<p>I was wondering, can you apply for aid at some schools and not apply for aid at other schools?
My family contribution is average, so I would need aid at most private places. I am aware of the fact that asking for FA is a negative factor in international admissions, so for my so-called dream schools, where my chances are already small, I do not want to ask for aid. My parents are willing to take out a loan/ask other family etc. if I do get in one of these schools. At the same time, for match schools, my parents are not willing to do that.</p>
<p>Is this even possible through common app? We do not really know a lot about financial aid, so any advice would be helpful!</p>
<p>Yes. You can make alternate versions of your common app, and edit whatever data you’d like in each.</p>
<p>However, you should be aware that international students can’t just “make it work”. Before you get your student visa, you will have to demonstrate that your family can pay for your education for all four years of study, and “we’ll ask relatives to help us with this gap” will probably not count.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply.
My family have been living in the states for many years, we have a stable income here. I will be under H4 for two more years instead of the student visa, since we will get our green cards before I graduate.<br>
Do you know if I can re-apply for domestic financial aid if my status changes in the middle of my four years?</p>
<p>Unless you qualify for federal or state programs (if it’s even remotely plausible for you to pay 50k a year without aid, you probably don’t), it’s unlikely that becoming a domestic student will affect your financial aid.</p>
<p>Actually, once Op becomes a permanent resident s/he will be eligible for federal aid based on the family’EFC. It could be Pell if the income is low enough,but Op would be eligible for direct loans either subsidized, unsubsidized or a combination of both. If Op is going to school in home state as a citizen or permanent resident and the family can demonstrate residency and met the income guidelines Op would be eligible for state aid</p>
<p>OP, check the residency policies in your home state. You may qualify for in-state tuition and fees there.</p>
<p>If you would not be able to afford a college or university without financial aid, it makes no sense to fail to apply for that aid. Applying for aid at a need-sensitive school will not mean that your application is not considered. It means that if you need more aid than they can give you, you won’t be admitted. And frankly, if they don’t admit you they are doing you a favor in that case. You do not want to be a brand new permanent resident and new college graduate already up past your eyeballs in debt to banks and/or family/friends. There are plent of threads here at CC about just exactly how bad things can turn out if you choose to attend a school that your family can’t readily afford.</p>
<p>You also should have a chat with your immigration lawyer about the differences between your current H4 and an F1 once you are accepted to college. An F1 would allow you to hold certain part-time jobs during the school year, and paid jobs/internships in the summers. I understand that the H4 is more restrictive.</p>