I would appreciate any help I can get. So here’s a bit of my background. I am a high school senior. I was born in Burma(Myanmar). My family and I were Burmese refugees. We fled to Thailand then came to the US after being approved by the US through the UN in Thailand. We have been living in the US for a long time now. My family and I are now US citizens for a few years. I would like to know if I qualify for state/federal aid for my former refugee status. Unfortunately I was told that I probably won’t qualify for it because I am now a US citizen.
I have some questions about first generation college student. Both of my parents didn’t graduate from high school, but my mom went to college for a bit to get a diploma when my family first came to the US. My mom actually received money from the federal government to go to school during this time because of her/our refugee status. Would I be considered a first generation college student? I plan on going to college. I thought I would be considered a first generation college student but I’m not sure now. I really need to know this, because I plan on applying for APISF and Gates Millennium Scholarship which is really important to be one for those scholarships. Another concern of mine is that for the Gates and possibly for APISF is that I may not qualify for Pell Grant. My parents make above $50,000-60,000. But we live in one of the most expensive metropolitan places in the country especially for a family. Is there an income limit for Pell Grant eligibility?
I have told my mom about FAFSA and it’s something we are working on. I realize I may get my question answered about federal aid once my mom file it and get information about it. But does anyone who have experience in this or have knowledge know?
My parents have done so much for me. I have seen how much they sacrificed for me especially for my mom. So now it’s my turn to help them out in the college process. My goal is to pay 100% for my college fees. All of it without going into debt basically no loans. I have made an excel sheet of the scholarships that I may be qualified for. So I have been finding things thoroughly and everywhere. So if you know any scholarships for refugees that would be wonderful.
There may be some aid for refugees but now that you are a citizen I would be surprised if you qualified for any program meant for noncitizens. I would start by looking at the program your parent got aid under
You can’t file FAFSA until Jan 1. That will qualify you for federal aid. You can run an estimator to see if you get any Pell grant. You need number in family and the income and assets. You might get around 1,000-2,000 per year ( the maximum is 5,770). You will also qualify for a federal loan of 5,500 for freshman year. Try this quickie estimator http://www.finaid.org/calculators/scripts/quickefc.cgi
Some colleges that give a lot of aid also require CSS profile which is more detailed than fafsa.
You say that you want to pay 100% but since you don’t have the money you are just saying you want to go to college for free. This is usually not a realistic goal. I would think to get into a reasonably priced one and do well is a better goal. The best scholarships come from the colleges themselves, so picking the right college is key, one that gives aid for your grades and test scores. It is very late to be just starting this. Scholarships alone don’t usually pay all costs for 4 years, gates excluded. And you can’t be sure of that or of any others, so you need reliable plans. What are you gpa, scores, state?
Usually you will be asked your parents college attended and for how long. If your mother didn’t finish, then the colleges or the schools determine if they consider that first gen or not.
I don’t think there are scholarships for refugees. If there are then the scholarships are probably for new refugees.
You parent’s income level is low. You may qualify for state/federal grants. You may qualify for generous need base financial aid from private colleges if you apply. Where did you apply to? Which state your are in?
@BrownParent, I know it may seem very unrealistic because I’m starting the scholarship process late because it’s my senior year, but I’m very determined that something will work out. I have read things how students end up with $100,000 for their college career and I believe the same thing can happen to me with determination, perseverance, and fortitude. Honestly this is the least I can do. I rather try what I can than give up end and end up with like $20,000 in college loans. If I don’t meet my goals, I can always try again during college. I have to fill out the financial aid form for the colleges that I applied to. I can’t do that until next month when my my mom works on the FAFSA.
