Help for an international student seeking to go to college in the States

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hi all! This might be a long post, but please bear with me.

So I am a Singaporean national, aged 35 and male, looking to move to the States. (There is a very long story behind this which I literally wrote a book about, but that can wait till another time…)

One way of getting there is through college. I’ve Googled and asked about, but there is bewildering amount of information that it taking me some to sift through. I figure that this forum might help me out with the process.

Some salient points to note :

I have not completed my secondary education in my home country (Singapore) but I do possess a GED certificate and an SAT score. They are decent - not Ivy league - but decent.

English is my native language, but I have been told that I may need to complete either the TOEFL or IELTS to prove my language competency. Is this true?

I do not possess unlimited funds (no one does, even Bill Gates…) and as such, would be looking for community college as my first choice, followed by state colleges. Private colleges are out I think.

That being said, I understand that one can defray costs with a combination of scholarships and financial aid. Most scholarships are only for USA nationals though I’ve found?

I’m looking at California as my destination of choice, with Psychology as my major.

I have researched this quite extensively - to the point where I am actually just about to pick any college. (as per my sister’s advice…) But it’s entirely possible I have overlooked something, or that others have more to share. I’ve found forums to be an excellent source of information in my time, far better than simply Googling.

Thanks for reading this far! Any information you can share would be appreciated - about the application process, things to watch out or note, anything basically.

2

I have not completed my secondary education in my home country (Singapore) but I do possess a GED certificate and an SAT score. – how recent is the SAT? If it’s more than a few years old, schools may ask you to retake it. (Although you do not need SATs for community college)

English is my native language, but I have been told that I may need to complete either the TOEFL or IELTS to prove my language competency. Is this true? – Yes, it’s true, many schools require TOEFL if you completed your education abroad. Some, however may waive it if your SAT is high enough. It depends on the school.

That being said, I understand that one can defray costs with a combination of scholarships and financial aid. Most scholarships are only for USA nationals though I’ve found? – There is extremely little financial aid for international students, and what little there is, is usually available at four-year universities/colleges and not community colleges. There is almost no financial aid for transfer students. Your further stumbling block may be your age: you are not a traditional student.

I’m looking at California as my destination of choice, with Psychology as my major. – California is a good option since it has an efficient system of community colleges. Look for schools that have a TAG agreement (“transfer admission guarantee”) with the University of California campuses. Expect to pay full international (out-of-state) costs – and at the UCs that could be close to $60,000 per year at the prestigious Berkeley, UCLA campuses. To lower those costs look beyond California. There are some states/regions (usually remote) where both community colleges and 4-year universities are relatively inexpensive. For example: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2016-09-15/10-universities-with-the-cheapest-out-of-state-tuition

3

This will be an expensive venture and may be not give you permanent status.

Since you need financial aid, you need to weigh your options.
A California education will be expensive.

You will be paying non-resident full fees at any CC as well as at any public university in California. The State does not provide any financial aid to non-residents. NONE. Public colleges and universities are funded by tax-paying residents. The State can barely afford to cover their own students, let alone funding non-residents.

The CC’s, depending on the geographic area, will run about $20K per year, not including books, insurance, and fees. Costs of living, especially rents will be very expensive. The CSU’s will cost you ~$40K per year and the UC’s will run about $60K per year.

Immigration rules have changed. As a non-resident, you will have a difficult time finding a US sponsorship because any companies with job openings have to offer positions first to US citizens and permanent residents. They must report to the government that no US applicants are available before considering offering employment to a non-resident. I don’t know if you were aware of that.

4

Thanks for your replies! My replies below :

  1. My SAT is only about a year old.
  2. Good to know. I don't wish to take exams unnecessarily.
  3. I am most definitely not a traditional student! (actually I'm not a traditional anything...) I don't let it bother me much. :)
  4. Thanks for the link! California looks to be it though because of a variety of factors too long to go into here.
  1. I can afford 20k per year. I may be able to find alternate accommodation, and I am pretty good at keeping costs down...I spend less than a few hundred each month for myself.

I am aware of all that, but thanks for pointing it out!

5

$20k per year will not pay for a California state university (tuition alone is more than $17k) or a University of California (tuition is 40k+) And of course on top of tuition you have to pay for books, food, housing, and health insurance.

