I have a special case. I am living with a single female parent ( my mom), my parents got divorced when I was five and my father is in China so there is no alimony from him. My mother doesn’t speak English and works as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant that has little customers( there is no"minimum wage", all depends on tips). So I HAVE TO WORK in order to fulfill the financial need. However， I am concerned that the university would potentially reduce my need-based financial aid if I report that I have incomes. I feel like family responsibility is an alternative choice? Would work experience boost my chance to get admitted to WASHU? ( Internet search indicates it is quite important) If work experience is not very valuable and would even potentially reduce my aid, I will not report it. Please give some advice. Thank You:)
First of all, are you a US citizen or a permanent resident of the US? If so, as I understand it, you MUST report your personal taxable income and any personal assets (savings) on your financial aid application forms, in addition to your parents’ income and assets. If you file a personal tax return and do not report the income on your financial aid application, then you are at risk of having your aid taken away or having to paying back some of the aid that you were given. I believe the FAFSA requires reporting of prior prior year income, so I think only the income earned in 2016 would be considered on this year’s financial aid applications.
You are not required to “report” your work experience on your college application, but it is looked upon in a positive way, so it can only help you in the admissions process. It would be listed as an extra curricular activity on the application. You could discuss your need to work to help support your family in the additional information part of the application.
A large percentage of students have jobs and work to help pay for college. Also many colleges have an expectation that the student will at least work during the summer and factor in the “potential but not yet earned income” into their financial aid offers.
If your family’s income is below a certain level, you are automatically qualified for the maximum amount of federal grants and loans available from the government, however, they might not be sufficient to cover all college costs. A few private colleges will meet the full financial need of their students with their own student grants, but these colleges are usually pretty selective.
Community colleges are usually the most financially feasible options for low income students, unless you have an excellent academic record and would qualify for merit aid or scholarships (or be admitted to one of the few colleges that meet full financial need).
If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident then I would look at the information on this website to see if you qualify for any federal or school financial aid.
Include this information. Its impressive. Might even make a good essay.