I have looked at the colleges that I applied for. If I meet their requirements for full tuition then I will have to come up with 25% of the cost so that’s $8,000-10,000 a year. The way these colleges that I applied for work is that if I qualify for their full tuition I won’t get any other aid from them. If I don’t meet that then I may get up to $12,000 a year and possibly more but I’m certain about the $12k merit aid. So I will have to come up with about $24,000 a year. I haven’t taken my SAT yet so I don’t know if I will meet them. I’m taking it next month. I also plan on working in college so hopefully that will cover $8,000-10,000 a year. One college I know in particular that I want to go to said that outside aid will complement the aid I get from them. So I won’t get penalized for outside aid, which I was relieved to find out. I have to talk to the other two colleges and see how they view outside aid. I only applied for three colleges and they are on rolling admissions. I used the FinAid calculator and it was very useful. I most likely won’t get Pell Grant because the EFC I got was 6,800. My parents’ incomes were couple of thousands off the income limit. But I realize that my brother may get Pell Grant next year. He will be in college next school year and I put in the numbers and it seems like he might meet it.
@coolweather, unfortunately I most likely won’t qualify for state grants because all the colleges I applied for are out of state. I don’t plan on staying in state. Staying in state will be the best financially but not emotionally for me. However, If all else fail I can go to community college for two years then transfer to the state school. So I may end up trying that IF all else fails. BUT that is my last resort plan so I hope that won’t be my case. I hope I can get some generous need based aid from the colleges I applied to. I will need to contact them and fill out their forms for financial aid. There are some scholarships for immigrants/refugees that I have looked up. There’s one that will open up next month. So I will try that one. Then there’s another for Southeast Asian one but I don’t qualify for it because I don’t meet the ethnicity that they give scholarships to.
I was thinking aid in terms like from International Rescue Committee or prominent NGO but so far they don’t seem to have scholarships for refugees.
You need to rethink this. You are correct that you likely won’t get a Pell grant. You are eligible to take out Federal loans, starting with $5,500 freshman year. Those are the best loans to take, have the most consumer protections.
You haven’t said what your test scores and GPA are. That would be helpful to provide affordable school suggestions. If you have no test scores yet, you are very late in the game.
If you are looking at out of state public schools, stop now. You likely will get no need based aid from the schools, and it is usually harder for OOS students to get merit aid, too. State colleges are paid for by the taxpayers in those states, so they have no incentive to make it cheap for you.
All colleges now have a calculator on their financial aid website to help you figure out how much it would cost you to attend. Some private college will provide a lot of aid. There are some schools that provide guaranteed merit aid based on stats. And your in-state public schools are something you need to look at. A lot of students without much money for college live at home while going to college.
I am not looking at OOS public schools. They are all private schools so regardless of my state residency it will still be expensive for me. They are all religious affiliated so that’s why it’s all private. I have tried to see if I can get aid from my church but I can’t since they don’t offer aid to college students. I’m trying to see if I can get aid from my denomination because there are other ways I may be able to and I haven’t tried it yet.
I know that going to a school in state whether it’s private or public will work best financially for me but I can’t. That’s really the answer I can give without giving too much details. That is why I’m looking at OOS that are affiliated with my denomination.
I realize that I am very late in this college process I get that. But with everything that I have overcome I am happy and proud that I have come this far. I want to go college and I need to.
My GPA is 3.5.
You’re not going to end up with $200k in student loans unless your parents foolishly cosign.
People who get large amounts of private scholarships have a rare situation. Your chances of getting large amounts of huge outside awards are very small.
What are your test scores?
I think the federal money that your mom got was a Pell Grant and SEOG money. As a refugee, she would have qualified to file for fed aid. I don’t think that there was unique (or add’l) money for refugees.
@MadisonS
“But if you need significant financial aid you may not get to be choosey.”
that is true. Like I have mentioned previously if I don’t have any other options I will go to my community college and transfer to the state school after two years. But I’m trying not to do that because my home situation is not the best for me. I will leave it at that.
@“Erin’s Dad” I haven’t taken the SAT yet. Next month I will. I won’t disclose the state I live in. I have revealed a lot in this thread so I rather not mention that.
@mom2collegekids
I don’t plan on getting $200k loans. I realize that my chances of receiving large amounts of outside scholarships will be small. But I have nothing to lose. I have a lot of free time this year so every bit of time I have will go towards my scholarship searches. And if I able to find funds to cover for a year of college I will be happy with that.
