us living abroad

Am a us citizen and I lived abroad most of my life. Am currently an undergraduate student in my country (not in the us) I want to continue my studies in the us after getting my bachelor degree here. Do I need to apply for a FAFSA and CSS? Is studying for a masters degree expensive if I want to go back to the state where I used to live and apply for a community college since my purpose to stay in the state is to study. Am I considered a resident if I lived in that state for only five years 15 years ago or not? if so can I ask someone who still lives in that state to help me get it? are there scholarships for Americans living abroad? in the country that am living most of the tests that you need to pass if you want to study in the usa and this is for international students they need to pass TOEFL or GRE do I need to pass them both plus SAT and ACT too? because if I want scholarship and financial aid I need to have good score of all the four tests? plus they are expensive too! What about taxes what do I need to know about them? And what if my parents didn’t pay them for years i cant have financial student aid ?one of my parents is a us citizen the other isn’t does it effect me?

So many questions, but I’ll tell you something that’s not an answer to any of them. Community colleges do not offer masters degrees.

Are you currently studying at an English language university? If not you may need to take the TOEFL.

“Is studying for a masters degree expensive if I want to go back to the state where I used to live and apply for a community college since my purpose to stay in the state is to study.” This makes no sense at all.

You will pay out of state tuition unless you live in that state for 12 months prior to enrolling in a college. There are a few exceptions. What state are you talking about?

Yes, a lot of questions.

You say that you plan to return to the US to get a master’s or other graduate level degree after getting a degree from your university over seas.

Community colleges tend to be 2 year colleges that offer Associates degrees or act as a springboard to 4 year colleges and universities where a student then continued education to get a baccalaureate degree. Community colleges usually offer little or no dorms. They tend to serve as a local resource for those living within commuting distance from them.

You need to research which schools offer master’s or other advanced degrees in the field you want to study. There are not as many grants , certainly not government ones, for masters programs. Graduate study financial tends to be heavy on the loans. You do need to file a FAFSA for access to the government loand.

Most graduate programs that offer money are PHD programs. You do need to research what is out there.

You would be filling out your forms as an independent student, most likely as most graduate students are, so parental financial info not needed for FAFSA. Individual schools may ask for that info however, I have found.

Each school has its own rules on state residency. I do not think it’s based on your parents status once you are independent but on where YOU live. I’ve noticed that many schools have a qualifier that there are restrictions to attaining state residency if your primary reason to going to the state is to attend full time school. In such cases, you may be better served, taking a gap year or so and living in state and work, or visit friends in state before applying to a state program. Make sure you read the rules for each school as to what constitutes residency for tuition purposes. It’s Often easy to become a state resident for tax, car registration, voting, library card etc etc purposed. A whole other story for in state tuition rates. Often a year’s residency required.

Depending on the language of instruction at your university and the elementary, middle, and high schools you attended, you might or might not be required to provide evidence of your current level of proficiency in English. Usually for a US institution the TOEFL will be expected. Many will also accept a score from IELTS. Some will offer other options for demonstrating your proficiency.

If your education has not been in English, please do not confuse the level of English you have from conversing with family at home, reading the occasional novel in English, or watching movies in English, with the level of Academic English you will need for success in graduate studies. You might find it necessary, not just advisable, to enroll in an Academic English program before applying to graduate school. If money is tight, Academic English could be a good thing to study at a community college. For example, the CC where I teach Academic English would consider you an in-district student for tuition and fees if you have lived and worked in district for at least 3 months and can show that you have provided for more than half of your own expenses for the past 12 months.

the state that am talking about is New York. No am not studying at an English Language university. Am studying in a public university here and my major is English. What do you mean by “unless you live in that state for 12 month” you mean in the future?

True my education has not been in English that’s why my major is English now.

@flowercat12

You are not a resident of NY now. It doesn’t matter that you lived there some time in the past. You don’t live there now, so you are not a resident of NY state.

If you complete a bachelors degree, you would be wasting your time, and money going to a community college.

If you want to get a masters degree in the United States, AND you want instate status for tuition purposes at a public university to do so, you would need to come here and NOT attend college, and establish residency in whatever state. This takes a minimum of 12 months before you plan to start going to college here. Some places it takes longer.

Re: the FAFSA and Profile, you need to check the colleges for their financial aid application requirements. BUT, if this is a masters, you need to understand that there is not much need based aid here for masters programs. Masters funding is largely merit based, and is based on the strength of your application and the college’s desire to have you as a member of the graduate cohort. Aid comes in the form of scholarships, grants, fellowships, assistantships, sometimes work study, and…loans.

@sybbie719 can better address getting instate status for grad school in NY.

