Full Ride anywhere for a Non Citizen?

Paying for College
1

<p>Are there any colleges that offer Full Ride even when I am not a Citizen or Green Card holder?</p>

<p>My ACT score is 35, GPA 3.9+, and my immigration status is , Green Card applicant or in technical terms "I-485 applicant", which means I have my SSN, A#, work authorization and can stay indefinitely until I get the Green Card. I can visit my home country and come back using a document called Advance Parole.
So, I am not really an International Student because I do not require any visa or approval from INS to study in a college.</p>

<p>I am not sure yet, whether I will be eligible to apply for FAFSA or not, as the "eligible Non Citizen" definition of FAFSA is confusing. </p>

<p>Are there any colleges that offer Full Ride under the above circumstances? Is FAFSA mandatory to get any Aid? </p>

<p>What about the private colleges? Do they care for the requirement of being Citizen/Permanent Resident as much as the State Universities?</p>

<p>Appreciate your help.</p>

2

<p>What is your major?</p>

<p>Are you saying that your parents can’t pay ANYTHING towards college? How about $10k per year or so? </p>

<p>There are schools that will give you free tuition, but free rides are less likely. Look at UAH. They may give you a free tuition and free housing. <a href=“http://www.uah.edu/financial-aid/aid/scholarships/new-freshmen/non-residents-merit-awards[/url]”>http://www.uah.edu/financial-aid/aid/scholarships/new-freshmen/non-residents-merit-awards&lt;/a&gt; uah.edu</p>

<p>If you only need free tuition, there will be more choices.</p>

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<p>OP, When do you expect your “green card”? All schools handle their merit-based scholarships and need-base financial aid differently. Some schools award scholarships regardless to students’ immigration status. However, you must file FAFSA in order to get Federal financial aid.</p>

<p>P.s. you must had a visa if you entered US legally.</p>

4

<p>Major would be Biology. Free tution would be fine too, I guess.</p>

<p>4kidsdad, we had some discussion in an earlier thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1397304-pending-i485-can-i-get-fafsa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1397304-pending-i485-can-i-get-fafsa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If I do not apply for FAFSA, don’t I still qualify for state aid and other scholarships? Why must I file FAFSA?</p>

<p>Are there any good private schools that give me free tution for my scores despite me not being a citizen and no FAFSA?</p>

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<p>And yes, I did enter US legally!!! I did not do anything illegal in my life till date. :)</p>

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<p>don’t I still qualify for state aid a</p>

<p>Maybe in some states??? Not in all states. Which state do you live in?</p>

<p>Even if you were to get any state aid, that aid would be for colleges IN that state. </p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year? Would they pay $15k per year? more? less?</p>

<p>Biology major? let me guess…you’re pre med?</p>

7

<p>You look for schools that offer merit money and for which you are one of the top applicants test score wise and see if they have any full rides. You apply as an international student. Some states might have some provisions for non citizens who have been in the state for a while. NY, for example, does let you have in state tuition costs and eligiblity for some merit awards. CA and TX have programs too. And, yes, there are such schools, but you have to find them. You have to be way up there, they have to offer big merit or give fina aid to internationals if you qualify for their need. You have to do what any one citizen or not has to do in order to find a full ride or hefty scholarship but you have to screen out those that won’t give to non citizens. It’s a lot of work and a competitive process. Since things change a lot and quickly, you need to do your own research. There are some auto awards that are nice sized and some lists on this forum to give you a start.</p>

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<p>Does your visa allow you to work in the US? Some don’t.</p>

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<p>

If you’re premed, please note the following:

That means you have about 3 to 4 years to get your ‘green card’. See <a href=“http://gs.columbia.edu/postbac/international-students-postbac[/url]”>http://gs.columbia.edu/postbac/international-students-postbac&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Yes Premed. The work permit I have lets me work, I am planning on working few hours a week to cover some expenses.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids, so if I understood you correctly, without FAFSA, I can qualify for free tution?
I live in MN, but can go anywhere. My parents can probably pay $15K, but I want to be on my own, if I can find a way.
I was looking at UTD, and based on this, they consider me a Resident (and not International Student)</p>

<p>•A person who is eligible for permanent resident status, which is defined as, “A person who has filed an I-485 application for permanent residency and has been issued a fee/filing receipt or notice of action by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing that his or her I-485 has been reviewed and has not been rejected”;</p>

<p>I fall into the above category 100%.</p>

<p>Don’t I get the full tution OOS at UTD without going through FAFSA?</p>

<p>How is UTD anyway? Never been to south in my life.
Are there any other colleges which treat the I-485 applicants as Residents?</p>

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<p>The rules differ from school to school. So you have to check them out. </p>

<p>FAFSA is an application and screening process that verifies a student to be eligible for federal aid. What is available for those so eligible is a PELL grant for those with the least resources, up to $5600, and Direct loans for the student up to $5500 (frehsman year) in the student’ own name , some of it maybe subsidized in terms of interest while in school if need so dictates, and access to other federal forms of financial aid a college might subscribe to and state programs if that is the case. Foreign students are not eligible for FAFSA clearance, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t programs that non citiens are eligible. And as each state has its own rules about its college funds, as does each college, you have to look. </p>

<p>Does UTD have a full tuition or full ride merit scholarship for which you are eligible or is it an auto award based on stats? Those are things you need to check out. Be aware that being eligible does not always mean, you get it. It just means your name can go in the pot for the choosing.</p>

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<p>mom2collegekids, so if I understood you correctly, without FAFSA, I can qualify for free tution?
I live in MN, but can go anywhere. My parents can probably pay $15K, but I want to be on my own, if I can find a way.
I was looking at UTD, and based on this, they consider me a Resident (and not International Student)</p>

<p>Many schools award merit without FAFSA, but some schools require citizenship/grn card status. But, some will award to int’ls.</p>

<p>You’re not likely going to be able to “be on your own”. You’re not likely going to get a “free ride”. And there will be expenses beyond college direct costs…health insurance, travel, personal expenses, etc.</p>

<p>Does your visa allow you to work? Some don’t permit you to work.</p>

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<p>Texas schools will not consider you to be a Texas resident because your parents don’t live there. </p>

<p>Are you saying that Texas schools will consider you to be an OOS domestic student? That may be so.</p>

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<p>swats78 -</p>

<p>Did you ever get around to calling the people at FAFSA and talking with them about your situation? Keep working up through the food chain until you get someone who knows exactly what to do about your status. Then with that ruling, you will know if you can file the FAFSA or not. If it is a YES, get it in WRITING so that if anyone else questions things in the future, you will have the specific rule at hand.</p>