Help! Questions about UC Davis!?

Answered

Here is the best link for UC Davis Scholarship information

https://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/apply/international

https://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships/campus

https://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships/outsidescholarships?items_per_page=15&page=1

https://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships/prestigious

As an international student, all UC schools are going to be expensive approximately $65,000 for the current academic year, and with rate increases expect to pay about $75,000 in your 4th year. Or $280.000 for 4 years. Unlike Private American universities, the main focus of State Universities is to provide higher education to the students living in that state. About 2/3rd of the 30,000+ enrollment come from California and only 17% are international students. Therefore UC Davis only becomes a great value if you are a California resident and can take advantage of certain scholarships and grants based on family income. Compared to an Int'l student, a California resident may only have to pay 1/4 or 1/2 of the cost that an Int'l student or out-of-state student pays. Previously I read that the UC schools were charging Int'l students a higher rate than even out-of-state students so I'm not 100% sure about how that has changed or not moving forward.

After reviewing the UC Davis scholarships, they don't seem particularly generous for Int'l students. I think the max. cap amount awarded institutionally based on having the lowest income is like $14,000. I think there might be some work-study programs as well where you assume a campus job for 5-10 hours a week in exchange for a work-study grant of $2500-3000 something like that. As an Int'l student you are not eligible for US Federal Grants or US State Grants and most private scholarships is for US residents. This still means you have to come up with nearly $50,000 to attend each year.

If your family does not have the means to afford $200,000 to attend UC Davis or other UC Schools, I would highly recommend that you look at Private Colleges and Universities that have large endowments and meet 100% of the Financial needs for international students. In the US, the hardest schools to get into are also the best schools for Int'l students so it's an unfortunate situation for most Int'l students unless they are top academic performers across the board. You didn't mention how you feel you rank against your peers so I'll leave that up to you which colleges you continue to explore.

I'm leaving you these links so you better understand what I'm talking about.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/universities-that-offer-international-students-the-most-financial-aid

Here is a list of average scholarships to international students based on what state the school is located in. If you want to be in California, the most financial aid offered will come from schools like Occidental College in Los Angeles, Pepperdine in Malibu, and Stanford in Palo Alto. and Pomona College in Claremont about 45 Min from Los Angeles. Stanford and Pomona are really hard to get into, and Pepperdine and Occidental are highly competitive like UC Davis.

https://blog.collegevine.com/schools-that-grant-financial-aid-to-international-students-a-complete-list/

I hope that helps you in your decision on where to apply.