Financial Aid for International

Paying for College
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<p>Thank you for the kindest responses.</p>

<p>Attending the best colleges in China is impossible for me. The process of admission is very difficult for Chinese living in China. For Chinese living in a broad, this is impossible unless you have government contact. </p>

<p>I saw this from the Harvard website:</p>

<p>“Harvard meets the full need of every student, including international students, for all four years.”</p>

<p>Other top universities say same things. I think admission is the opportunity I am striving for. If I am admitted than I will receive full aid. Getting admitted is very difficult and my deepest hope is that I will be judged against all applicants and not just against internationals. I say this because my opportunities for EC have been American opportunties. Many internationals have opportunities to win his country’s national awards and contests. United States does not do these things often. Although my resume is very strong it is an American resume. I will stand out if judged against Americans but not that much if judged against internationals. </p>

<p>As for travel and food I am not concerned. Harvard, Princeton, and Yale are very close to my home. Stanford is a long trip but I could stay away for four years and be satified. I eat very little and food costs will not be an issue. I believe work would be available to me as well for these expenses.</p>

<p>I am grateful for the sincere advice.</p>

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<p>Yeah that kinda of sucks. I have a friend in the same situation. Her parents came to the US from Korea like 20 years ago in order to go to college. They met, got married, graduated, had her, and then her dad found a job as an engineer. He got some kind of visa that let him work in the US and they hoped he’d eventually become a citizen. But then he lost the job. Instead of going home, he kept working jobs. Meanwhile, my friend grw up in the US and is just like me. She doesn’t even speak Korean very well. Anyway, she’s got great stats (a 2340 SAT, for example) but she’s has to apply as an international. Her family is also pretty poor, so she’s worried that she won’t be able to go to colleges that accept her. It seems pretty unfair to me. If a kid grows up in the US her entire life, why should she be punished because of something her parents did?</p>

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<p>" Stanford is a long trip but I could stay away for four years and be satisfied."</p>

<p>This is not realistic. For instance, how would you support yourself during the summer? You would not be likely to get jobs that would cover your room, board, and and transportation. California is expensive, and more than likely, you’d also need a car to get to work.</p>

<p>"“Harvard meets the full need of every student, including international students, for all four years.”</p>

<p>Other top universities say same things. I think admission is the opportunity I am striving for. If I am admitted than I will receive full aid."</p>

<p>You will need to provide tax records or other official documentation to demonstrate your financial need. The universities don’t just rely on your family’s word. They need proof of income, etc.</p>

<p>Here’s a link to the pdf fill about financial that Harvard requires of foreign students. This would be similar to what other colleges providing need-based aid would require: <a href=“http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic551531.files/freshman_foreign_aid_app.pdf[/url]”>http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic551531.files/freshman_foreign_aid_app.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>shanghaison,</p>

<p>Some of the parents seem to think that your family is undocumented. Is that your situation, or does your family have currently valid H1B, J, or other visa status? Everything will be much more difficult if you are undocumented. If you hold a valid visa, you need to find out if you can study in that status or if it will be necessary to convert to an F-1. Changing status may affect your work eligibility - for example, F-1 students have certain limited conditions in which they can earn money.</p>

<p>If you can study in your state of residence as an in-state student, take a long hard look at your local community colleges. They should be more affordable than the public universities. You also need to look ahead to your future. What kind of job will you be able to get when you graduate? Will you have a green card by then because of your parents’ application or will you be looking for a job that will give you an H1B? What alternate futures can you find for yourself? Would Canada or Australia offer you better opportunities?</p>

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<p>NorthStarmom is right.</p>

<p>If your family cannot document thru tax records it’s earnings, then you won’t get any aid. No college is going to just take your word that your family has little earnings. Remember, colleges have to “determine need” - which they determine by looking at family income records - like tax return info.</p>

