<p>After doing some more research on acceptances for some of my schools I've come to the conclusion that I might be in way over my head, and my current circumstances are basically screwing me over as well. As the title says I'm undocumented, well technically. I'm not really an "illegal immigrant" because I did come here legally but what happened is as my family was applying for immigration after arriving on visa our lawyer's assistant made an error which was left unnoticed and put us out of status which we appealed, however we eventually ended up in deportation proceedings. I currently have DACA, and in our case it was decided that due to strong character we shouldn't be deported so basically right now we're sitting here waiting for some type of reform. My entire family has work permits and we've had valid ss numbers since the beginning but what it all comes down to is I'm not a legal resident and have to apply as an international.</p>
<p>My question is whether or not my status as an undocumented student (from Illinois) applying as an international requesting financial aid means I have no hope? My counselor and internet research led me to the conclusion that the only chance I have is by applying to top tier schools (though I'm not applying to any ivies), but through further research of realized that being an international requesting aid makes the chances of me getting in impossible.</p>
<p>Currently my top choice is UChicago, and I've also applied to UIUC and Loyola University Chicago. I applied to Augustana, Fordham, and College of Wooster as well because of fee waivers and no new essay requirements, and I used to view them as matches or safeties, but with my status in my mind do you think every school would be a reach now? I'm also applying to USC, Amherst, Pomona, and Carleton.</p>
<p>Stats: 34 ACT, 35 superscore; 4.55 weighted GPA, 3.9 UW - high grades in every class except math which is my weakness; 14 AP Classes by the time I graduate; strong letters of rec and essays; variety of ECs but nothing outstanding or award winning</p>
<p>Should I just not apply to USC and my LACs and stick to safety schools?</p>
<p>The way you described your situation, the fault was on the lawyer’s assistant and him/her only. No need to fault the Congress.</p>
<p>I had to apply as an international applicant last college cycle because of elongated Green Card process. To colleges, it is extremely dry cut: you have a green card, you are a permanent resident eligible for federal aid and need-blind admission review. If not, you are an international student ineligible for federal aid and will go through a need-aware admission review (except for a handful). </p>
<p>Now that my problem is solved, I am applying to colleges this year after my gap-year as a domestic applicant. Perhaps you should think about taking a year off as well. </p>
<p>Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but that whole mishap happened around 6-7 years ago and we waited 5 years for our deportation hearing which was this past August. The only way for me to become legal is through the dream act or marriage, that’s why I don’t think a gap year would make a difference for me. Thanks for your input though!</p>
<p>Think of the schools as the stewards of financial aid from 3 sources: the federal government, the state government, and the schools themselves. If they are not good stewards (if they do not follow the rules they are given), they could be penalized. They do not want that.</p>
<p>Federal funds are dictated by federal law, state funds by state law, and school funds by the Trustees of the school.</p>
<p>Federal funds are verified through federal documentation. If you do not have documentation, the school will not disburse federal funds to you. These include grants and government guarantees backing loans.</p>
<p>For state-funded schools, state funds are verified through state documentation. The state of California has passed laws to allocate financial aid funding to undocumented residents of California. Other states have different laws for their residents. State funds are usually provided in the form of grants. If you do not have documentation, and you attend a state-supported school, available funds are dictated by state law.</p>
<p>School funds are dictated by the Board of Trustees. For some schools, the trustees have chosen to allocate school funds to financial aid. School funds are typically provided in the form of grants. They either have documentation requirements for US residents, or allocate a percentage of their slots to non-documented-US-residents + non-US-residents, or both. What you call “top tier schools” are typically in these last two categories.</p>
<p>It is pretty cut-and-dried. Financial aid comes in one of these three stripes. Your residency and documentation, coupled with laws and the school policies, determine the rest.</p>
<p>Your best chance of financial aid should be UChicago, indeed. This is directly opposite your odds of getting in, of course. Apply to mostly LACs that have financial aid for domestic, undocumented applicants. It’s too bad you didn’t apply through/qualify for Questbridge.
What was the result of the deportation hearing - are you allowed to stay in the country? In that case, will you become a permanent resident?</p>
