I cannot seem to get an answer from the financial aid department at my college. I am hoping to get some answers on here. My dad was born in Venezuela (he is an American citizen) and my mom is American. My grandmother is a citizen of Venezuela. Can I get any financial aid due to my dad being foreign born?
Not likely. You may be eligible for a minority scholarship if he is a minority (my friend’s brother was foreign born, but they are from the same white parents), but usually you have to identify the scholaship and apply. A few schools offer a minority scholarship. Does your school list one?
If your parents filed their tax returns and are legal, I don’t see why you wouldn’t receive any financial aid. My parents were not born in the U.S and my sister and I both received aid.
What about the fact that your father was born in Venezuela makes you a more attractive applicant to your school? In other words, why should they offer you more money than a student with similar stats and family finances whose parents were both born in the United States?
no.
Where your Dad was born is completely irrelevant to college financial aid offices.
Further more- He is not the one applying to colleges- you are.
I am here just looking for an answer since my dad is part Spanish. No need for the rude questions 
I’m not sure if you are asking this question:
1.) My dad is foreign born - will that prevent me from getting aid?
or this question:
2.) My dad is foreign born - does that make me eligible for “special” aid?
Can you clarify?
2 :)
I have several students in my classes that get aid due to where their parents were born so I was just curious.
Do you consider yourself Hispanic? If so, you can look for scholaships for hispanics. It won’t matter if your father is 5th generation in the US of 1st, just the YOU identify as Hispanic for the application.
I don’t think the govt has that type of aid, BUT, there may be scholarships that are earmarked for those of Venezuelan descent. I’d google it to see! You never know. Also, your GC may know if there are any local scholarships like that.
Just for being first gen? No. You won’t get anything extra.
There are, however, some scholarships for Hispanics but they aren’t (generally) automatic.
Are you an American citizen? You are applying for aid from the US?, so it doesn’t matter where your Dad was born. If your Dad is Venezulan then you are also Venezulan, but special scholarships for Venezuela are something I’ve never heard of.
what many colleges care about is if the applicant is :
*an URM- under represented minority- black, Spanish,-American, American Indian, etc
- a first generation college student- which means neither parents went to college
*lower income- i.e. received free lunches, parents unemployed , etc etc…
BUT they want this information when the student applies, not after acceptances have been sent out.
If you did not indicate you were part spanish when filling out your application , or first generation or anything else that indicated you grew up in less than ideal circumstances, its too late to use it now to justify asking for additional $$.
Are you calling the clarification questions in post 3 the “rude questions”? Why is making you consider other angles of your question “rude”?
Thank you to the ones who helped answer my question. This is good information to know.
I understand your situation completely. Happykid’s Cuban/Venezuelan grandmother and aunt were convinced that there would be “lots of money” out there for Happykid just because she is Cuban/Venezuelan/American. I just had to smile and nod when they talked about this, because their fantasy simply isn’t true. The best money is for students with really good grades and really good test scores. The parents’ race, original nationality, and ethnicity rarely are factors.
If your PSAT scores are high enough to qualify you for the National Hispanic Recognition Program (the cut off is a bit lower than for National Merit Scholar), then there are some colleges and universities that will be interested in recruiting you and maybe throwing a bit of money your way. But that is about it.
Thank you happymomof1!!
My husband is a U.S. citizen born abroad. No special scholarship consideration for him or our kids.
But my husband is not Hispanic. I’m not sure this will help you with financial aid, but it might help with admissions.