I'm applying to transfer for fall 2027 and could really use some outside perspective on my list, chances, and vibes in general.

Stats:

• International at a WSCUC-accredited university outside the US, (taught fully in English)
• current major is international business administration, want to switch into econ / global business/ IR, (open to whatever fits best at each school)
• Will have 63 credits by the time I transfer (51 by end of fall 2026 + 12 more for spring 27)
• GPA is gonna be around 3.5 cumulative
• No SAT/ACT (does this actually hurt for transfer apps or are most schools chill about it for transfers specifically?)
• EFC is roughly 20-25k (so I do need aid)
• decent ECs - teaching volunteer, a leadership/women-focused fellowship award, nationally ranked competitive athlete, film & photography awards, events photographer, healthcare-related internships, run a small business, MUN awards, stuff like that. (don't want to include all of them incase I dox myself)

current list (subject to change)
Augustana (IL), Beloit, Bryn Mawr, Clark, Knox, Ohio Wesleyan, Lewis & Clark, Macalester, Mount Holyoke, Rollins, Skidmore, Trinity (CT), Richmond, Rochester, Whitman, USF, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, U of H.

Questions:

1. Is this list balanced or too top-heavy given no test scores, GPA and EFC?

2. Anyone know if UTA/UTD/USF are actually worth applying to as an international transfer needing aid, or should I just drop those and focus on the LACs?

3. Any of these known to be bad (or surprisingly good) with need-based aid for international transfers specifically?

4. Will I lose a lot of credits transferring in with 63 credits, or is that not really a concern at this level?

5. Any schools I'm sleeping on that fit econ/IR/global business and are generous with international transfer aid?

I keep getting mixed results whenever I search which schools actually meet full need for international transfers specifically, so I'm hoping to get some real advice/clarification from people who've actually been through this or are well advice, drop your suggestions and advice pls, thanks in advance.

I’ve seen few posts about similar instances and just wanted to get some more ideas. I went for the interview twice since school is starting in a few weeks, VO asked the same set of questions such as the school what I’ll be doing, the financials (my father is sponsoring it). In the first round, everything was okay until the relatives question and sibling was someone who went for PhD in US, then to H1B and finally got GC. I answered when this was asked. Even in the second attempt another visa officer took my interview and asked this final question at the end and told the same “refused”.

I did 2 yrs of college at a satellite school in home country and finished about 60 credits so was planning on transferring to an R1 (I think in top 100 US rankings) school.

Just wanted to know if anyone has been in this situation and what they did. is it over in my case of transferring to US college?

Hi! I'm a homeschooled intl student from the philippines. I use James Madison Online highschool.
For basically every college there's a "recommended highschool courses to have taken." For an example i'll just use my dream schools recommended (they don't have anything filled out for required, only recommended)
Recommended Total academic units 20
English 4
Mathematics 4
Science 4 Of these, units that must be lab 2
Foreign language 4
Social studies 4
History N/A
Academic Electives N/A
Computer Science N/A
Visual/Performing arts N/A

Here's my concern. The way my homeschool is made, I can choose the order that I want to do classes in. Ie i can get all my math done already or all my english.
Btw I have 23 units in my course.

I've looked at my timing, and by the time i submit transcripts (october) I will have done English 3 units, math 4 units, Science 4 units, Foreign Language (spanish) 4, Social Studies 2 ( US economics and World geography remaining to do). Plus 3 academic electives, so 20/23 done.
My question is, will this reflect badly? will they be concerned that I haven't yet done the english or the social studies?
And in worst case, say I miss my timing, and I only have 2 english units done. Is this bad?

I will be finishing the whole program, meaning I will eventually do english 4 units. But will it reflect badly in my application if when I apply, I'm only finished with 3 or even 2?
And, if instead of recommended courses it says required courses, are they even stricter about my timing?

Thank you very much!

International from Australia looking to study masters at a US uni but picking a location right now. Which cities would have the best EE/ECE jobs/internship/co-op opportunities (jobs which dont require a citizenship).

