<p>My friend (class of 2010) is in a sticky situation involving her eligibility for financial aid. She came to the United States (from South America) on a six month visa 8ish year ago and "missed her plane back." Therefore, she's neither eligible for citizenship nor financial aid at a lot of universities.</p>
<p>Will she be considered an international when applying for financial aid? Or is there another category? If so, how will this status affect her eligibility for financial aid?</p>
<p>She “missed her plane back”? What kind of resident status does she have (if any)? She will likely be treated as an international student who resides in the U.S. My concern for her is what will happen when the INS finds out she “missed her plane”.</p>
<p>She is illegally here. That’s how many who are here illegally get in here. Your friend is international when applying for aid so she will not be eligible for any FAFSA based aid. She is eligible for merit money at most schools, however. I don’t know what Massachusetts has in terms of laws about paying in state tuition for the public universities. If she does qualify for in state tuition rates, that may be her least expensive choice, unless she is an excellent student with very high stats that can get college aid from private universities or merit awards. Many schools are not need blind for international students even if they are for US ones.</p>
<p>I would also be concerned, if I were her, about her visa application when it comes time to attend school. Since she is not legally a citizen, she will have to apply as an international student – and the school will have to understand the details of her residence in order to obtain the proper visa. I don’t think it is something that can’t be overcome – but it is something that she should keep in mind.</p>
<p>I did some research, and there are only eight universities (which are among the most selective) which are need-blind toward internationals. My friend is a good student (92-93ish UW GPA), but it’s very possible that she wouldn’t gain admittance into any of these eight. Could someone provide a list of schools which are not need-blind towards internationals, but give them the same amount of financial aid if they get in? And if there are any types in between, a list of those would be appreciated as well.</p>
<p>I agree with hsmomstef. How is she going to get a student visa? I don’t understand how she will be able to go to school without proving that she is eligible to reside in the U.S. (I will admit that I don’t know about how it works when a student is already in the U.S., albeit illegally).</p>