<p>I have recently moved to the United States I am a permanent resident (green card holder) of the USA. However, my parents live in a different country(Bangladesh) and their income source is also in Bangladesh. Although they do have green cards like I do, they have decided to stay back in Bangladesh instead of moving to the USA. Now my question is, when I fill out the FAFSA how should I explain my case? Should I simply show my parents income and taxation in USA to be zero, or should I fill out the form with respect to what they earn in Bangladesh?
Also, when should I submit my FAFSA? I plan to apply for the spring 2014 session and would like to send my common app and other admission applications to the universities in mid-August. Will it be too late to submit my FAFSA then? ( considering that higher priority is given to those who submit earlier). Or should I submit my FAFSA before submitting all the other admission related forms( common apps and university supplements)?</p>
<p>You need to talk to a financial aid officer. Though you are eligible to fill out FAFSA, it gets a bit complicated when the parents are not US citizens or permanent residents. Really, with green cards, they are permanent residents, but if they are not following the rules associated with them, they may be in a situation where they are not entitled to have them anymore. I don’t know the rules, but US citizens abroad still have to file US tax returns and may have to pay US tax. You need to talk to someone who knows how this works. Your parents may have to file returns and pay taxes for you to be entitled to any financial aid.</p>
<p>As for when you need to submit your FAFSA? It depends on the colleges to which you are applying. You have to look at the deadlines and see if any have some preferred deadlines. But yes, you should fill it out and, yes, your parents income and assets need to be on it even if they are not here in the US, and the earlier the better for early bird aid. THough you are entering in the spring term, your aid will come out of the budget for the year starting Fall 2013 so you should be aware of those deadlines unless the specific college says otherwise. It really is up to the college as to how you should do this.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. By the way, what is the maximum amount of GRANTS I can receive through FAFSA? As far as I know, the maximum amount that the Pell grant provides is something like $5500. But according to the collegeboard website some universities such as UIUC and Purdue offer their first year students average grants of $11000 to $12000. Where does the extra amount after the $5500 come from? Is it that the colleges themselves provide these extra amounts? But then again, universities like Purdue and UIUC do not have any additional financial aid forms of their own apart from FAFSA. So do they provide these amounts based on the information the students provide on the FAFSA? I am totally confused. I know these are simple and basic questions but since I am new in USA I dont know much.</p>
<p>
If the school only ask for FAFSA, then the school will use EFC (determined from your FAFSA) to figure out your financial aid.</p>
<p>I would look at the individual college websites for this info rather than collegeboard. Did it say those average grants for UIUC and Purdue were for instate and OOS residents. Some states have programs for their low income residents that provide grants, and so do the state schools but it’s almost always for state residents.</p>
<p>From the info provided so far it seems you aren’t in-state for any state. What are you doing now and what will you be doing until Spring 2014? Public schools generally don’t have much money to dish out even for in-state residents. Private schools may work out better for you. What are your stats and in which state are you living now?</p>
<p>I am currently living in New York and preparing myself for the TOEFL and SAT II. I want to study computer science and considering this and the fact that I am an NY state resident Stony Brook University seems the best option for me. It is not very expensive and has a good CS program. However, its my dream to study in the more top ranked universities like Purdue and UIUC. But cost is a big issue for me and it will be difficult for me to afford these universities if I dont get much financial aid. I know that private schools offer grants but I am struggling to find one that is suitable for me. Most of the top ranked ones have too high requirements. I have targeted Vanderbilt but I guess it will be difficult for me to get accepted there as they have a very low acceptance rate, and to add to that my SAT score is also not as much as they prefer (I have a 2030 overall with only 580 in critical reading). Can anyone suggest me a private university that is good for computer science and is generous in giving aids?</p>
<p>Tanzim,</p>
<p>You and your parents have several different issues to sort out:</p>
<p>1) Your parents need to file US tax returns every year, and they need to spend sufficient time here every year or so, or they will indeed lose their Permanent Resident status. If they want to maintain that status, they should speak with an immigration lawyer who knows about specific issues with citizens of Bangladesh. </p>
<p>2) If you do not meet the requirements for being considered an independent student, you will need your parents’ financial information. Unless they have given up their Permanent Resident status, they have to file US federal tax forms no matter where they live in the world. This means that you should have those numbers. It is OK if all of their income and investments are foreign. You will use their federal 1040 which will have the income converted to USD at the exchange rate for that tax year, and you will convert all other financial information to USD at the exchange of the day that you complete the FAFSA or CSS Profile.</p>
<p>3) Some states will allow you to establish in-state residence for tuition and fees at public colleges and universities even if you are still a dependent for financial aid purposes and your parents don’t live in that state. You need to investigate the policies at the public colleges and universities on your list. Sometimes these policies are not the same for all of the public colleges and universities in the same state. This is not possible in every state, or at every public college or university.</p>
<p>4) You and your parents need to define your college/university budget. Can they help you pay for anything at all, or will you be entirely responsible on your own? Once you have a dollar figure, the people here will be better able to help you.</p>
<p>5) Right now your critical reading score is low. You will need to raise that to a level where colleges and universities will admit you. Check each college and university website for TOEFL score requirements. Some will not require an SAT score at all if your TOEFL is sufficient by their standards.</p>
<p>6) The SUNYs and the community colleges in NY state are very good. If money is tight, you might want to start at a community college that has an articulation agreement with SUNY Stony Brook so that you are guaranteed transfer into the computer science major.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>