We don’t want to really do it at the courthouse because we’re religious and we would prefer to do it at a church or chapel. We don’t really have any family here. So, renting a hall for 3-4 hours is not worth it for us.
I was admitted to WashU. I got a merit-based scholarship but it doesn’t cover anywhere near the full amount of attendance. I had applied assuming the university is need-blind and able to provide more aid than public institutions which generally only provide scholarships to domestic students but I’m quickly starting to understand that it doesn’t really apply to internationals especially to grad/masters students at WashU either. What’s crazy to me is that I had indicated that I needed aid on the application.
I tried reaching out to different people at financial aid office but most keep telling me that if I am not eligible for FAFSA or loans, then I have no chance for more aid. I’m not expecting a full-ride including living expenses but I did expect much more aid for tuition. Is it normal for graduate students at WashU from low income backgrounds to take out large loans?
Feeling lost and discouraged because I really want to attend the university because it will change my life. I looked up the average student’s household income and it showed that it is somewhere around 400k which is crazy. Is WashU a place only for extremely wealthy students that can afford full tuition for grad school? I ask this because 90% of masters students are international students. I don’t think most can afford the cost of attendance without aid or unless they take out crazy loans with high interest rates in their home countries.