<p>I hope we aren’t misunderstanding your situation. As I (and some others) understand it, you and your family are not legal residents (perhaps your visa expired or something like that). Because of that, none of you can hold “regular jobs” that require records or taxes to be paid, therefore it looks like you and your family have little to no earnings. You have spent many years in the US, being educated here. Is all of this right?</p>

<p>I don’t think top universities are going to accept a family’s claim that they have little earnings without any “proof”. I don’t think an international family can’t simply “work for cash” and then claim “no income” and get full aid. Maybe I’m wrong, but if it were true, everyone would work for cash, claim no income, and get full aid. I think that’s why records are needed.</p>

<p>If you are undocumented, I hope that you can get that straightened out. It is getting harder and harder for employers to hire undocumented workers - the penalties can be very expensive.</p>

<p>and…as Northstarmom says…California is VERY Expensive…especially around Stanford. Any aid won’t cover summer costs and it’s be difficult for you to earn much if not documented.</p>

<p>Good luck :)</p>

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<p>I think you said you live in New York? If so, you live in one of the few states where, if you are undocumented, you actually have more chance at a college education than in most other places. I believe undocumented students who have been in NY (or NYC) for at least 4 years, have certain particular opportunities for a college education at various instate or in-city colleges and universities. This should be easy to find on the internet. </p>

<p>I think you are also not quite clear about the application process. First of all, applying and getting accepted, is separate from applying for financial aid and being offered financial aid. You can apply to, and get accepted at, all sorts of institutions,HYPS if you so desire (if you have the money for the application fees). Being accepted does NOT however guarantee that they will give you any, or full,financial aid. That is a separate process, that you do starting Jan. 1, with the FAFSA, and with tax and other official information that has been mentioned above. For HYPS and other highly competitive and rich institutions, you ALSO will need to fill out a separate, more specific financial aid application form from Collegeboard called the CSS Profile. This asks about just about everything except the cost of the shoes you wear.</p>

<p>It is NOT hopeless, but you need to be realistic, especially if you are undocumented. If you are a legal resident for 4 years in NY, you may have some very good options, and affordable, that students whose parents settled in, say, North Carolina, have no access to. So good luck and I hope you can make wonderful use of what IS available to you.</p>

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<p>Another thought–you have very outstanding statistics for most institutions except HYPS (which turn down at least half of the students who get perfect 2400s on their SATs). Find the August copy of US News & World Report, or find it online, and check the top 100 Universities, and also top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges. Especially in places ranked 25-100, all VERY good colleges, you should be able to find a place that would truly want to have someone with your statistics and gifts. Private institutions would be more likely than public institutions, and places farther away, midwest, south, would be more likely than those close to the population centers of the northeast. </p>

<p>If you are undocumented, it is estimated that there are 65,000 of you that graduate from high school every year. It is estimated that around 6-8,000 of you get a chance to go on to college. Check out the information on the CollegeBoard website–very interesting. Do a key word search for undocumented. I think it is under the Professional section.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the very informative responses. </p>

<p>I am not undocumented. My father is H1. My mother and I are H4. My siblings are citizens. My father has applied for green card status and we are waiting to hear the good news. </p>

<p>I will enter the admission process hopeful for the best alternatives. I wish everyone good luck. Thank you to all.</p>

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<p>If your dad is H1, doesn’t that mean his visa was based on his ability to work here in some kind of special capacity (or am I mistaken). To get an H1 visa, you have to demonstrate that an employer wants you to work for them. If so, does your dad work in a good job? Does he pay taxes? Does he have an income record? If not, how does he have a H1 Visa? I’m not saying that he earns enough for an Ivy league school, but if he’s H1, he should have a decent job.</p>

<p>Your H4 visa is dependent on your dad’s H1 visa.</p>

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<p>My father’s first job was a good job and qualified the H1. He only worked for six months. The H1 allows immigrants to work other jobs after the first one is completed but the new owner must follow H1 rules and they don’t like that. He has worked many, many jobs over the last six years but not good jobs. H1 also permits immigrants to apply for green card. In years past, this process requires two or three years but it now takes many years. No one dream that I would still be H4 at this time. Our desire was to obtain green cards two or three years past. It is very unfortunate situation for me.</p>

