What is the reality about financial aid for international students? Liberal Arts colleges mention that they give generous packages, but details aren’t shared.

Hi!
It really depends on where you're applying. There are some schools that are need blind even to international students, meaning that your financial aid status doesn't affect your chances of admission while many schools are need-aware, meaning that your financial aid status does affect your chances of admissions. There are some colleges that give generous merit based scholarships to international students (especially in Canada) and there are some colleges that give only need based scholarships, whereas some schools do not offer financial aid to international students at all (or at a very minimal level). Make sure to check out the financial aid packages of your individual schools of interest, you can even call up their financial aid offices and ask questions about typical packages for international students and fill out the FAFSA and CSA forms (for the US). Keep in mind that most UK schools don't give financial aid to international students and many of the Ivy League+ schools are need-aware for international students.