Hello!
If I pay for full tuition for the first year at a college, and I choose to apply for financial aid the years afterwards (as a Sophomore, Junior, Senior) am I eligible to receive one? I am international student at the moment, though I will likely to have permanent residency by the time I am in year two at college. Thank you for your time!
You will need to check with your colleges VERY carefully. Many do not allow international students to apply for institutional need based aid after the first year if the student doesn’t apply as an incoming freshman.
I’m really not sure what your your change in permanent residency status has to do,with this. You will have to ask.
Why don’t you just apply as an incoming freshman?
@thumper1 I already submitted my application that I didn’t need it. I can’t change this status right?
Also, I have my permanent residency status as pending so I wanted to know if I was eligible for aid years after the first year because I would no longer be a international student
You need to look at schools’ policies.
Some schools get annoyed at the idea of people pretending that they’ll be full-pay for 4 years by not applying for aid…to get an acceptance advantage…only to have them spend all their money for the first year and then need aid.
@mom2collegekids ohh…i see One of the colleges I am applying to is Wesleyan University. I couldn’t find the policy that fit my situation…
Right off the Wesleyan website. Do a google search…Wesleyan University international student financial aid.
http://www.wesleyan.edu/finaid/prospectiveapplicants/firsttimestudent-international.html
To be sure…contact them.
And again I ask…why not just apply as an incoming freshman? Then you would NOT have this issue to be concerned about.
thank you
So if I am no longer considered as a foreign student in the years following fresh year, I can apply for aid( not as a international) right? Should I contact schools for this info?
Why don’t you just apply for aid as an incoming freshman? WHY??
Then this would NOT be an issue.
Oh… I already submitted the common app and didn’t check off that I needed it…
You can contact the colleges and change that to YES. That would be smarter.
You have no real,guarantee when your green card will be issued. You don’t know what the college will do in terms of this change from international to permanent resident.
What you need to find out…if you do not apply for need based aid as a freshman, will you be eligible to do so as a sophomore IF your residency status changes…AND more important…will your full need be met. It might not be.
Wesleyan meets full need for most incoming U.S. citizen or permanent resident freshmen. At the end of their admissions cycle, this guarantee is NOT a guarantee.
In addition, read this section about transfer students.
http://www.wesleyan.edu/finaid/prospectiveapplicants/falltransfer.html
The school also requires THEM to apply for aid when they FIRST apply for admission.
And this for regular incoming freshmen who ARE citizens or permanent residents:
It really looks like this school EXPECTS students who need aid to apply for it when they first apply for admission…or there is a lock out period for doing so in subsequent years.
Since EVERYONE else needs to apply as in incoming student…everyone else…why would this school allow YOU to not apply for aid as an incoming student…and then just let you do so in subsequent years.
But maybe they make exceptions.
Hoping someone else gives you an interpretation of this as well.
Anyway…I would suggest that you apply NOW as an incoming freshman. NOW. Contact the school and ask that the NO on your common ap be changed to YES.
ETA…do you HAVE the more than $60,000 to fully pay for,a year at Wes?
I do,at least for the first year
But also to add, since wesleyan have certain number of kids they only take in, the fact that I am applying for aid as a international as a freshman has impact on my application right?
Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you have your permanent residency in hand and then you won’t be considered an international student?
@mommdc Yes, that what I was planning to do… but hearing thumper1 and mom2collegekiz’s advice that some schools may not allow for me to receive the aid for the years after freshman year i dont know…
I still don’t understand why you just don’t apply for aid this year? Just apply. Then you will be able to,do so in subsequent years.
What other colleges have you applied to?
I would strongly suggest you ask the college directly of they will allow you to apply for need based aid in subsequent years IF your residency changes to permanent resident.
The colleges will have their specific answers…and this will likely vary by college.
The big concern I see is that you are very sure you will have permanent residency status by a year from now. How are you so sure this will happen??
My dad said his lawyer told him its one year at the very latest that permanent residency card is granted…and as for why I don’t apply for aid this year i am not sure…my situation is very difficult to explain…
If it’s going to prevent you from applying for aid in the future…apply now.
Do you qualify for need based aid?
And at Wesleyan, even if you apply as an international…aid is very limited.
Are you currently living in the United States?
Yes i am in US. I would most likely be qualified for aid, my parents expected income report is <60~70k