Applying to Universities in the USA.

[Sunnyvale75]

Hello,
Does anyone have experience of applying successfully to the Ivy league universities?

My DS is interested in applying.He would be a first generation student and we would need financial aid.

It would be great to hear from.anyone with experience.

Thank you in advance.

Hello Sunnyvale75 !

We looked at this in 2016 for our daughter. In the end, she decided that she did not want to do the compulsory 4 years for a Bachelors degree over there, as opposed to 3 years in the UK. So she waited, did her Bachelors and Masters here in the UK and is now on a 5 year PhD program in the USA on a full scholarship.

Funding for post graduate overseas students is much more common than for undergraduate overseas students. However, do check on the Financial Aid pages of each university's web site. They state their rules and have a 'Calculator' which will give you a good idea about the numbers.

By the way, which subject and why the USA?

@Sunnyvale75
I would post this again in Higher Education.

I would say that the only way to get full funding for undergrad in the USA is to get a “needs blind” scholarship. The top universities give them but of course they are hugely competitive. Other posters have lots of experience on HE. If DC is super bright and is prepared to go through the extra curricular hoops, then it’s worth a shot. There is a lot of effort to be made though. Fulbright Commission is worth looking at. Would his school help? He needs to know why he wants the USA given the hassle! Going post grad is easier due to more choice. Funding is easier to get because it’s more widely available.

Wouldn’t Oxbridge be worth a shot? First to uni puts him in a good position for a summer school and look at the Sutton Trust.

I did it but I was lucky not to need financial aid.

I wrote applications without anyone advising me - which isn’t ideal - and applied to all the Ivy League unis. Got into just one of them. Also took SATs with very little prep which again is not great. If I did it over, I wouldn’t stick to just Ivy League ones.

But a lot of advice would really depend on what your son wants from this, what he’s interested in etc. What do you want to know?

If you can pay then there are so many more options in the USA. DD got a place and it would have been £250,000. Decided the Uk was fine! No scholarships or help for Brits. More DC are going now as Oxbridge is more difficult to access. But you need help and the school should advise.

Not many people do it as it’s incredibly expensive. It’s not just tuition costs but also the cost of accommodation etc. A scholarship would not cover everything.

@Notcontent
A lot of the needs blind ones do. That’s the point of them.

My DD did this a few years ago. Although it was to a university in California and not an Ivy League.

Don't forget that non-Ivy League universities are often as good (or better) eg MIT, Chicago, CalTech, Johns Hopkins etc

It takes an awful lot more work, research and preparation than for UK universities. We used a third party company to give advice on the application process.

There are some scholarships and grants available but they are generally speaking very - very - competitive.

Without any scholarships or grants then you're typically looking at an all in cost (including tuition, books, accommodation, food etc) of around $60k-$70k ( £48k-£56k) per year.

@Sunnyvale75 you need this website: us.suttontrust.com/

The Sutton Trust works in partnership with the Fulbright Commission, which is a non-profit organisation helping UK students apply to US universities.

If your son can get on the Sutton Trust programme he will get a lot of help to apply. But even if he can't, the Fulbright Commission can help to demystify the process.

(One of the first things they will do is debunk the myth that "Ivy League" = "best", which is rather like the UK myth that "Russell Group" = "best", but worse, because the Ivy League is just a university sports league, and only universities in a specific geographical area can be in it, for purely practical reasons of travel convenience).

Yes @2catsandacomputer and @definitiv isn't Ivy League confined to the East Coast? I don't know much about US university ranking lists, but I'd have thought there are a ton of good ones outside that geographical area – Stanford, Berkeley, various bits of UC and MIT, Johns Hopkins for a start. I doubt any employer is going to look askance at a tech degree from MIT or a medical one from Johns Hopkins on the basis that they aren't Ivy League…

isn't Ivy League confined to the East Coast?

Just the North Eastern states.

It’s who offers needs blind that matters. These are mostly top universities. Others might be excellent but without needs blind are difficult to access if you need money. The grants snd scholarships are not available for Brits.

The Sutton Trust helps British students to access the grants and scholarships they need, so they are available.

From the Sutton Trust website: "There is often a misconception that studying in the US is expensive and unaffordable. But did you know that more than 100 US colleges offer fully-funded places to international students? This is offered to students in the form of financial aid and is often money that students never have to pay back."

What year is he? If he’s taking a levels is he doing maths since if not he’ll really struggle with the SATs

Thank you all for the advice. My DS is sitting his GCSES , he is taking maths for A level. He intends to take 4 subjects and an EPQ.

@definitiv
Yes. And people apply from all over the world. You still might find Oxbridge or RG is better!m here. The Sutton Trust has a lot of hoops too before you can access anything from them.

Why are you trying to talk the OP out of it TigerorFizz? She asked for information, not opinion, and you definitely don't know enough about her DC to judge whether he will be a strong candidate or not.

We were very fortunate my son received a full soccer scholarship including healthcare from a university in Florida, he had the time of his life, he was a good footballer and had spent many years at a football academy in England then released at the age of 18 , even if your child can get a partial scholarship it is a fantastic opportunity

My DS won't be able to get help from the Sutton Trust as we not low income , we have a decent income but he will still need substancal help with the US fees. He has his heart set on the US but he will also apply here.

He has been advised to sit the ACT's because the SAT's are changing soon. He does have a high level of extra curricular's which should appeal to the US .🤞

That's a fantastic achievement @waltty , congratulations to your DS.

@definitiv
Im not trying to talk her out of anything. DD got a place in a USA university. However parents and DC need to consider everything about the course, the university and the funding. DC get swept along with a notion. It’s for adults to add in the detail. It’s still an expensive option and it needs very careful consideration. It should never be done because it’s fashionable or someone told you money is readily available. It simply is not. I know that for certain. But there could be funding snd someone has to get it! Just tick all the many boxes!

Well the OP didn't say she was doing it because it was fashionable, and providing the information she asked for, without judgement, will help her assess how readily available the funding is. She may not qualify, but at least she is able to check the facts. No need to patronise her.

Be very careful with four a levels and EPQ. It nearly pushed extremely bright ds1 over the edge. It’s a significant amount of work and actually unnecessary if your DC doesn’t need the grade reduction offered by some universities for an a grade EPQ. I’m assuming he doesn’t and that he’s probably applying to universities that don’t offer grade reductions.

I know someone about to start at Harvard on pretty much a free ride. But that’s because parents are separated and on low incomes. Anyone who isnt in a low income financial situation is unlikely to be eligible for assistance.

@definitiv
Its not patronising. It’s quite common for DC to talk about the USA without looking into it deeply. It’s what young DC do. In addition the op was wondering about it so it’s worth being pragmatic. At least I have experience of DD applying. And the pluses and minuses that come with that.