $56,630 to international undergraduates who received aid in 2013-2014, accepted only 6.9 percent of applicants in 2013. Amherst College, which awarded international students $55,121 on average, had an acceptance rate of 14.3 percent.
Below are the 10 colleges and universities that offered the most financial aid to international students during the 2013-2014 school year. U.S. News only considered schools that awarded financial aid to 50 international students or more. Unranked colleges, which did not submit enough data for U.S. News to calculate a ranking, were not considered for this report.
School name (state) | Number of international students who received aid during 2013-2014 | Average aid awarded to international undergraduates during 2013-2014 | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|---|
349 | $56,630 | 3, National Universities | |
155 | $55,121 | 2, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
87 | $54,978 | 1, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
80 | $54,774 | 15 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
80 | $53,637 | 4 (tie), National Universities | |
98 | $53,600 | 37 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
135 | $53,287 | 4 (tie), National Universities | |
88 | $52,427 | 19 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
159 | $52,355 | 45 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
540 | $51,854 | 2, National Universities |
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find financial aid data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2014 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools. The financial aid data above are correct as of Sept. 23, 2014.
Devon Haynie is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering online education. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com.
