For most of us, we can go into two types of universities only: best and safety.

What are the best universities?

Those universities that are recognized for their high academic standards, research excellence, faculty expertise, resources, and overall reputation. They are the best, and everyone in the world wants to study there. However, it is very tough to get into them, and statistically speaking, 99% of people reading this won’t go to the best universities. I have explained what it takes to get into those universities in this section here.

But there’s still a way to study for almost free in the US. And that way is safety universities. Safety universities are those universities that are not well-ranked and do not have the best academic environment. However, they provide scholarships just on the basis of a certain GPA and SAT threshold. As of my application cycle, the most popular ones were USM, MSU (Mississippi State), and Fisk. USM and MSU do not provide full rides directly, but they do have an option you can get one.

So, your next good option is either Australia, Canada, or in Nepal. So, let me tell you among these options, getting to study on a full ride in safety universities in the US is a far better option. However, one good alternative can be European countries where education is almost free or very affordable like Germany. But I still think the US is a better option.

So if your GPA is above 3.6 and you have 1500+ in SAT, you can get full tuition and one year of housing free in MSU and USM (these stats keep on changing, so look it up yourself). And if you get into the honors college, you can get housing free for the rest of the 3 years.

I currently study in Fisk, and if your stream is Computer Science, I’d want you to keep Fisk in serious consideration as your safety. Fisk gives a full ride on 1500+ SAT.

So, even full rides in safeties are not completely free, and the same goes for even the best universities unless you have your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) as zero.

I’d update the list of universities with the amount of scholarships they provide for the specific SAT later, but for now, just keep these 3 universities in mind.

So, I said in my first article that I got accepted into very prestigious universities but I couldn’t go. It was because those universities didn’t meet full demonstrated need.

I’d like to call them medium universities. Like if your family can easily afford the cost for four years, you should consider applying to them as they are easier to get accepted into and also have a rigorous academic environment. Such universities are Purdue, Virginia Tech, etc. but it can cost from 40 lakhs to 4 crores for four years. So, only go to those universities if your family can easily afford that money (which for most of the Nepalis is a daydream).

Another thing I’d like you to keep in mind is that you are an international student. Please check if the aids they provide are for international students as well.