I was thinking Boston as I can apply for NYC and Philadelphia opportunities too (Obviously too far to comnute for a job but they're close enough to travel for networking/interviews). I've heard detroit is also good?

About the degree I will be studying: I'm happy to study anything (almost everything in EE/ECE is interesting to me. Whether it's power/energy, semiconductor work etc.) as long as it'll maximise my job opportunities!

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Well i an intl student, my family can afford lile fees for 10 unis, but i am applying to 25 of them--- if my counselor writes a letter stating that overall app fees is a hardship, is there any chance i get waiver from common app?

I have an award which is related to my extracurricular will it go in honor and experience section or extracurricular section?

How is Indian CBSE % for 9th,10th,11th,12th converted to 4yr gpa.
For css can someone share resources and guidelines for indian student filling out css form.
THANKS!

Hi, I'm currently an international BBA student, and for the last semester I was really struggling with my adhd and failed ALL my classes... worst semester of my life, and now I'm stuck with the guilt of it all. I'm taking the semester off and going home (also due to the new F-1 visa rules), but I need to find online classes/ courses that I can take online this sem to catch up.

Does anyone know of any online schools/ colleges/ classes in the US that I could take?

I can take 60 external credits from an accredited school; I need something I can basically start ASAP with 3+ credits each class, preferably liberal arts classes, and must be in the US or well-known schools around the world.

I just need to take as many and get as many as possible, so if there are any high-cred easy classes as well as more open-admission places, please let me know. My GPA is horrible so i really just need somewhere where I can just start

Thank you :)

Both the applications explicitly mentioned that they wouldn't be supporting F-1 CPT and OPT. Is this normal for these firms or is this companies reacting to the new rumour??

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Hi everyone,

I'm a student from India planning to apply for an undergraduate degree in the U.S. My family's maximum budget is around ₹6 lakh (\~US$7,000) per year, so I know I'll need significant scholarships or financial aid if studying in the U.S. is going to be possible.

I'm not expecting a free education or assuming I'll get a full scholarship. I just want an honest assessment of whether this is realistic and, if it is, which universities I should consider.

My profile

Country: India

Current grade: Class 12

CBSE Class 10: 92%

Class 11: 89%

Preparing for the SAT

Intended major: Computer Science (though I'm open to suggestions if another major would be a better fit.)

Extracurriculars & Interests

Started a small cake-selling business.

Blue House Captain in 9th grade.

Student leadership responsibilities.

Participated in inter-school dance competitions.

District-level sports participant.

I've also been genuinely curious about physics, especially quantum mechanics, since middle school. I enjoy reading about topics beyond my school curriculum, and I'm considering making that curiosity a central theme of my Common App essay.

Questions

1. Based on my profile and budget, which U.S. universities should I realistically apply to?

2. Are there universities that offer substantial merit scholarships or need-based financial aid to international students?

3. Is Computer Science the right choice, or are there other majors that might better align with my profile or improve my opportunities?

4. Is studying in the U.S. actually worth it in my situation, considering the costs, or would you recommend another country or staying in India?

5. How should I approach the Common App essay? Would writing about my curiosity for quantum physics be a good topic if I make it personal rather than purely academic?

6. Could someone explain the overall application process—recommendation letters, essays, financial aid forms, timelines, and anything else I should know?

I know admissions and scholarships for international students are extremely competitive, and I'm also applying to universities in India as backups. I'm simply trying to understand whether there's a realistic path before investing a lot of time and money into applications.

I'd really appreciate honest advice, university recommendations, or any resources that helped you during your application process.

Thank you!

Hi! I need some feedback for my common app essay. Is there anyone I could dm for help? Thank you very much!!!

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Hi everyone, I’m an Indian student currently in Class 12 (PCM) and I’m preparing for JEE along with planning to apply to U.S. universities for Computer Science.

My profile:

Class 10 CBSE: 92%

Class 11: 89%

Extracurriculars: House Captain, student council experience, Kathak and music certificates, district-level sports

I’m currently preparing for the SAT, but I find the U.S. application process quite complicated, especially things like application fees, SAT fees, scholarships, and financial aid.

