I know students ask this every year (I searched for the answer to this question), but I still want to confirm so it doesn't cause any issues.

I'm from Pakistan, and we give the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) exams, which are divided into two parts (Part 1 for 11th and Part 2 for 12th). The results for both parts are combined to give the HSSC score (which I believe is the Senior Secondary Leaving Exam).

I'm in 12th right now, and I have given the first part in 11th; should I report this?

There's also another school leaving exam called the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams, which is also divided into two parts (Part 1 for 9th and Part 2 for 10th). Will that also be considered?

Hey everyone!

I'm an Indian student in Class 11, and I really want to study in the US for my undergrad. Getting into an Ivy League university is a dream of mine, but honestly, my profile right now isn't great.

My grades haven't been the best, and I have pretty much no extracurriculars or major achievements to talk about. I know getting into these universities is extremely difficult, especially as an international student, but I still want to give it a serious shot instead of giving up before I even try.

I have around 10–15 days of autumn break coming up, and I want to make good use of that time. The problem is, I don't really know where to start or what I should focus on first.

I'd love to hear from people who've been through this process, especially Indian students who've applied to US universities or managed to get good financial aid.

A few things I'm confused about:

With my current grades, what should I focus on over the next year or two to improve my chances?

How do I figure out what I'm genuinely interested in and turn it into meaningful projects or extracurriculars? Are there any good ideas I could start working on during my break?

Since studying in the US is expensive, how does financial aid work for Indian students? Which universities should I look into if I need a lot of financial support?

I'm ready to put in the effort, but right now I feel a bit lost about where to begin. I'd really appreciate any honest advice, useful resources, or stories from people who've been in a similar situation.

Thanks in advance!

Hi! I completed two years of medical school in my home country with around 140 credit points, but my transcript includes low and failing grades. If I start over at a U.S. community college in Computer Science and earn a 3.8–4.0 GPA over 60 credits, will my previous grades still hurt my chances of transferring to a competitive university? Are there universities that focus on the most recent 60 credits or exclude previous international coursework from GPA calculations?

Hi everyone. I'm a student from Papua New Guinea, and I'm looking for honest advice because I'm feeling really lost about my university plans.

I've been applying to universities in the United States for Fall 2027. I've submitted applications to several universities, including Notre Dame, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth, Williams, and others. I've spent months working on my applications, essays, and financial aid research because studying in the US has been a dream of mine.

My main interests are psychology, sociology, and political science. I want to study psychology because I'm interested in understanding the human mind, mental health, and how people's experiences and environments shape their lives. Eventually, I'd love to use what I learn to help people in Papua New Guinea, where mental health is still heavily stigmatised.

However, I've recently run into a serious problem. My parents have told me to find a scholarship that doesn't involve them.

To clarify, they don't intend to contribute financially towards my education. They also don't want to participate in the application process or provide financial documents, including the information universities might require for financial aid applications.

As an international student, I can't afford American university tuition and living expenses on my own. I was relying on substantial financial aid, but I've realised that some universities require parental financial information even when parents aren't willing to pay.

I've already started completing the CSS Profile, and the process has been incredibly stressful. I'm trying to be honest about my family's finances, but I'm worried that I won't be able to complete the required documentation without my parents' cooperation.

I'm now wondering whether I should continue pursuing my American university applications or focus on fully funded scholarships in other countries, such as government scholarships in Türkiye, Japan, South Korea, or New Zealand.

I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar, especially international students who funded their education without financial support from their parents.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone successfully attended a US university on a full financial aid package when their parents refused to contribute financially?
2. What happens if your parents refuse to provide the financial documents required by the CSS Profile? Are there legitimate alternatives or exceptions?
3. Are there American universities that offer full scholarships to international undergraduate students without requiring parental financial information?
4. Are there fully funded undergraduate scholarships available to Papua New Guinean students that cover tuition, accommodation, living expenses, health insurance, and flights?
5. If you were in my position, would you continue pursuing US universities while applying for government scholarships elsewhere?
6. For anyone who studied abroad without parental financial support, how did you make it happen?

I'm not looking for anyone to promise me that everything will work out. I just want realistic advice from people who understand how difficult it can be to finance an overseas education when you don't have family support.

I've worked hard to get this far, and I don't want to abandon my dream without exploring every reasonable option. At the same time, I need to be realistic about my circumstances and find a path that I can actually afford.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond. I genuinely appreciate any advice, resources, or personal experiences you can share.

hey everyone,

I'm an Indian CBSE student finalizing my college applications, and I'd really appreciate some perspective from folks who've either studied in Hong Kong or transitioned from international undergrads to top US graduate programs.