“I think the federal money that your mom got was a Pell Grant and SEOG money. As a refugee, she would have qualified to file for fed aid. I don’t think that there was unique (or add’l) money for refugees.”
Oh okay that makes sense you might be right. Honestly I only found that out this Spring. It’s something I need to talk to mom about and see how she was qualified for aid for it.
@MadisonS
I tutor students so that is really the only “job” I have and all that money goes towards college trips and senior fees. I would like to work and get an actual job but I might only be qualified to work in retail and my parents don’t want me to work in retail. I may be able to work with my parents over the summer. That is something I have thought of doing and something my mom has mentioned to me.
I didn’t do well in the PSAT last year. My score was average. I haven’t taken the ACT. My ranking is 22/55. It’s not the greatest I know. I could have been in the top 5 but I had a very rough junior year. I took a lot of AP classes, was a school officer, and I had to help my mom with tax papers because we moved to a different home that I now live in. So all of that impacted me emotionally and messed up my GPA. I took on more than I could handled. So my GPA could have been 3.8-4.0 but it isn’t. So it’s 3.5.
@BelknapPoint Not the best but if that happens to me then I will work during school, take loans if I have to, and Clep, and keep on applying for scholarships. If that is not feasible then I will stay home and take the community college route.
If your PSAT score is average, it is not likely to get a very strong score in SAT or ACT that may get you significant scholarships. Be realistic and look at schools that you can afford with need based aids.
I have practiced a lot over the summer and the beginning of this year for the SAT. So I’m hoping that my SAT score will go up. It may or may not I realize that. I took a break from prepping but I’m going to be prepping a lot for it this month and next month vigorously. I have two technically three free periods where I have used those periods to study for the SAT. I also have used those periods to look for scholarships.
I know a lot of people are telling me that I need to look realistically and I understand. But I have faith that everything will work out for me. I have a lot of time. And I’m someone who works very well under pressure. There have been times in the past where I had to work under pressure and last minute but it worked out in the end.
I will contact the three schools that I applied for this week and see if they offer need based aids.
If you don’t get need based aid, it will be difficult. And your ACT needs to be ~32 ish to get any merit aid.
Your time will run out in 5 months when you must choose a school. This is why people are telling you to be realistic.
Whatever financial aid you get + a job this summer and a $5500 loan is likely all you will have. Outside scholarships are not as plentiful as people think.
If you do not end up getting the aid or a scholarship that you need to afford the schools that you have applied to, you might consider taking a gap year so that you can put together a well-thought out and unrushed application plan which will allow you to meet your goals of attending college out of state without taking on debt. You can cast a wider net and get suggestions from posters here on CC once you have your SAT scores. You could also accumulate some savings to put toward your college costs. You can take the SAT a second time later in the spring(hopefully you are studying to maximize your scores) to improve your chances at getting merit aid.
The down-side of the community college/transfer plan is that there is not nearly as much funding for transfer students as there is for first year freshman students(some schools don’t offer any at all, or much smaller amounts than what they offer to entice first year students to attend), so years 3 and 4 at your state U could end up being out of reach financially.
When I took D3 for a tour of our state U, our tour guide told us that she had transferred there after completing 2 years at community college. She shared that her family had thought it would be the cheaper financial option for her college education, as our state provides grants to students for community college, but since she did not receive any merit aid as a transfer student for years 3 and 4, she is struggling to pay for her last 2 years at the State U, working 2 part-time jobs, with late nights devoted to homework. She said she wished she had known what a struggle it would be, because she would have made her plans differently. She lamented that she and her parents did not fully understand the full financial picture.
Although you cannot fill out the 2016/17 fafsa until after Jan1, yiou can fill out their fafsa “4” caster to get a rough idea of what your family’s federal EFC might be https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1
The colleges you applied to should have a net price calculators(NPC) on their websites that you can fill out to get estimates also(really this should be done before you consider applying).