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<p>If you have outstanding statistics and want to apply to HYPS, by all means do it! You have nothing to lose, except for application fees. You have to realize though that these schools have very, very low acceptance rates, so almost everyone has very slim chances to get in.
You need to apply to wide range of schools. Take a hard look at small LACs -Middlebury, Oberlin, Grinnell have more than 10% int. students and they give some fin. aid to int. students too. You’re not eligible for federal or state aid, but if admitted, colleges can give you generous aid from their funds, if they choose to do so. With your status you can not file FAFSA, but you have to file International Applic. for Fin. Aid (can be found on Colledgeboard or colleges’ web sites). Take a look at it, you will get an idea what fin. info is required from your family.
You also mentioned that you play sports. In addition to your good academic record, it can make a difference in admission decision. All small colleges have teams and compete with other colleges. If you’re interested in playing, check athletics pages of schools you’re interested in, even pay attention to how many seniors there are in the team this year. Fill in form on athletic page, if interested, coach will contact you.
Also, are you included in your father’s petition for permanent resident status? If so, you can apply and obtain EAD (employment author. doc.) and will be able to work (with no limits) until the decision in made in your family’s case.
Despite you status, you still have a lot of opportunities to be accepted by good schools (maybe less known than HYPS). Try to write an excellent admission essay.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thank you for the encouraging message MomofTwoinCA. I intend to apply to LAC. I am contemplating Amherst, Williams, and Pomona College. Maybe two of these only. I am not a good athlete. My school has poor athletics programs and any student can participate. I lost most of the matches but I had an enjoyable experience. It would be impossible for me to play at a collegiate level. I appreciated your kind suggestion even so. I find much hope in your statement “you still have a lot of opportunities to be accepted by good schools.” Thank you very much.</p>

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<p>Your main problem isn’t your getting accepted to a good 4-year college, it’s getting the financial aid that you need. If your parents aren’t filing income taxes, it will be next to impossible for you to get need-based financial aid because the colleges giving need-based financial aid require tax info from parents.</p>

<p>When it comes to merit aid, few 4-year colleges are generous enough with merit aid to be able to cover all of your need if your parents aren’t able to provide any financial help with your college education. All of this would be true even if you were a U.S. citizen.</p>

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<p>shanghaison,</p>

<p>Amherst, Williams, and Pomona still have very low acceptance rates. I would recommend you to add to your list a couple of schools with higher acceptance rates. You can find such schools even in top 20-25 LACs. They are all very good schools and very challenging academically (pick fin. aid for internationals-friendly schools). Some LACs wave applic. fees for int., some wave fees for everybody who applies online. As a NY resident, you probably have slightly better chances in midwest schools, than in northeast.</p>

<p>Northstarmom is right - “full need” means “full demonstrated financial need”. Colleges calculate your need, and they might use different formulas to do it. That’s why your fin. aid packages from different schools may have different numbers. You will have to provide proof of your family income. If your father works on H1B, he should file taxes, so it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>

<p>Until you have a green card in hand, for private schools you’re international applicant, and for financial aid in most colleges you’ll be competing in different pool - with other international applicants. Competition is tough - they might admit one out of 10 or more int. applicants with financial need. Even schools that claim that they meet full need for domestic student say they can not meet 100% need for internationals (some still meet around 85%). Schools that claim they meet need for all students simply don’t admit or waitlist int. applicant if they are not able to provide fin. aid. Even if you’re admitted and get a grant money from school that covers tuition, you’ll most likely have to come up with money to pay for room/board/books.</p>

<p>As other posters suggested, you have to talk to your parents about how much they can contribute to your education. On H4 neither your mom nor you can work in US - this complicates your situation. You won’t be able even get part-time job on campus. Your family of five is fully dependent on your father’s income.</p>