My Profile & Plan

• Curriculum: CBSE (PCM)
• Stats: 10th: 95.6%, 11th: 82%, 12th Predicted: 97.4% (98 Math, 96 Physics), SAT: ~1510 (retaking).
• Target Programs: Double Major in Mathematics + Computer Science / Computing Mathematics / MIEG at HKU, HKUST, CUHK, CityU, and PolyU (Early/Priority rounds).
• Financial Expectation: Based on Hong Kong's merit formula for 95%+ CBSE scores, I'm tracking very high odds for a Full Tuition waiver ($0 tuition), with strong chances of a Full Ride (tuition + living stipend). Net out-of-pocket would be ~$0 to ~$8k USD/year at worst (if only tuition is waived and I pay housing/food).

The Long-Term Objective

• Graduate with a strong GPA (aiming 3.6–3.8+) and 2–3 years of undergraduate research/publications.
• Target fully funded graduate positions (Direct PhD or funded Thesis MS via GTA/GRA) in the US (Stanford, CMU, UIUC, Princeton, etc.) in Applied Math, CS Theory, or ML/Quant.

The Dilemma: Hong Kong Full Ride vs. India

My realistic alternative is staying in India (navigating the usual JEE / BITS / tier-1/tier-2 options).

On paper, Hong Kong feels like a no-brainer:

1. World Top 20–60 universities (HKU, HKUST, CUHK) with zero or near-zero debt.
2. English-medium curriculum, high-caliber international faculty with direct ties/collaborations with top US R1 universities.
3. Access to formal undergraduate research programs (UROP) from Year 1–2.
4. Heavy quant/finance presence if I decide to work before grad school.

My Questions for Redditors:

1. US Grad Admissions Perception: How do top US CS/Math graduate admissions committees view a BSc from HKU/HKUST/CUHK compared to an Indian tier-1/tier-2 undergrad (IIT/BITS/NIT)? Does the faculty letter-of-rec pipeline from HK hold weight in the US?
2. Research Access: Is it realistically accessible for undergrads in HK to get into active labs and co-author papers early (freshman/sophomore year), or is lab space fiercely guarded for PhDs?
3. Upper-Year Housing & Cost of Living: How difficult is finding off-campus shared flats in Years 3–4 once hall priority expires, and what does real out-of-pocket spending look like?
4. Is this an obvious choice over India? Anyone who made the choice between top Indian colleges and a HK full-ride—do you have any regrets regarding peer group, culture shock, or post-grad mobility?

Would love candid takes from current students, alumni, or anyone familiar with the grad admissions scene. Thanks in advance!

Hi there! I'm an international student from India. I'm currently in my 11th grade.
High school stats:
9th grade(CBSE): 96.5%
10th grade(CBSE): 99.3%

I switched to the Telangana state board(I live in Hyderabad, Telangana) in 11th grade because I wanted to prepare for Indian entrance exams but by July my mind changed and now I want to apply to the US.

I took the SAT this year in September and scored a 1480 (800 math and 680 R&W). I will retake the SAT next year sometime around June to push my score above 1500 and possibly above 1550.

Because Indian state boards are considered somewhat easy when compared to National Indian Education boards such as CBSE and ICSE, I have booked 3 AP exams to showcase my academic rigour which I'll be taking in May 2027. The 3 AP exams that I booked as an external candidate are: 1) AP Calculus BC; 2) AP Computer Science A; 3) AP Physics C: Mechanics
I'll study hard to get all 5's.

Extracurriculars: Played in my school's handball team and competed at the national level twice ( once in 9th grade and once in 10th)
Wrote a research article about data centers and it has been accepted in the curieux academic journal.
I have been accepted to intern for 3 weeks at an AI startup next year.
I co-designed a fully functional website for family's pharma business which has over 100 transactions till now.

Major Applying to: Computer Engineering/ First year Engineering(or general engineering equivalent).
Term applying for : FALL 2028

It would be really helpful if you could give me some university suggestions in T200/T100 globally.
Regarding finances: I do not require a full ride but a partial merit scholarship might be needed( I can fund ~150,000 USD comfortably; anything above that and I'll have to take an education loan).
Could you also could suggest me some globally reputed strong universities in other countries( such as Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Canada) where I have a good shot at getting accepted.