Hey there!
In two months I’ll relocate in England, work one year at a tech company (as an Android dev) and basically start taking care of myself entirely.
The thing is, my parents aren’t supportive. They wanted me to start college this year instead of using my abilities and work 1 year. They told me too many times that they won’t help me with one penny and won’t talk with me again. I want to apply to US colleges and start on 2018 but I don’t know how I can tell them that my parents aren’t supporting me with any money (plus, they make less than 65K per year).
Can I somehow manage to get a fee waiver from colleges? Or maybe scholarships?
No, most college application fee waivers are given out through the high school for students who are eligible for free/reduced lunch
Ant need based financial aid will depend on the in one and assets of your parents because you are still a dependent student even for bough you may be self supporting
You really can’t avoid the fact that for financial aid, you’ll still be considered a dependent on your parents until you are 24. By ‘fee waiver’ I assume you mean the application fees and then the tuition fees? In the US, the application fees are sometimes waived if the applicant was low income and received some government support (free lunch, food stamps) but you wouldn’t qualify for that even if you lived in the US.
Schools don’t give money to students just because they have a disagreement with their parents.
Harvard, Yale and a few other tip top schools will provide need based aid based on your parents, and your, income. The hard part is getting accepted there. Otherwise many colleges provide limited merit aid to international students.
There are no “fee waivers” from colleges for international students.
You can ask each college/university that you apply to here if they can waive your application fee. Some will do that for pretty much anyone who asks.
You will need your parents’ cooperation for the financial aid applications. So talk with them about that.
Why do you want to study in the US?
I believe the OP is looking for a waiver of tuition.
Your parents income and assets will still be considered. You are not considered independent just because they don’t agree with what you are doing.
OP- there is no such thing as a tuition waiver in the US.
This is the state of play currently:
1- need based aid. You get this by submitting your family’s financial information, and if you are needy, some colleges (not all by any means) will bridge the gap between what your family can afford. That means your parents income, your income, and assets (money in the bank, stocks and bonds, other college savings). You will not be evaluated independently of your parents-- you are one financial unit.
2- merit aid- you get this by applying to a college which really wants you to enroll, so they give you a scholarship/discount whatever you call it. Your parents income usually won’t come into play here, although some schools evaluate financial need when awarding merit aid.
3- loans. I presume you are not an American citizen??? I don’t know if you can get a loan in the UK to study in the US. You’ll need to research this.
4- free universities- these are the military academies- Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard academy. I don’t believe you are eligible if you are not an American citizen.
So here it is. I have no idea why the notion of working for a year is so compelling for you, but if the plan is to study in the US you are going to need your parents help whether they are low income or not. Moreover, since you will need to provide proof that you have enough money to live on in order to get your visa- you definitely need their help (at least a free place to live while your immigration issues get processed.)
Where were you planning on going to college before you decided to work as a developer?
Keep in mind too that need based aid is not always what you think you need. The school determines what needs based aid they will give you after evaluating your situation. Very few schools guarantee to meet full need and those that do are highly competitive and difficult to get in to.
Read post 7 again. It says it all.