If 20k per year is really all you can afford, you need to look at cheaper schools in cheaper states.

6

You won’t be able to afford California. Everyone wants to come to California; even people who write books about deserving to live in California. The state universities are aware of that. Immigration offices are aware of that.

Instate residents and children of taxpayers get priority in admissions.

You can’t reduce the costs of tuition. You don’t know if you will ever get admitted into a California university.

My colleagues, who had Psychology majors needed to take additional post graduate study. Two to four years. Grad school is an additional expense that won’t be funded by US taxpayers.

7

Tuition aside, California has among the highest cost of living in the country. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area, a room in a shared apartment will cost upwards of $1,000 a month.

$20,000 for tuition+living expenses combined may get you through community college in a cheap state, but it would not allow you to transfer to a university with a higher cost of attendance. Alas, there’s almost no financial aid at all for international transfer students. Your best bet would be to apply directly to 4-year colleges that may give you a scholarship or need-based financial aid.

SAT scores above 1,300 can get you some significant scholarships, up to full-tuition, at a number of universities. There’s multiple threads in this forum compiling links to scholarships if you’re interested.

The next question to think about is what you would do with that American college degree. If you are not a US citizen or LPR, your odds of finding employment with a Bachelor’s degree from anything other than an elite university are vanishingly small. Very few employers want to go through the hassle of sponsoring foreigners for a work visa, and even if you do get sponsored, there’s a very real chance (greater than 50% in some visa classes) that your work visa application will be declined by US authorities.

8

I wasn’t aware that full-ride scholarships were awarded to international students? My SAT score is 1721 - would that help?

I may be able to afford more than 20k, depending on what kind of assistance I can get from my parents (who are a resource I would much rather NOT rely on if possible) I do have funds, but I don’t wish to tap into my resources that much if at all possible.

As regards the degree, I’m in a somewhat unique position regarding that. I’m currently already employed, and I don’t actually need the degree to find work. My main in seeking the degree is to reside in the States (the aforementioned long story) I either go on to further studies or find employment there in some field (I have multiple fields of expertise, so my options are wider than most people)

I have heard lots of stories about how difficult immigration is in this climate, and I don’t disregard them…however, you don’t know if you don’t try! :slight_smile:

So if it’s a toss-up between community college and scholarships, which would you say is the better bet?

9

“My SAT score is 1721”

The SAT is currently out of a maximum of 1600. When someone said “SAT scores above 1,300 can get you some significant scholarships”, that was referring to the two part SAT (out of 1600).

If you have 1721 on the SAT, it must be the old three-part SAT (ie, out of 2400).

“My main in seeking the degree is to reside in the States”

Getting a degree from a university in the US does not normally allow you to get a visa to work in the US.

10

Yes, I do believe it is the old SAT.

I know some people who have done so (i.e, gotten a job after a degree) and some who have not…there is a certain element of luck and skill involved.

11

@Barium, I was shocked by the cost of my DD’s shared 1-bedroom apartment in San Francisco: $2500 per month.

@Rianthe,

not a good idea, since immigration will question your true motives, given your age.

12

San Fran is probably out unless I can get a friend who I know there to room with me. I could always live in the suburbs and commute - I know plenty of people who do that.

This post was edited for privacy.

13

Marry an American. Frankly, that is probably your best option right now. Many colleges will not accept the old SAT for the upcoming application cycle. Your old SAT score isn’t bad, but no college is going to offer you a scholarship based on it. I can’t see any realistic way you can do this without paying full price.

14

With the current administration, immigration rules have changed.

Lying, to get into the US, because as you’ve mentioned, this is your true motive will come out. It isn’t going to work.

15

Ditta lindagaf: marriage to a US citizen is the only reliable way to immigrate right now. There are other ways, but they carry a lot of uncertainty and are more likely to fail than to succeed.

Your actions will speak for themselves. Getting a student visa is comparatively easy. For a work visa afterwards, you have two options:

  • The H-1B visa, which involves a lottery (most recently your odds would have been about 35%).
  • The H-1B1 visa specifically for citizens of Singapore. However, this is a non-immigrant visa. It will be your job to convince USCIS and CBP that you do not intend to immigrate, which will be very very hard after you already went to college in the US and have worked on OPT for a year.

May I ask how you picked psychology as a major? It’s not a major that would lend itself to work visa sponsorship.