Financial Aid for International

shanghaison · 09-21-2009, 02:09 AM

I live in US but am not permanent resident or citizen so I will apply to college as international student. Is it harder for international student to get financial aid than for permanent resident or citizen? If so is it much harder or just a little harder? Thank you very much for your thoughtful responses.

hmom5 · 09-21-2009, 02:58 AM

It's much harder. Internationals don't qualify for Federal grants, loans and work study which is generally a significant component of an aid package. Colleges have limited money for internationals and many to choose from.

In a few states you can qualify for in state tuition at your state schools if you went to high school in the state.

Northstarmom · 09-21-2009, 10:11 AM

Very few colleges provide aid for internationals, and those colleges are places like HPYS, the most difficult to gain admission to in this country. It's even harder for internationals to be admitted to such colleges than it is for American citizens.

shanghaison · 09-21-2009, 01:24 PM

I am grateful to the two moms for responding. May I ask you more questions. I have very high GPA, SAT, and ACT scores. My extracurriculars are much stronger that any other student in my school. I play varsity tennis and soccer. I do hundreds of hours volunteering in my community. I also live in the United States for nearly six years. I must apply as international applicant because my family are not citizens. I very much hope to attend a leading university like Harvard or Princeton but this is very difficult. Do international applicants have a more difficult time being accepted to these great universities than citizens? Do you think these universities would allow me to be considered with citizens because I have lived in the United States for so many years? Will my need for strong financial aid be any hindrance to my goals? What are the best leading universities for applicants in this situation? I live in New York. Are my chances applying to distant schools like Stanford increased? Thank you for your kind attention and wisdom.

worried_mom · 09-21-2009, 02:06 PM

You'll have to check with each college you are interested in as policies will vary by school, but it only takes a few minutes since most schools clearly state their policies on their websites.

For example, Harvard says it makes no distinction between citizens and non-citizens in admissions or financial aid decisions:

Harvard College Admissions § Applying: International Applicant Information.

Princeton says the same:

Princeton University | International Students

Old College Try · 09-21-2009, 08:32 PM

Even though they say it's true, do you really thing Harvard and Princeton make no distinction between citizens and non-citizens in admissions? There are some pretty dynamic people out there, if these schools really didn't make a distinction, it seems to me that there'd be a whole lot more internationals on campus, especially undergrads.

Hope Full · 09-22-2009, 02:46 AM

I don't believe colleges when they say this. I think need-blind schools peek at an applicant's financial situation, and I think schools also treat internationals differently than citizens, no matter what they say. The numbers seem to be in alignment year after year, which tells me there's more to the process than "blind" consideration of applicants. But what do I know?

Kujalulu · 09-23-2009, 03:50 AM

actually I have also been wondering if the need-blind colleges really don't peak at the applicants' financial needs when reviewing the application..

happymomof1 · 09-23-2009, 09:49 AM

shanghaison -

You need to find out just exactly how much your family can afford to pay for your education. You also need to find out if you can work with your current visa status (so that you can help pay for your education), and if you can study with your current visa status or if you will need to convert to an F1. When you know about your personal financial situation, you will be able to look around for schools that you can afford without aid (there should be good options in NY), and for schools where your profile will make you competitive for financial aid.

shanghaison · 09-23-2009, 06:48 PM

Thanks happymom. I can not work in the United States so my boss pays me cash. I make only a small pay. My parents have applied for a change of status but the process can take many years. I have two younger sisters so my parents don't make enough money to pay for my college education. I am hoping that I can get into HYPS because I have read many times that these universities are willing to provide financial aid for people like me who have low incomes. If these unversities judge me against other high school applicants than I will have a good chance of acceptance. If they judge me differently because I am international then I will be very sad.

Old College Try · 09-24-2009, 01:08 AM

I don't know anything about visas and stuff but I attend an open house recently for several East Coast schools and a question was asked about internationals living in the US. They said that internationals are treated the same no matter where they live and that an international who needs tons of aid can't apply ED. So I think it is harder on you dudes. Good luck though.

katrinayin · 09-24-2009, 02:11 AM

You may qualify the merit scholarship in other decent schools. You face paramount competition from student living elsewhere but America.

shanghaison · 09-24-2009, 11:33 AM

katrinayin, this is what I am trying to discover. I have lived in the United States for many years and am a typical American teenager. Are you saying that I will be judged against other Internationals and not against American applicants?

Northstarmom · 09-24-2009, 11:47 AM

Yes, you will be judged against internationals. It doesn't matter how long you've lived here or how American you act. There's much less aid available for internationals, so the competition is very fierce for those admission spots. Some colleges want internationals in order to increase the diversity of their student body, particularly their students' exposure to various cultures. For such colleges, you'll be at a disadvantage compared to international applicants who are living in their home countries.

Northstarmom · 09-24-2009, 11:51 AM

"If these unversities judge me against other high school applicants than I will have a good chance of acceptance."

No matter how wonderful your stats and ECs are, virtually no one has a good chance of acceptance at places like HPYS, which routinely turn down outstanding students whom other good colleges would be thrilled to accept.

Even an Olympic gold medalist was turned down by Harvard.

Take a close look at the CC boards here for HPYS and look at who was accepted and rejected last spring.

I also see that your parents work underground and don't file taxes. I don't think it will be possible for you to get financial aid from any college without your parents providing tax records.