My last post on this. My opinion…You say you will qualify for aid. So…apply for aid. Contact the schools and ask that the financial aid question on the common application be changed to YES.
Then complete the financial aid application forms.
Hope you haven’t missed the deadlines!
OP- we are about to get a new president who has immigration policy very high on his list of things to change/rollback/alter etc. I would not be confident that a one year Green card application will indeed be one year. You may want to run various scenarios with your parents- one year, 14 months, 18 months. I remember the backlog after 9/11 when the INS became DHS… it was annoying for families who were already being processed but there wasn’t much you could do about it.
@thumper1 I can’t qualify for the aid this year because of my situation…but thank you!
@blossom I see…
well thank you all
So how will you pay for years 2, 3 and 4??
Maybe you need to do a gap year.
@mom2collegekids Can a loan be the option ? (assuming i become a perm resident)
For a loan as a permanent resident…as a second year college student…YOU will be eligible for $6500 in loans in your own name.
You will not be able to,get additional loans here unless you have a qualified cosigner who is a U.S. citizen. Do you have someone who will cosign huge loans?
Student loans for citizens and permanent residents are capped at $6,500 for sophomores, that is not going to pay for Wesleyan. Also how are your parents going to pay full price for one year on $60-70k income?
NO bank is going to offer loans amounting to tens of thousands of $$ to an unemployed college student.
They may offer them to your parents, BUT your parents would be FOOLS to take out loans to pay for an expensive college, because college loans MUST be repaid = they cant be forgiven in the case of bankruptcy, or even if you die!
so, NO.
multi thousand $ loans for the last 3 years of college are not an option .
OP, you need to find other less expensive colleges to apply to, becasue unless you are EXTREMELY lucky and are one of the HANDFUL of International students who are offered FA , its time to focus your time on finding a college that you CAN afford to go to for all 4 years!
@mommdc they have extra savings at least for the first year.
I don’t think we know the family income…do we?
Those huge loans @menloparkmom is talking about are likely not going to be available to,this student anyway…he is an international student…and would need a citizen cosigner.
But $60,000 times 3 more years? $180,000 for an undergrad degree?
Nope!
In post #19 OP mentions his parent’s expected income.
@mommdc makes an excellent point. How WILL the first year be paid for on a $60,000 a year income?
And if that is your parent income, you might just be one of those small number of kids at Wesleyan who get some need based aid as international student freshmen. But not if you don’t apply.
$180,000 or more in loans for an undergraduate college education is beyond excessive!
Where else did you apply? Were you offered merit scholarships? What are some more affordable colleges near where you live?
Because there is limited aid for international students, at most schools if you apply as an international student and you do not apply for aid with the initial application, you will not be eligible for institutional aid in subsequent years.
There are no guarantees that you will have your green card by sophomore year (the process takes years, you could very well be finished college by the time you get it).
You need to amend your application and apply for Aid. Even if you are not eligible for aid your freshman year, you want to be eligible for aid in your subsequent years.
Is it possible that I am rejected for reason being that I need aid?
and i wasn’t offered any merits…
Wesleyan does not offer merit aid. they only provide need based financial aid. As I stated earlier, you need to amend your application and apply for financial aid.
ITA with Blossom’s assessment. There will be a freeze on government hiring with the new administration. You will have no idea as to how long it will take before you actually receive a green card. If at any time over the next 4 years, if you need aid, then you need to apply now.
When you become a permanent resident, the only thing that you will be guaranteed is any federal aid that you are entitled to (meaning $6500 loan, because your parents make too much money for a federal grant). The school’s decide on how to distribute their own institutional loan. Whether or not you are a US permanent resident, you have to follow the school’s rules for financial aid if you want their money.
Will I have to amend my applications by sending emails to colleges?
@dandurant schools that are need aware for international students consider your financial need when your admission application is reviewed.
BUT…what good does it do,to,get accepted to a college where you NEED aid to attend, but don’t apply for the aid?
You may as well be denied admission because you won’t be able to go for all four years.
And this is one why these schools don’t let you apply in subsequent years if you don’t apply as an incoming freshman!
There are actually a some colleges which ask for verification of finances for money to,cover ALL FOUR years of college for international students. Without that…you can’t get a visa to study here.
Please…if you need aid…apply for aid.
If your family income is $60,000 or so a year, your family cannot afford the costs of private schools like Wesleyan out of their earnings. I personally think it’s not responsible to,ask them to use their entire life savings or other assets to pay for one year of college because you hope you can apply for aid in subsequent years.
Did you apply to any colleges where you would garner significant merit aid? There aren’t a lot of colleges that give guaranteed merit aid to international students based on stats…but there are some.
Maybe that gap year idea isn’t such a bad one…well…except you have immigration issues. Will your current visa allow you to stay her if you are not in college?
we are about to get a new president who has immigration policy very high on his list of things to change/rollback/alter etc. I would not be confident that a one year Green card application will indeed be one year. You may want to run various scenarios with your parents- one year, 14 months, 18 months. I remember the backlog after 9/11 when the INS became DHS... it was annoying for families who were already being processed but there wasn't much you could do about it.
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And this issue isn’t a new one. I’ve been helping a student for the past 3 years who has been waiting for his expected green card for well over a year. He, too, was assured, but now it’s been over a year and he was told about 6 months ago that it could take a couple more years. He’s devastated because he wanted to apply to med schools soon.
This all happened during the present administration so, you don’t know what will happen either way.