Most of the merit based scholarships want good sat score AND good GPA. I am a potential immigrant and I am doing my high school in Bangladesh. My parents can provide at most 7-8k a year for my college. And I probably won’t qualify for in-state tuition. Will they consider my scores from the national curriculum of Bangladesh for the GPA part? And are there merit scholarships for good SAT scores only?
No, merit scholarships depend on a combination of GPA+scores.
You’ll need full tuition to full ride and most will be competitive so in addition to GPA and scores they’ll look at your clubs (impact, prizes, medals…)
You will not benefit from instate tuition if your parents don’t live in a state. Most states also require you to attend high school and graduate from high school in the state to be considered in state (2 years in New York state, 4 in Michigan…)
Even schools where you can get free tuition can cost around $15,000 for fees, room, board, health insurance, travel.
When you have your green card, you will be eligible to apply for federally determined financial aid using the FAFSA. However, that application requires that you have a full US high school equivalency. You would need to graduate from a US high school, complete a full secondary school program in another country, or complete the state mandated high school equivalency program (this varies from one state to another).
How soon can your family get here? Is there a good reason to wait until December, or could you all get here sooner? If you could arrive by the end of August, you would be able to start the school year in late August/early September.
I think @happymomof1 means that if your family and you move her in August 2017, you could start high school in the US when the school year begins at the end of August 2017.
This would also put you in a better place in terms of the guidelines of establishing residency here for college purposes.
If you arrive in late August early December you and your family will be considered residents by the time you start college.
If you and your family move here in 2017…you might become instate residents by the fall 2018 term.
Usually it takes 12 months of residency…so if you move here in August 2017…like SOON…and complete high school…you might be an instate resident by August 2018.
If you move here in December 2017, it’s not likely that you will get instate status before December 2017.
I am boldly going to suggest that you look at some colleges closer to home…which will likely be far less costly.
MYOS said it’s 2 years for NY.
Sorry. Google says one year of fixed residence.
I just have to ask again…what colleges are you looking at that are closer to your home…and would be less costly?
And what colleges do,you plan to apply to here?
For the record…college isn’t free for U.S. citizens either…in most cases. Many…many students do not go to four year residential colleges with someone else paying for them to attend.
The instate universities in NY do NOT guarantee to meet full need…even IF you gain residency for tuition purposes.
How do you plan to pay for the almost $30,000 a year in costs to attend a SUNY college? Sure…if a green card holder, you would get the $5500 Direct Loan in your name…and some portion of the Pell Grant IF your income is low enough for that. But even with the maximum Pell, your aid would be under $12,000.
Where is the REST going to come from??
What schools are you planning to apply to?
What major?
SAT or ACT score?
And Myos and Sybbie said that you have to attend and graduate from a NY high school as well. While you finish high school here, you and your family can establish residence.
And you might want to live somewhere that is both affordable and has some local SUNY options. Because the Excelsior scholarship only covers about $6,000 (tuition, not sure about fees?), so there is still room and board left to pay, unless you can commute.
SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Binghamtom.
Computer Science.
Haven’t taken the SAT yet.
And about the money, I can do part time jobs, my parents can contribute some of it and I have lots of relatives in US. I can probably commute to Stony Brook. But there are scholarships available right?
I looked up the Excelsior scholarship and it covers the tuition for four years.
You have to be ELIGIBLE for that Excelsior scholarship to get it.
@sybbie719 can explain the eligibility for that scholarship as well.
Right now…it’s a shot in the dark in terms of guessing about your college admissions…or scholarship potential. When do you plan to take the SAT or ACT?
Even IF you get NY residency for tuition purposes, I don’t think you will get the excelsior AND additional scholarships from the colleges. @sybbie719 ??
Right now you will not be eligible for in state tuition or financial aid because you or your parents are not physically present in NYS. You will also not be eligible for the excelsior scholarship.
The easiest way for you to obtain eligibility is to graduate from a nys high school. You cannot get instate tuition for the purpose of attending school which on face this looks like you are trying to do. Your family will have do demonstrate self sufficiency for residency in addition to filing NYS income taxes
If you apply to school straight from Bangladesh you will be in the international pool of candidates making it pretty impossible for you to be admitted as instate. You will be full pay OOS tuition at least for your first year until you also establish residency in NYS.
The excelsior scholarship is a last payer scholarship. You file the fafsa. The f you are eligible for tap and pell that money pays out first. If tap and pell covers your tuition, you cannot get an excelsior scholarship
You can attend a nys high school for two years and graduate to be eligible for in state OR be a permanent resident who graduates from a nys school. If your parents move to nys this August, live and work there, and you complete 11 and/or 12th grades you’d qualify for the full tuition Excelsior scholarship. If you can commute to the SUNY you got into, you can attend for the cost of lunch, transportation, and books.
The important part is attending high school in nys. Not sure why you resist the thought so as it’s by far the easiest solution for you.
Sorry for stretching this farther.
My sister is going to a medical college (MBBS) in Bangladesh. It’s a five year program. She just completed her first year. What would be the best course of action for her?
According to you, she won’t be able to keep coming back to complete her graduation. She won’t be able to get into an undergrad program there either because of the fees.
She will need to discuss it with the USCIS at the hearing, how long she can be out of the US and keep her green card. The government’s answer may not be what works best for your education, and the college’s answers might not work for immigration.
People who have green cards can who need to be out of the US for an extended period of time can apply for a re-entry permit. Your aunt’s immigration lawyer can help your sister find out the details.