Hi everyone. So first I got accepted to UC Davis for undergrad study in Computer Science, then I accepted their offer, then did random tasks, then submitted my father’s bank statement to them (and briefly wrote about our financial status), then got an I-20, and finally, now I have an F-1 visa stamped into my passport. Now, among a few questions in this thread, my main one is that now that I have received my F-1 visa, is it too late to apply for outside scholarships? Is there any bearing? Why do I ask this? I ask this for two reasons: first, I feel that applying for a scholarship after receiving my visa would put UCD or the US Consulate where I got my visa approved into doubt about my financial capacity; second, I suspect that I may have to issue a new I-20 (you know, the “FINANCIALS” section on the I-20 could change (WOULD it?)) or go through other similar SEVIS-ish, visa-ish procedures (actually, that’s my second question: will I have to go through such procedures if I apply for scholarships after getting my visa?). So if I can still apply for scholarships, who all do I have to notify (including UCD)? If I cannot, can I do so next year? I have done quite some research, but I didn’t find any source telling about people applying for scholarships after getting their student visa.
About my financial background, I would say that it’s not that my family can’t afford sending me abroad (they can), but paying UCD’s fees each year would still take up more than half of my father’s annual income, so a merit-based scholarship wouldn’t hurt. I want to apply for outside (“outside” because I think it’s unwise to ask UCD for scholarships as I am neither a national nor a resident of US), merit-based (AND NOT NEED-BASED (which is why I used the term “scholarship” instead of “financial aid”), because I don’t want UCD or any other authority to think that my financial status has changed, which it hasn’t), non-governmental (again, US isn’t obliged to serve outsiders) scholarships. Better still, I would prefer such scholarships offered by non-American organizations or companies, but I am not rigid about that. Actually, that’s not really much of a criterion for me.
My third question is regarding a sentence on this page: http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships/outside/index.html , which reads “Because the amount of financial aid a student receives cannot exceed the need determined by the federal formula, all outside scholarships and awards must be reported to the Financial Aid and Scholarships office.” What does this mean? What is the federal formula? I haven’t (and won’t) filled the FAFSA, nor I will apply for financial aid or student loan, so does this still apply to me?
My last, AND the least, doubt is that when I enter my information in scholarship search engines, I am asked for my level of education, and the options include “freshman” and “high-school senior”, but I took a gap year after finishing high school (during which I took all standardized tests as well as applied to unis and colleges), and if there is no option such as “high-school” graduate, what should I choose, technically? I know it sounds like a dumb doubt, but still.
I am planning to ask UC Davis about all this, but what are your thoughts?
Can I apply for outside scholarships (or any scholarship) after my F-1 visa has already been issued?
Where do you live? If you are not a U.S. citizen, many of these outside scholarships will not be available to you.
PLUS…it’s June…it’s a little late to be applying for scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic year from anywhere.
“I am planning to ask UC Davis about all this”
It is a good idea to ask UC Davis about this. However, I would expect that getting significant outside scholarships at this point is unlikely (as @thumper1 has also suggested), and I can’t imagine either UC Davis or the US government visa folks being unhappy about your applying for outside scholarships.
As I understand it (it has been decades since I applied for a student visa) you needed to show that you could afford to attend UC Davis to get the visa. However, “you can afford it” and “it is easy to pay for and seems cheap to you” are definitely not the same thing.
By the way, I am pretty sure that when you come to the US you need to bring your I-20 in addition to bringing your passport with the visa in it. I have heard of one case of a student who thought that the stamp in the passport was enough and left the I-20 at home. While this eventually got straightened out, it did cause some trouble.
Yes you can apply for outside scholarships. If you do get any merit money, the international students office at your university will be able to help you sort out what to do.
You have already been admitted, so you are likely to be considered a freshman, but ask each place separately about that.
This statement generally applies to students, who have applied for financial aid, using the FAFSA form.
What it means is that you can’t expect to receive financial aid if your need has already been paid. In other words, it doesn’t apply to you because you are full pay.
If you can find a scholarship, at this late stage, and someone gives you money, you report it to the FA office.
Thanks everyone! @thumper1 I live in the Middle East, but I am an Indian. Of course I am not a US citizen, sir/ma’am. Why would I apply for a visa if I were a citizen? Yeah, maybe you are right: I am late. 
@DadTwoGirls Thanks, sir! I meant to say that proving financial capacity is necessary to get an F-1 visa, so when I was talking about UCD or US gov being unhappy, I meant to ask whether they will think “oh. So this dude didn’t apply for a scholarship before getting his visa in order to appear financially stable, so that he could get his visa, and then apply for scholarships.” If they wouldn’t think in that manner, I will apply for outside scholarships now, or if there are few scholarships remaining at this time, then next year. So would they think like that? @“aunt bea” I see. I think I even read somewhere that the combined money from financial aid, scholarships, and grants cannot exceed your need more than $300 or something like that. @happymomof1 thanks! Now that’s somewhat satisfactory! Again, thank you all!
So…where will you be applying for scholarships?
- It’s very late in the season to be applying for 2018-2019.
- If you were planning to apply for scholarships in the U.S. I would say your chances are close to zero of getting one because most awarded here are for U.S. citizens, most consider financial need (which if you are full pay at a UC, you don’t have), and and most deadlines have long since passed.
@thumper1 I am still doing my research about where all I will (and how to) apply. Not decided yet.
- There are a few scholarships which have June deadlines. If I can meet them in a few days, well and good. If not, then as I said earlier, I will apply for the next year. At least I won't be late for that time, right?
- I have read of scholarships which are meant for international students who want to study in the US. I mean, there's even a website called internationalscholarships.com which lets you search those kind of scholarships. But I will still have to find out if these scholarships are legit and if they give certain nationalities a higher priority (including Americans), so you are still a little bit right about that US citizen thing.
By the way, this comment is making me sound so sure LOL. I haven’t reached a decision, and I may have to take frequent trips to College Confidential. 
Check those scholarships carefully…you may find that many are for incoming freshmen only, and not for upperclassmen returning in subsequent years.