  1. You are not a resident of NYS , now so you will not be eligible for in-state tuition at the public universities or NYS aid. If you are looking to attend graduate school at CUNY (City University of NY) or SUNY (state University of NY), you will have to reside in NYS a minimum of 12 months before you are granted in-state tuition, where you will have to prove how you support yourself. You cannot get in-state tuition by simply moving to NYS for the purpose of attending school.
  2. Since you will have already completed a bachelors degree (it does not matter if you completed the degree outside of the US), you will not be eligible for financial aid . If you want to attend community college, you will have to pay the tuition and fees.
  3. Most financial aid for graduate students are loans.

What do you plan on studying?.

Slow down and back up.

Question 1: What is your actual goal?

Question 2: What degree do you want and what do you want to do with it?

Re: residency: there are 2 kinds of “residency”. Both vary a lot by state, and you can find the rules online. The first kind is residency to qualify as a resident and the second is residency to qualify for in-state tuition discounts. The first only requires that you move there, and do things such as register to vote, get a state ID, pay taxes, etc. The second typically requires that you have been a tax paying resident for at least a year BEFORE you start getting the discount, and some states say that if you have moved there for educational purposes you can never get the discount. This is to stop people from moving to states with generous (taxpayer supported) tuitions discounts (in other words, freeloading).

To answer your specific questions:

Am I considered a resident if I lived in that state for only five years 15 years ago or not?

NO.

If so can I ask someone who still lives in that state to help me get it?

You don’t need permission to move to anyplace in the US. If you mean can you use the mailing address of a friend or relative in order to get the instate discount for tuition, NO, because that is ILLEGAL and FRAUD.

Are there scholarships for Americans living abroad?

Specifically for them? No. Are Americans abroad eligible for scholarships? some.

In the country that am living most of the tests that you need to pass if you want to study in the usa and this is for international students they need to pass TOEFL or GRE do I need to pass them both plus SAT and ACT too?

SAT and ACT are for students applying to undergraduate programs.
TOEFL and GRE depend on the specific program(s) you apply to.

If I want scholarship and financial aid I need to have good score of all the four tests?

As above, not the SAT & ACT, as you are already in university. For TOEFL & GRE, it depends on the specific programs

What about taxes what do I need to know about them? And what if my parents didn’t pay them for years i cant have financial student aid ?

*All US citizens, including you, once you are 18 (younger if you have taxable income) and your parent! - have to file US taxes every year, whether you owe any money or not. And the IRS takes that VERY seriously. But, those taxes don’t help for university unless you are also paying state taxes.

If you apply for financial aid you will have to provide financial documents- ie, tax returns.*

one of my parents is a us citizen the other isn’t does it effect me?

No.

For the graduate program art history.

Plan to be full pay for a degree in art history. This can’t be done at a community college.

How will you pay for any of this? Loans???

thank you so much for your time, and for your answers. I was so confused at the beginning, but now you just cleared that up for me.

yeah that’s my only option now

To get into a graduate program in Art History you need some background- usually an undergraduate degree in Art History, but always some amount of course work in the subject.

i could study by my own at least for a year before so i can have some knowledge about it.

You know that most Master’s programs are specific about what background they require, and that they decide whether to offer you a place, right?

For example, here are the application requirements for a Masters in Art History at Hunter College (part of the City University of New York system): http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/graduate-programs/arts/art-history/ah-graduate-program.html#program

That’s a little more than studying on your own. You could do it by taking Art History classes at a community college (for example: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/academics/departments/music-and-art/art-foundations-art-history/). It would be a bit of a gamble, as there is no guarantee that that would be enough to get you admitted to that Masters program, but it is a pathway.

You also need to research the specific Masters programs- they focus on different things.

If you are going for a graduate program in Art History, start looking at the schools that offer them. Look at the requirements such as GRE for entry. How do you show these schools that you are a “good catch” for them?

Without knowing what your background is , what you are studying, how competitive you are for graduate programs in this field , it’s difficult to give any advice on how you might get grants, stipends, which can come with doctorate programs In the Humanities. Not so much terminal Master’s programs. Loans are often what they offer, maybe small grants. But do look and see what’s affordable.

My advice for you, if you want to go for a graduate degree here in the US , unless you get funded or can afford to pay out of pocket, is to pick an area that has schools with such programs that you like at the state schools, and come to the US after competing your studies and baccalaureate equivalence, and find a job here, preferably in the Art History field, but anything to make ends meet while you do some volunteer work in the field, case out the museums and resources , and apply to the state schools after you have become a state resident. Usually takes a year. Look up the requirements at the targeted schools. Make connections at events , maybe take free or low cost courses, not for credit but to get to know people with this interest. Some state schools very lenient about in state tuition as long as you are not a degree seeking student; just a local address might do. Non credit courses at schools, art centers, museums , programs are great inroads to that next step as you get residency status.

thank you

thank you a lot for your advice. I’m going to search for a lot of schools