<p>I think most of students want to apply for financial aid for the safety schools, and so do I. But I have some questions.
1. In this case, should I apply for merit-based or need-based scholarship?
2. Can I apply for need-based aid even if my family can afford my education with no difficulties? I mean, do I need to fill out various forms about family tax payment, annual income, etc. for adcoms to evaluate?
3. After all, do I really need to specify that I want financial aid or will colleges give me to attract me?
4. If I specify that I want aid, will I be disadvantaged because of my request or will the adcoms admit me but tell me that aid will not be given to me, so that I am still treated equally to others with respect to the chance of being admitted?
Thank you for helping me.</p>
<p>You can apply for both merit based and need based aid. For most colleges merit based aid is something you will be considered for just by submitting the usual application for admission. Need based aid does require submitting financial information including that of your parents and is usually done via the FAFSA form. Go to FAFSA.gov to learn about that. If in fact your parents make so much that you cannot qualify for need based aid, you do not need to apply for it. However, it is often not that easy to just conclude you cannot qualify for need based aid so many submit FAFSA to have that determined. Some colleges do consider whether you require need based aid in determining whether to admit you but most do not.</p>
<p>@drusba, thank you. But do you know how the need-based financial aid for international student works? Do I still need to go to FAFSA to check eligibility?</p>
<p>Need-based aid for international students is a whole different issue. If you are living in the US, your own home-state might consider you a resident (ask your guidance counselor to help you figure this out), in which case you may be asked to complete a FAFSA, but you will not be eligible for federally determined aid such as Stafford Loans. If you are living outside the country, each college and university that you apply to will have its own aid application. Again, some will use the FAFSA but just for its own purposes. Please remember that international students will not get visas to come here to study if they cannot demonstrate that they can cover the full cost of their educations. For more specific information, spend some time in the International Students Forum, and read the threads there on financial aid.</p>
<p>Please be aware that there is no such thing as a “safety” for an international applicant who needs financial aid. Your “safety” would be in your home country. If your family is full-pay, your chances of admission will be significantly better.</p>