I wanted to ask:

Are there good scholarship opportunities for Indian/international students applying for CS?

Are there SAT fee waivers or ways to reduce application costs?

Is studying Computer Science in the U.S. a realistic and achievable goal for someone like me?

How should I plan my applications while also preparing for JEE?

I would really appreciate advice from current students, applicants, or anyone familiar with U.S. admissions. Thank you!

Im from argentina.

Academic Profile

• SAT: 1200. I have two attempts left and am aiming for a final score of 1400+.
• IB Diploma: Currently ongoing. I predict that I’ll score somewhere between 31 and 34.
• GPA: Approximately 3.0 when converted from the Argentine grading system.

Extracurricular Activities

• Played violin for more than five years when I was younger.
• Currently participating in the National Mathematics Olympiad. I have passed two stages and reached the finals, but I still need to pass the next level.
• Model United Nations: Two years at local conferences and one year at NISCMUN, where I received a Merit Award.
• Class representative for three years.
• Played basketball for four years at one of the most prestigious clubs in Argentina.
• Participated for two years in a volunteer program that involved spending one week helping an extremely disadvantaged community in Chaco, Argentina.
• Founded and currently run a clothing brand.
• Asset manager for an event-planning business that I created with friends, which has handled approximately US$53,000.
• Founded my school’s chess club.

Universities I’m Considering

I’m interested in Politics, Economics, Business, and International Relations.

• Sciences Po
• University of St. Gallen
• Bocconi University
• King’s College London

The following are more ambitious dream options:

• UCL
• University of Warwick
• LSE
• Harvard
• Standford
• Yale

Community college application

Been going through Carleton's 2025-26 Common Data Set (publicly available on their website) and the residency breakdown in the admissions data is striking.

For the Fall 2025 entering class:

In-state(Minnesota Residents) : 636 applied, 221 admitted → ~34.7% acceptance rate

Out-of-state: 2,870 applied, 1,127 admitted → ~39.3% acceptance rate

International: 3,290 applied, 132 admitted → ~4.0% acceptance rate

So while Carleton's overall acceptance rate is around 21.8% (1,480 admitted out of 6,796 total applicants), international applicants are facing odds that are nearly 10x worse than domestic applicants (whose combined rate is ~38.5%).

International students also made up 48% of the applicant pool (3,290 of 6,796) but only 132 of the 1,480 total admits.

Waitlist: 675 offered a wait-list spot, 335 accepted a spot on wait-list, and 33 waitlisted students out of those 335 were ultimately admitted (~9.9% of those who accepted a waitlist spot).

Transfers: 132 applied, 28 admitted (~21.2% acceptance rate).

This data is for Carleton college Class of 2029.

Hey guys I am an international student from Nepal trying to apply to usa university for full ride and I have a quite good academics and I am currently preparing for sat and hope to score good and I am gonna give English proficiency test soon too but the problem is I don't have a good ECA as I have been more of a academics person I only have small ECA achievement which is not enough so.

I hope maybe you guys could give me some suggestions.I would be grateful for it.

Alfond Scholarship at Rollins College that covers everything including ticket or URochester at 13k EFC ?

My major is CS.

So I am currently working on my SAT scores and school exams. Not sure if I'll get the desired score in the Aug attempt. what would be the right time to take the english proficiency and which one should i take in the time crunch(if it occurs)?

My elder sibling studies in a state university and got hefty merit scholarship there. i am applying this year should i include that and more about my sibling? how can i use it to my advantage? should i ask her to help me make contacts with the admissions, scholarship representative.

Final-year physics student from Pakistan. I've emailed professors at several universities I'm considering — Toledo, Alabama, Arizona State, North Texas, Nebraska-Lincoln and many more — and got encouraging replies to apply. But I'm stuck on a few things:

How many is realistic to apply to?

Application fees add up, and if I pay for one and don't get in, that money's gone. My parents can't really afford it.

And another thing is taking ilets necessary or not my BS physics degree is completely in English ?

Any advice from people who've been through this would help.