I am currently applying for US citizenship and am expecting to get permanent residence around April this year. Is this going to be a problem? Does it matter if I apply without citizenship?
It will be a problem. I highly doubt you’ll get citizenship this April. The process is backed up for years. Applying without citizenship means you compete with all the internationals and are not eligible for student loans.
You apply with your status as of the day you apply. If there is a change, let the admissions office know. They can only process your forms with the status as of the application date. If you are a permanent resident right now, it may not matter but don’t state that you are a citizen if you aren’t.
You are actually applying for permanent residence right now, not citizenship.
Unless you are on a family type visa, citizenship application doesn’t start until 5 yrs after you get the GC/PR. Hoping for a GC (I assume this is via a parent if you are a kid applying for college) to arrive by a specific date is just wishful thinking. As it is you are international and mostly considered as OOS for many states.