<p>I agree with others, that you have to try to be realistic and have a back up plan - apply to a couple of state schools - maybe there are schools that you can commute to to save on room/board. You’re lucky in NY to have in-state tuition. </p>

<p>We had H4 when my son applied to college. He graduated 2nd in his high school class (of around 600) in SoCal (not high enough SAT though - 2080 - with high math and low english scores), got into some state schools (applied only in CA state schools), but there was no way we could afford 4-year school with him living on campus. There were no schools he wanted to attend within commuting distance, so he did his first year in local community college + AP credits, transferred to UC with junior status (in-state tuition for H4 visa holders), and graduated in 3 years. Community college was very affordable, we paid in full for his junior year, he got a part-time job that covered his room/board/living expenses in his senior year (by this time we got work authorization documents and then green cards). You have to be creative in this situation. He was not the only one with good grades in comminity college. Many talented students have to go this route for financial reasons. It’s a real life.
My daughter had to apply as an international too (we got GCs, when she was already in the middle of her freshman year in college). She was rejected and waitlisted in many LACs she applied to. She is very happy now in the one that accepted her with substantial fin. aid. The one she did not even want to apply at first. She visited then for admitted students days, loved it, and paid deposit on the spot.</p>

<p>Good luck in your application process! But, please, include some safety schools in your list. Do some research about honors programs in your state schools. Applying to a wide range of schools, you’ll have more options come April.</p>

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<p>A lot of colleges say that international students admitted without aid are not eligible for fin aid during their entire 4 years.
Personally I think that is really unfair, cuz what if your family became bankrupt? are you then forced to quit?
Can I Apply for financial aid if my status changes from international to permanent resident aka green card holder in for example, my second year at the college?
Can I reject the ED admission offer because of lack (meaning 0$ fin aid) of fin aid? </p>

<p>Thanks .</p>

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<p>The requirement to qualify for Federal finacial aid is that an applicant must be a US citizen or pemanent resident. Furthermore, you had to have sing up for selective services between the ages between 18 and 25 yrs of age.</p>

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<p>1) A lot of colleges say that international students admitted without aid are not eligible for fin aid during their entire 4 years. Personally I think that is really unfair, cuz what if your family became bankrupt? are you then forced to quit?</p>

<p>Either you find the money somehow, or transfer to a cheaper school, or you quit entirely. Happens every year.</p>

<p>2) Can I Apply for financial aid if my status changes from international to permanent resident aka green card holder in for example, my second year at the college?</p>

<p>Most colleges/universities will let you do this. Ask for their specific policies before you apply for admission.</p>

<p>3) Can I reject the ED admission offer because of lack (meaning 0$ fin aid) of fin aid?</p>

<p>If the college/university can’t meet your need AS THEY DEFINE IT, you can get out of the ED agreement. If the college/university can’t meet your need AS YOU DEFINE IT, it will be a bit trickier. You might find yourself locked out of a number of other schools as well because of the way they respect each other’s ED contracts. However, there are any number of less selective schools that will admit you.</p>

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<p>Thanks, now I feel a lot better. At least there is a glimmer of hope.</p>

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<p>MomofTwoinCA you have a kind heart. Thank you for your story. I will apply to safety schools with backup plan. I am interested in your daughter’s experiences. What LACs did she find that is willing to offer substantial financial aid? I believe we will get GCs in the next year or two years. Did you son’s opportunities increase once you received GC? </p>

<p>Thank you very much for your thoughtful words.</p>

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<p>shanghaison, I haven’t read the entire thread but I believe that SUNY will be both forgiving of your “international” status and probably quite generous with aid. Your dad should certainly be filing taxes - that’s a requirement of anyone working in the US and it will be required for financial aid. NYS is fairly generous with state aid (top award is around $5K/year) and the SUNYs have additional grants, subsidies, and scholarships for low income students. I would recommend adding Geneseo to your LAC list.</p>