AM I TOO LATE?

Hey, so im an international student, and I havent applied for any financial aid or scholarships. If my green card comes out during my time in college then could i apply for financial aid for the first time? Or would not applying now, during the application process not allow me to apply later on. I know purdue allows it but rice doesnt. Anybody know?

What are you asking… are you an international student currently living in the US? Have you applied to colleges in your local country, can you prove that you have enough money to pay for a US college without aid?

Can you provide a fuller picture???

okay. Im a south korean international student who has been living in the US ever since I was 1, and Im applying for schools in the US only… I can prove that I have enough money for all the expenses (assuming you only have to prove the first year). My question is whether I can apply for financial aid after my freshman year in college without applying for financial during the admissions period. My green card is just about to finally come out, but i think it may come out too late for me to complete a fasfa… Can i apply for financial aid as a college freshman without applying for financial aid now?

Once you get your green card, yes, you can fill out a FAFSA until june 30 of your first year in college, I believe. If eligible for PELL and Direct Loans, you can get those funds. Those are entitlements. Any other money is up to the individual college. Each college can make its own rules as to how they dispense its own money. Some schools may not give aid if not eligible the first year. You have to discuss the policies with each college. That may be something that you should take into consideration when picking a school. Bear in mind that that no school guarantees to meet need as defined by FAFSA EFC, and schools that use PROFILE have a lot of their own stipulations, including internal requirements. At some schools if you miss their app deadlines, you will not get school aid. Purdue uses FAFSA only, whereas Rice uses PROFILE as well. But Rice guarantees to meet full need by their PROFILE calculators provided the forms are turned in on time and may have other restrictions. As the fin aid director there whether a student in your situation can file for aid the following year as a permanent resident when not so qualifying the first year. A reason why Purdue doesn’t have any restriction is because it doesn’t tend to meet need anyways. You’ll likely get nothing other than the government entitlements that I mentioned above when you do file for aid. The reason Rice is being so strict is that they do meet the need when the paperwork is sent in, but timing is a stipulation.

You need to ask each place you apply to about this. Some won’t consider you for aid in future years (other than federal aid you might qualify for after filing the FAFSA) if you don’t apply for it as a freshman applicant.

Run the Net Price Calculators at each website and see what aid you might qualify for once you have your green card. If could be worth it to you to take a gap year and wait.

I was just going to suggest the gap year. That is sometimes the best thing to do when timing for things are not working out but will be by the following year.

When will you get your green card? Are you positive you will,get it within the next year? If so, I agree that the gap year idea might work…except…what will you do during that year. What is your visa status now?

What state do your parents live?

We all live in NY… But the reason i didnt do css was because someone told me that colleges barely give money for css applicants. Is this even true if I just apply for css but not fasfa?

Each college and university sets its own financial aid policy. If you need to file the CSS Profile to be considered for aid at a college/university on your list, well then file it. Stop listening to “someone”. It really, truly is OK to contact the financial aid offices directly and ask about their aid policies. In your case, you should do just that. You do not want to start out now at a place that will be unaffordable next year.

If your parents live in NY, then when you get your GC and go to Purdue, it won’t make much difference. You’ll still be OOS and likely only get offered a small student loan.


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someone told me that colleges barely give money for css applicants.

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Stop listening to just one random person. That info is ridiculous. maybe the person should have said that SOME colleges give little to int’l applicants. But to say that colleges give little money to CSS applicants, especially if it’s a school that meets need, doesn’t even make sense.

How could a school that uses CSS and promise to meet need be able to “meet need” if it gave “barely any money” to CSS applicants. Who, then, would they be giving money to???

It all depends upon the school. Some schools do not offer financial aid for international students. Some schools do. You have to read the polices each school has for international students. As to what change of status to permanent resident portends, you need to talk to each financial aid officer to each school as to how that is treated.

If a school requires CSS PROFILE from international students or any students, you have to fill it out to get any chance of getting any aid. You have to follow directions or you are likely not to get a cent.

If you all live in NY, and you live in NYC, you have until feb 1, to submit and pay for your CUNY application to be guaranteed a seat in CUNY. Until you get a green card, you are an international student. In order to get institutional aid, if you don’t complete the CSS profile, you will not receive any institutional aid.

If you need aid, apply for aid and stop listening to what “someone is telling you” unless that some one is writing a check in the full amount for you to attend college.

@sybbie719, Does OP have to get the financial aid applications in by Feb. 1st as well, or is that just the deadline for the CUNY app?

The deadline for the CUNY application is Feb 1. After Feb 1 CUNY will not guarantee you a seat fro Fall 2015. If op is applying to CUNY s/he must include one community college because there is no longer a default to community college. IF OP attends a NYC Public school, they will automatically pull the transcript.