<p>Hi, i am a US citizen with a non-US academic record. I have a major prob, i only just applied for my social sec number and they say it'll take around 2-3 months to issue. The fin aid deadlines for most of my colleges are in feb. Please tell me what to do now!</p>
<p>I'm sure i can't submit fafsa. What about CSS? Anything else at all i can do to grab as much aid as possible??</p>
<p>If you are a US citizen you should be eligible for federal aid, on the SS# contact a college finaid office and ask them how you can file pending the SS#, maybe put 00000 OR 1111 OR something obviously temporary</p>
<p>OK...I have a question for the OP...are your parents US citizens who have been filing taxes? If so, how is it that you don't have a SS number? This is required for all dependents listed on the U.S. tax forms. We got them for my kids when they were babies....required for taxes to be filed with them as dependents.</p>
<p>You are going to compose an email to the admissions and financial aid offices that goes something like this:</p>
<p>I am a US citizen living abroad. I have only recently learned that I did not have a Social Security Number and have applied for one. The officers at the consulate in Fill-in-City-and-Country-Here have advised me that it will take approximately Fill-in-the-Amount-of-Time-They-Estimated-Here for me to receive my Social Security Number. What documentation can I supply you with now in order for you to begin to process a Financial Aid Application for me?</p>
<p>Sincerely yours,
MCrue</p>
<p>thumper1 - I expect it would be possible for MCrue to have US citizenship because of birth in the US to international parents who did not have to file taxes which would result in not needing an SSN for the baby. Happykid was born in Venezuela and the SSN, Certificate of Citizen Birth Abroad, and US Passport applications were all handled at the same time. As I recall the SSN had to be mailed to a US address so it was sent to her grandmother. The other paperwork was processed at the consulate so I had it in a day or two.</p>
<p>Hmm, okay. Yeah, i think i'll email em all like you said. Thanks! And yeah, i was born in the US to international parents. </p>
<p>Also, there's no trouble with filing the CSS right? I'm not too sure about the process.</p>
<p>Just go to the Profile site and plug in the information from your parents income on the worksheet. Be prepared to send in your parents tax returns to IDOC when schools require.
Explain your parents are non-citizens in special circumstances section.</p>
<p>Hi....i am also a U.S citizen..with almost the same case as Mcrue.i was born in US to International parents and have been living outside US for a long time.but i have applied for SSN last year in October 2008 and hope to receive it before March 2009.
I plan to continue my graduate studies as a US student on the basis of financial aid and pursue my career in US.
I plan to fill my FAFSA as soon as i get my SSN. I want to know what should i fill in the FAFSA forms regarding the TAX return information and W2 forms..?as they dnt apply in my case.
Please also let me know how can i get a track of my SSN application status online?..its takin too long..its bin almost 3 months since my application for SSN was filed.</p>
<p>Hi,
I have a similar question. My father and I are U.S citizens, my mother not. I never lived in the US but I have my social security number, passport etc. </p>
<p>The same like shan, I want to do my graduate studies in the US. Can I receive financial aid?
Further, I read that if you do your graduate studies you are filed as an 'independent student'....am I right?</p>
<p>And does anybody approximately know how much of the tuition can be covered with financial aid as an independent student? I have no clue about the amounts you can receive from financial aid or how much percent of the tuition would be payed (considering low-income parents an me currently being a student abroad).</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>
[quote]
I expect it would be possible for MCrue to have US citizenship because of birth in the US
[/quote]
My children were issued a social security number at birth with the hospital's help. I thought all kids were.</p>
<p>Yes if you are working on a masters/doctorate you are an independent student for FAFSA. But Federal aid for graduate students is only loans. Federal grant aid such as Pell, SEOG are for undergrad only.</p>
<p>For graduate studies, like a PhD, there is usually tuition remission and a living stipend no matter where you are from. For professional schools, like JD, MD, MBA, there is usually very little funding other than loans and a few schools give one or two need based awards.</p>
<p>Thank you for your answers.</p>
<p>So what I would have to do is go to the FAFSA page and fill out the forms as an independent student and they then will decide about the loans? Is there anything else I should apply to? </p>
<p>I want to find out if it would be possible for me, financially, to go to graduate school in the US. Because I'm living abroad I'm not familiar with the Financial aid process.</p>
<p>My name is christine I’m a us citizen but I had never lived in usa. I live in Venezuela, I recently graduated from law school. I’m looking forward on going to usa to study in live there.But the thing is that I need a scholarship, Do I have the chance to get one? Where do I have to look?
Thanks for your help
I’ll be waiting for your answer!</p>
<p>Christine…you have graduated from law school? What do you want to study in the U.S.? Please clarify the schooling you have finished. Is it law school like to be a lawyer? Do you already HAVE a bachelors degree?</p>
<p>Here in Venezuela I’m a lawyer already, if I’m not wrong that’s like a bachelor degree! I want to keep studying to be a lawyer in Usa. What do I have to do? Do I have a chance? I hope so!!</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Christine, financial aid for law school is not particularly plentiful. In fact some law schools require parent financial information from law school students regardless of age, marital status or previous college degrees. Need based financial aid here is awarded to undergrad students, not professional school students.</p>
<p>You would have to look at websites or contact law schools here to see if they even offer financial aid (other than loans…many law students take out loans to pay for their law school educations). I have heard that some students do get scholarships to law school but this is not something that happens for most law students.</p>
<p>In the meantime…you need to take the LSAT and get a top score on that. The LSAT and your undergrad GPA will be very important in gaining admittance to law school…and likely financial aid as well.</p>
<p>I have been reading a lot and I have found the LL.M programs, they are like masters and if you pass all the exams and everything you can practise in the area, do you know anything about that?
Thanks for your help</p>
<p>I have no idea what a LL.M is. Where I am, you need a JD…and you need to pass the state bar exam to practice law. Perhaps someone better versed in the legal profession can respond. Be patient…there are some lawyers who post on this forum.</p>
<p>Law school in the U.S. is three years, I believe. I’ve never heard of a truncated version of that…not saying there isn’t one…but I’ve never heard of it.</p>
<p>Many law schools offer LLM programs in different areas of specialization to follow a JD (for US students) or a foreign law degree. For foreign-trained lawyers who want to prepare for the US Bar exams the LLM program can often be adapted to include any critical coursework for that particular student. I know several people who have done this.</p>
<p>happymom…is there any funding for the LL.M course of study? Or typically are students self funded? I think this is what the OP wants to know.</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanation. If someone comes from abroad with a “bachelors level” law degree and not a JD, would the LL.M be something appropriate for them to pursue…your post above sounds like it might be.</p>