I’ve been so engaged with the application process that I haven’t had much time to look into the financial aid process—fortunately the latter’s deadline comes a little later, so I have time. Once the deadline is a bit closer, I’ll email the universities I’m applying to to see if they have anything to add. For now, I’d like your advice.
No father in the picture, and my mother has been off work on disability for years. We Canadians are not required to file income tax if we have no income to be taxed: hence, my mother has not filed in years. I on the other hand have filed the past two years—not because I had enough income to be taxed, but because I get checks from the government every few months for filing as my income is so low. Most of the sources I’ve checked thus far ask for your parents’ income tax returns, but what should be done since my mother doesn’t have one?
For at least one of the universities I’m interested in (might vary for the others), you can apply for aid after you’re enrolled too, but that would be aid to cover your (say) sophomore, junior, or senior years, and not your freshman year. Is belated financial aid a thing? If I demonstrate that lacking the first year of aid would put me tens of thousands of dollars in debt, would they consider covering that need retroactively? I ask because I can get my mom to file an income tax return, but it won’t be available until after this year’s financial aid submission is due.
Most US colleges offer no need based aid to internationals. Do you have the stats to get into the few that do like Harvard, Yale, Amherst? If not you need to look at Canadian schools.
@TomSrOfBoston “No college will retroactively cover costs.” Good to know, thanks; I won’t be getting my hopes up.
Do I have the stats? High GPA, but no opportunity for AP classes. SAT score above the national average, but below the norm for HYPS et cetera. I appreciate your realism, but I assure you I’m no optimist; I know what my chances are roughly: abysmal, like most other qualified students. I wouldn’t be wasting my time applying to schools that offer financial aid for international students if I didn’t think I was cut out for them.
Not sure how it works for Canadian universities, but the American forms have a box to check that parents didn’t file tax returns and were not required to
@AroundHere Fantastic! That’s great to know, I’ll definitely look into it. Many thanks! I was worrying my butt off that this whole application process would be for nothing without the tax return, so I can sleep easy thanks to you
@Sybylla I’ve checked out Canadian universities, but they’re just not feasible honestly. Academically they’re well within my reach, but financially they’re untenable, as I have no interest in accruing thousands of dollars of debt and attempting to pay it off with a Humanities degree. Frankly, if I’m not accepted to an American university, I’ll be quite tempted to say to hell with a degree and train for a trade or something.
There are very few American Universities that cover all costs. If you have very high stats and have a chance at Yale of Princeton level schools, you should apply. You should also apply for financial aid asap. They do have students who have parents who don’t file taxes and have ways to handle those applications.
Apply for financial aid NOW. Don’t wait. Schools have deadlines for considering students for need based aid. If you miss the deadline, your chances of receiving aid are jeopardized.
Why would you wait? The Profile is available NOW. It has been since October 1. Get it done…if that is what your colleges require.
Look on every college website for what what is required for financial aid applications…and get them DONE. NOW. Do not wait one more minute.
If you are applying to colleges in the U.S. and want to be considered for institutional need based aid, it is highly likely that your colleges require you to apply for aid when you apply for admission. In some cases, for international students (and you are one) if you don’t apply as an incoming freshman, you can’t apply later…at all…for institutional need based aid.
I think OP needs to rethink this whole situation. it seems very off course. I am confused about high school, SAT results, why the USA? WOuld OP even qualify for a good Canadian school like UBC? McGill?
OP, do you have any guidance on this? And adult? A college counselor? A sane voice? http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21013150/#Comment_21013150
You should qualify for bursaries at many Canadian universities and of course there are scholarships. So, do apply there.
You must apply for financial aid and merit scholarships everywhere where you qualify as you apply. If you cannot afford the CSS PROFILE fee, email the Universities to know whether they can gice you a fee waiver. I’d you don’t apply for financial aid alongside your academic application, you are no longer eligible for financial aid, period.
As an international, your financial need is part of the decision to admit you or not - needing a full ride places you at a huge disadvantage as many colleges simply don’t admit anyone with that level of need; only Amherst, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and MIT don’t consider your financial need. Then you have wealthy Universities, especially LACs, that may admit you with sufficient aid. Finally, there may still be merit scholarships, although in most cases the deadline has passed (assuming an ACT 32+/SAT 1450+).
@BelknapPoint it’s true for the many…many colleges that have generous need based aid awarding… if the applicant is an international student. If they intend to apply for financial aid, the expectation is they will do this when they apply for admission.
Of course, if this student doesn’t care about the amount of aid he potentially could get, he could apply to most public universities…but he would be an out of state applicant with out of state costs…and a very low likelihood of getting a lot of need based aid.
It may be true for many, but not all. This was the point of my reply previously, to a post that asserted that international students who “do not apply for financial aid alongside their academic application, are no longer eligible for financial aid, period.” Wrong. There are schools that will consider and award financial aid to international students who did not ask for aid as part of the application process. Applicants should check the policies of each school. Sometimes giving out bad information is worse than giving out no information.
I think for the OP though, the cautious approach is much more appropriate, if the OP as accepted to inappropriate schools on a whim with no FA what has she achieved? The fact that OP has NOT checked policies at all is just a big problem as we are in the latter end of December. OP wants to come to the USA for free university but then leaves out the whole FA part of the equation until she maybe emails someone somewhere? This is CC. FA is the first thing to consider.
The OP title to this thread Implies he or she thinks they can get aid much later in the game.
The best plan is to apply for need based aid NOW. I mean really…what is this person waiting for? There ARE deadlines for applying for need based aid. There are required submissions.
This poster needs to look on all the financial aid websites for his colleges…and get the applications for aid going IF he or she wants to have a need based aid award when making his matriculation decision.
And NO…once that matriculation decision is made…it is highly highly unlikely that the student can THEN apply for need based aid and expect to receive it.
