<p>Hullo!</p>
<p>I know this might sound kind of dumb but it's been bugging me for a long time.</p>
<p>I'm an international student looking to apply for financial aid. Now, most of the universities I'm planning to apply waive the application fee if it is submitted online and it's great because I haven't got enough money to cover that.</p>
<p>I've searched and searched but I can't seem to find if one can send the necessary Financial Aid Forms (International Financial Aid Application + Certification of Finances, in my case) online. Must I send it by mail? </p>
<p>Then, would the app fee waiver still work?</p>
<p>Also, I don't keep in touch with my mom, and I need her to complete the noncustodial forms. Any advice on this?</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for your time :D</p>
<p>Kuronata, I’m no expert, but colleges do not normally require a fee to apply for financial aid. </p>
<p>The CollegeBoard does charge a fee for electronically submitting the CSS Profile applications, but that is not a fee charged by the colleges themselves. It is for the benefit of the CollegeBoard. Since the CSS application for international students must be downloaded, printed, filled out, and submitted by regular mail, then there would be no fee for that.</p>
<p>This is different than (and in certain ways, the reverse of) the regular admissions application process.</p>
<p>As for you mother, you will have to get in contact with her and ask her to fill out the non-custodial forms. If you don’t have any way to contact her, or for some other reason just cannot, then you’ll have to ask each college for a non-custodial parent waiver. These are given at the discretion of each individual college; at some it may be very unlikely, at others maybe more so.</p>
<p>I meant the CommonApp application fee :). </p>
<p>I found this on Bryn Mawr College’s site:</p>
<p>The International Financial Aid Application and parental earnings statements must be submitted directly to the Financial Aid Office by the applicants admission deadline date.</p>
<p>So I guess it must be sent in paper to the Financial Aid Office, which was what I was dreading.</p>
<p>Oh, I thought internationals didn’t need to complete the Profile. Guess I was wrong, got to look up on that.</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice 
I will try contacting the universities I’m planning to apply to ask them about the waiver.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It seems there is a little variation in that. Some say you may submit either the Profile or the IFAA, others say just one or just the other depending on where you are currently residing. If I was you, I’d just call the FA offices of the schools to which you’re planing to apply, and ask them. And, yeah, you can ask them at the same time about applying for the non-custodial parent waiver. </p>
<p>Always the best source of information is the college itself. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, I have followed your advice and visited all the colleges’ sites. Seems you were right :)</p>
<p>Thanks~!</p>