<p>I am a student on an H-4 Visa (in the process of acquiring our green card) living in the United States. And I was wondering about financial aid, I know that I am deemed an "International Student." I was wondering, could I still get scholarships? I have a SSN number, and i contacted one college about the matter and they told me to still apply to FASFA for institutional aid. I was wondering whether this applied to possibly all colleges? Also, is it true that private colleges are better off for International Students?</p>
<p>If anyone knows anything on this matter, or went/is going through a similiar experience, please help me out!</p>
<p>I don’t think you can complete FAFSA if you are not a US resident or a permanent resident (which an H4 visa holder is not).</p>
<p>You really would have to check with each school you are interested in. A lot of schools will not consider international students for either need based aid or merit scholarships. But there are some that will. The school websites should contain that information.</p>
<p>Thank you, I think I will check that out. Thing is that FASFA still lets me apply to them, even if i’m not a U.S Citizen or eligible non-citizen. As long as I have a SSN, they recommend applying to FASFA for state/college aid.</p>
<p>A number of colleges/universities use the FAFSA information for determination of institutional aid. Students who don’t have a SSN need to find out how those institutions want them to complete the form. In some cases these students might have to submit a paper form directly to the financial aid office itself.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to find out if you qualify for in-state status because of your years of residence there. Your guidance counselor should know how to help you find out.</p>
<p>Your FAFSA will not go through and will not get processed (you may have a taxpayer id number, which is a nine digit number, not a ssn).</p>
<p>The form will ask you point blank if you are a us citizen or permanent resident. If you are a permanent resident, it will ask you for your A # which is on your green card and the issue date.</p>
<p>The fafsa determines the eligibility for federal aid for persons who are US citizens/permanent residents. Currently you do not fit into either category.</p>
<p>Hi everyone! thanks for the info. this is the particular line of fasfa that got me. (if anyone wants to know why I was asking in the first place)- “If you are not a citizen or eligible noncitizen, you are not eligible for federal student aid. However, you may be eligible for state or college aid, so complete and submit this application. Check with the financial aid office at your school to determine your eligibility.”</p>
<p>My school list contains schools that all give international aid. University of Chicago, in particular, lets me complete FASFA for their “Institutional Aid”- (I contacted them) </p>
<p>mom2collegekids- Oh sorry, I understood FASFA. Sorry if my wording caused some confusion- I’m applying to U Chicago, Loyola Chicago, Lafayette, Dayton, etc. - They all offer some type of International Aid which I’m hoping to receive. </p>
<p>I have started contacting financial aid offices and will do so also when I visit and have the interview with the admission counselor.</p>
<p>What the Dept. of Education recommends is to fill out a paper FAFSA and submit it to your schools directly because as a non-citizen and not having an alien residential number, you will not qualify for any federal funds. However, some schools may have private funds so submitting the FAFSA directly to the school would make sense.</p>
<p>Just know that it is going to be tough to convince a school to give up their funding for a non-citizen in a bad economy while possibly turning down actual citizens… that is how some people lose their jobs or get voted out of office.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation as adaliz, but I also have an EAD. On the card there is an alien number or A#. Does anyone know if I can use that number for FAFSA and other things?</p>
<p>You are a US citizen or US permanent resident (green card holder). Therefore, you are not eligible for US federal aid. If your school accepts the paper fafsa where they have funds for international students, then you would send the paper version of the fafsa to them.</p>
<p>Hey CubbieBlue!
So you’re on an H-4 Visa, but you have an Alien Registration number?? I used to have an EAD too, but it expired. But I still have a document from the DOHS, saying I am legal to work.- This is how I have a job. Is this what happened to you? Or is yours non-expired yet? Do you have a SSN as well??</p>
<p>-There’s certain schools which DO offer International Aid. I’ve applied to Lafayette, Richmond, Kenyon, Lake Forest, and Elizabethtown (accepted!)- and they all use this form called "International Student Financial Aid Form- aid is competitive though. Lafayette offers to meet full need of internationals-so I did an interview there to increase my chances. Oh! also- if you have lived for some time (several years) in a state, you may qualify for in-state tuition for public schools. I applied to the local college in my area and tuition will be about $7,000. Also!-there are scholarships. Check out the local ones.</p>