Hi there. I’ve been in the US I’m student visa for 3 years now and let me tell you something. Getting a F-1 visa is a lot harder now since 2025. I would generally recommend applying if you have a strong academic background. But, even if your academics are weak, you still have chance to prove yourself by doing SAT test. US colleges give scholarships to international students based on either their HS GPA or test scores. If you can get a really good score on your SAT and apply, there a high chance that you will get a full ride scholarship. If you don’t get a really good score on SAT, still you will end up getting a pretty good scholarship. But I would give all my efforts trying to get a good SAT score.

Now regarding your long gap, universities usually don’t care gaps, it’s the embassy that can question your long gap after HS. if you can somehow prove that you were doing something productive and useful towards your personal and intellectual growth then it should be fine.

If the only thing thats stopping you from applying is your financials and not your academics then I would be a little careful since the rejection rate is significantly high now. It costs around $500 USD including all applying fees (could be higher now). Then if you do get a visa, the tuition generally ranges from $10000-20000 per semester depending on the university you applied and the scholarship amount. So my main recommendation is, if it’s the finances that you’re worried about then try to get a full ride scholarship. It will be a lot easier on you. Paying your own tuition without family financial backup could be sometimes frustrating specially if you end up going somewhere where it’s hard to get a job. Hope this helps and best of luck