Financial Aid Inquiry

Paying for College
1

Hello,
I am a senior in a North African High School and I wanted to know more about the Need-Based financial aid process.
Are only US citizens eligible to apply for the FAFSA?
And what’s the difference between the CSS Profile and the ISFAA? Are both applications identical and depend on the university/college choice or else?

2

Only U.S. citizens or permanent resident green card holders are allowed to complete a FAFSA…and receive U.S. federally funded need based financial aid.

The ISFAA and Profile are NOT identical. Some schools require one for international students, some the other, and some both. You need to complete the required submissions for each college…and these will vary.

Other things you need to know…

  1. Most U.S. colleges do not meet full financial need for all.
  2. Most schools that DO meet full need will also take your need into consideration when considering your application for admission.
  3. The schools that meet full need for all are competitive for admissions and would require a very high SAT or ACT score as well as a high GPA for admission. What are your stats?
  4. Are there any lower cost colleges in your home country that you are also researching?
3

First of all, thank your for your answer.

In my home country we have public high schools and “Pioneer” high schools. 8th Graders sit for a national exam and only the intellectual elite is admitted.Eventually, in Pioneer high schools tests are harder and grades do not reflect the potential of a student. If he is ranked last in a pioneer high school, he can be among top students in a public school.
I am enrolled in one of the hardest pioneer high school. Does it have a good impact despite the fact that students are underrated?

We also do not have a GPA but instead we have rankings. If I am ranked third in a class of 25, what could my GPA approximately be?