Financial Aid for Internationals - Am I really out of luck?

<p>I am a student from Canada and I have been accepted to the Cornell for the Fall 2013 school year. I know that Cornell used to consider Canadians on the same level as Americans for financial aid, but that has all changed in the past couple of years. So I applied for financial aid as an international student, and like many internationals, I did not receive any aid whatsoever. I'm sure many people have been in this situation. I've contacted Cornell, and they have repeatedly said they cannot help. Has anyone else been in my situation and managed to find some money to pay for Cornell? I probably require about 20k in financial aid per year. Really, any suggestions would be helpful! I'm desperate at this point, the deposit is due in a few days!</p>

<p>20K is a lot of money, if you don’t have it. How are you figuring 20K? Does it include books, travel, room&board? The reason I ask is a lot of students live off campus after freshman year and you could save some money by living at a cheaper rental. There are also ways of saving on books. You probably could make 3-5K every summer and p work 10-15 hours/week on campus. My kid’s good friend graduated with 60K student loans. He was in CoE and had a decent paying job when he graduated. He is living on his own and paying off his student loans. How do your parents feel about the situation?</p>

<p>20k is what I think I will require after all expenses, including room and board. I have taken into account my parent’s contribution and my own contribution from work every summer and part time every school year, and still, no matter which way I cut it, I will need at least another 20k per year in financial aid. Parents are definitely not okay with me going this far into debt… I don’t think I can even get loans that big; their is a limit to student loans in Canada. This is such a tough situation. I’m accepted, but it seems I can’t go!</p>

<p>I’ve heard of people changing their residency status to New York after a year or two at Cornell. Not sure how they did it, but that would mean a lot less tuition if you’re going to one of the contract colleges. You should look into it! Good luck, I hope you find the money you need.</p>

<p>It wouldn’t matter because he is a Canadian. If he was US citizen, even if he lived in Canada, he would be eligible for FA.</p>

<p>Yes I am applying to a contract college, but I think oldfort is right…the fact that I am Canadian will put me in an entirely different bracket for aid. I’m going to try to call Cornell tomorrow (for the last time) and see if there is any other possibilities for financial aid. If I get another “no,” then I’m staying in Canada, and maybe I’ll try for a transfer down the road.</p>