I have a Bachelor degree in my country before moving to the U.S. I intended to apply for some certificate program at Northern Virginia Community College and I am wondering if I am eligible for financial aid (I have been a VA resident for one year). Will my financial aid conclude Pell, Grant and Loan or just Loan?
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Did you ask the financial aid office of the school? Are you a US citizen or resident alien?
I am a U.S permanent resident (I have a green card).
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Did you file a FAFSA? Did it give you an EFC?
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Since you already have a BA, all you will be eligible for IF the program is accredited would be loans.
Yes you’re right, so I am thinking about applying for certificate program only and declare that I do not have any BA yet.
No I have not done anything yet. I am just collecting views to make a plan for my education
One of the questions on FAFSA is what level you are in for college. If you claim you don’t have a BA but you do, you’ll be submitting a fraudulent application.
Up to you.
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You need to ask NOVA about your particular certificate program. Often those sorts of programs award continuing education credits rather than regular college credits and don’t qualify for federal financial aid. Fortunately, they usually are pretty cheap for local residents. Sometimes there are special scholarship funds available specifically to help new immigrants get job skills fast. I know that some are free in Montgomery County, MD, so I expect some are free in your part of VA.
If it turns out that the certificate program you are interested in does award regular college credits rather than continuing education credits, don’t be stupid about things. Admit that you have the BA. Get your records formally evaluated, and submit them to NOVA. It is possible that some of them might apply to your certificate program, or that they might apply as general education credits, and qualify you for an Associate Degree instead of just a Certificate.
Happydad had his foreign records evaluated by http://wes.org/ a couple of years ago. It only cost about $100, and took about a month. Now he has a formal record of those studies that is fully valid here in the US.
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Yeah. I think I may take some Career Studies Certificates at NOVA instead of taking prerequisites for my Master program (the tuition for those courses are too high). Some people tell me that there are full financial aid for certificates programs.
Yes, that’s why I wanna make sure everything before enrolling,
Go meet with a counselor at NOVA, and talk about your options. They are the experts on all of this.
If it isn’t too hard for you to commute to George Mason U, you should also pay them a visit. They may have other courses that would work for you.
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