<p>I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and attended elementary school there. I then moved to norway and am starting my last year of high school after summer. I will then move to LA and hopefully start studying dance at a college. I live alone with my father, which I have done since elementary and he has a pretty low salary. My grades are pretty average but I go to a performing arts high school and my performing arts grades help bring up my GPA. I don`t know my exact GPA since the grading system is different in Europe. I will be the first one in my family attending college and since I still am a US citizen I believe I will be applying to schools as a US resident even though I have lived in Oslo, Norway for the past 7 years. Is there any scholarships I would be able to get? where do I apply for financial aid? college might not be an option for me without any aid</p>
<p>This post should be in the “Financial Aid & Scholarships” section rather than “National Merit Scholarships.” It sounds like you are looking for general financial aid information.</p>
<p>That being said, urbanindie has a very impressive story!</p>
<p>You are a US citizen for financial aid purposes, and can file the FAFSA using your and your father’s financial information converted to USD at the exchange of the day.</p>
<p>You probably are not classified as a resident of any state, which means that you would be an out-of-state student at every public college or university. </p>
<p>You and your father need to run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the colleges and universities that you are thinking of applying to. That will give you a general idea about whether or not any of these places will be affordable for you.</p>
<p>Happymom is correct. You will not be applying as a resident of any of the states…because you are NOT a resident. However, as a U.S. citizen, you are eligible for federally funded need based aid. You should know, however, that the maximum loan for a freshman is $5500, and the maximum Peggy Grant is $5600. The Pell requires a very low income for the full amount.</p>
<p>You will need to check each college for their financial aid application requirements. You will complete the FAFSA, and if required, the Profile. Some schools have their own financial aid forms as well.</p>
<p>Are you eligible to study as a resident at Norwegian universities? Tuition is low or free at the Scandinavian universities. And I believe the Norwegian government will give Norwegian college students grants for 1 or 2 years’ study at foreign universities. So you could do a few years in Norway and then a few years in the U.S. at very low cost.</p>