<p>Do I have to apply for a US Citizenship to go to a university/college in the US, and could I use scholarships I've obtained in Canada for an American university? Furthermore, does coming from Canada any different then coming from any other international country?</p>
<p>Thanks In Advance.</p>
<p>No, you would likely apply for a F-1 visa. The other option is J-1, but I think that’s more for graduate students. If you are a Canadian citizen, the process is much easier than it is for other internationals (you simply need the I-20 form, and the visa is issued at the border; other internationals must go to visa interviews)</p>
<p>Whether you can take Canadian scholarships to US universities depends entirely on the scholarships in question. The vast majority of major Canadian scholarships (i.e. TD, Millenium, Canadian Merit, etc.) are only valid for Canadian schools unfortunately. Others, such as the Rutherford in Alberta and possibly Wendy’s (I was never able to find clear information on this one) are able to be used in the US.</p>
<p>Canadians are sometimes grouped with US and Mexican citizens when it comes to financial aid consideration, while internationals are in another category. This can mean that North American citizens are considered under need-blind admissions, whereas others are considered under need-aware admissions.</p>
<p>I agree with CDN_dancer. I just wanted to mention that J-1 visas are primarily meant for exchange or visiting students; graduate students typically study on F-1 visas like most undergraduate students.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies, one more question though: What is the difference between need-blind and need-aware? A few American universities I’m interested in state that they have a need-blind admission policy for US Citizens and permanent residents.</p>
<p>Thanks In Advance</p>
<p>Need-blind colleges make admission decisions regardless of whether or not you have applied for financial aid. Very selective need-blind colleges will need all of your need after you have been admitted, but some need-blind colleges may admit you but give you no or unsufficient financial aid. </p>
<p>The latter was actually the standard until a decade ago. Then some colleges realized that it is more stressful to be admitted and then not be able to attend than to be rejected right away. This prompted them to go need-aware: if the college won’t be able to meet your financial need, they won’t admit you. In other words, whether or not you are applying for financial aid might affect your admission decision.</p>
<p>So you must apply for financial aid before applying to go to the university if it’s need-aware? Which is better? I’d assume it would be need-aware.</p>
<p>Most colleges ask for your application for admission and application for financial aid at the same time, but they will process those information differently.</p>
<p>I don’t think one is better than the other. On this website, the popular opinion seems to be that need-blind colleges like Harvard or MIT are better because they don’t care about your finances and have enough financial resources to give you sufficient financial aid. However, these universities receive so many applications that they are very hard to get into. </p>
<p>Need-aware colleges might reject you because of your financial need, but they receive fewer applications (partly because some students think that it is not worth applying to need-aware colleges) and so your chances of admission might actually be higher than your chances at need-blind colleges.</p>
<p>I would say apply to the colleges you would like to attend, regardless of whether they are need-blind or need-aware. Just make sure that they consider international students for financial aid at all.</p>
<p>Ok, thank you so much for the help!</p>