How do I apply to US colleges for BSN with aid as a Pakistani student?

[nehelbandukda]

Greetings, everyone!

I am a Pakistani student in my last year of A Levels (which is the equivalent of senior year at American high schools) in Pakistan, so I'll be applying to US colleges this year. I am interested in pursuing a career in nursing, which is very rare because nursing is not encouraged in my country which is why I want to study and work abroad, but due to financial constraints I will require a lot of financial aid to put myself through undergrad.

I have researched my options, and I want to go for a traditional 4-year BSN program. The only problem is: it's hard trying to find colleges that offer a 4-year BSN AND give lots of aid to international students AND are good schools for the profession. It seems as if most colleges, especially the ones that give aid to international students for regular undergrad degrees, only have nursing grad schools which offer accelerated BSN programs or Direct Entry Master's programs that are catered for students who already have a baccalaureate degree in a non-nursing field. Why is that so?

I would rather do a 4 year BSN than do a different major and an accelerated BSN, as that would take longer and be more expensive. Plus, the traditional BSN would allow me to get a well-paying job right after undergrad. But if I don't get aid, I'll have no choice but to go for the second option. What should I do? Which colleges offer aid to international students and have good BSN programs?

Note: I am among the best students in my school in terms of grades and I have a strong extra-curricular background, so I will be trying my best to use that to my advantage when applying for financial aid.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Very few schools offer aid for international students. You are not eligible for federal aid as a non citizen. However to be eligible for a student visa you MUST prove you have sufficient funds/show money to support your self for tuition, living expenses, medical insurance and incidentals during your entire stay in the US as a full time student. Requiring financial assistance may disqualify you for student visa and thus getting acceptance to a US school would be moot.

Acceptance in US nursing programs is often highly competitive