International Student Financial Aid Application; Certification of Finances

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi! I was trying to fill out those 2 form, since most colleges need them to determine the financial aid package. Here are some questions I had:
1. Section A: Expected Visa Type - F or J? I have heard that with a J visa you can work more, but then you are restricted in some way not to come back in US.
2. Section B: If my father is retired, should I name the last employer?
3. General question - my parents' financial documnetation was lousily translated, and was not notarized - will that be a problem?
4. Section C: Do I have a source of emergency funds once I arrive in US? Well, should I mention $300 of cash personal savings? Do I need a statment from the bank to prove that later? Or just say "no"? Whould it look bad?
5. Section E: Are approximations okay here, with family spendings on food, clothes, ect?
6. Section F: How do I calculate how much my parents can pay each year? Take total income, and then substract expences from the previous section? </p>

<p>CERTIFICATION OF FINANCES:
14-17: If I am planning to stay in US for summer school, but do not have money for that - should I write that? I am just afraid that information like that would make college officials look unfavorably on my application. Should I try to make it seem like we spend less money than in reality, so there is more available for college? I do not think it is a good solution, but I do not know what else to do.</p>

2

<p>Interesting questions! I suggest that you take them to the International Student Forum. You can find it by clicking on "Discussion Home" on the left-hand side of the screen, and then scrolling down in the new screen that opens up.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, some partial answers for you:
1. Most students have F visas. J visas are more often for people who have some kind of sponsorship from a home government agency/university, and are relatively uncommon for undergraduate study.
2. Your dad is retired. He doesn't have any employer. Just write in "Retired" where ever the forms ask about his job.
3. Don't know the answer to this one. Are the numbers accurate?
4. Yes, tell them that you have some personal savings. A statement from the bank should do.
5. Obviously, exact figures are best, but almost no one has them. Sit down with your parents and their checkbooks/credit card statements, etc. and work out your best estimate.
6. Something like that. But you need to talk with your parents about just exactly how much they really, truly, can afford to pay. They may have other expenses that they haven't thought of or don't really want to explain to you in detail.</p>

<p>Certif. of Finances - DO NOT overestimate how much money your family has available for college. This is a place to be completely honest - even a bit conservative. You do not want to have to leave school because you ran out of money.</p>