<p>If you need financial aid, your chances at all non-need blind schools go down even more.</p>
<p>Adoption of a HS-age person from the parents is by no means common or trivial, so this is something you need to talk about extensively with a lawyer. It’s the USCIS we’re dealing with so who knows how long it will take. Don’t expect it to be fast or easy (as in all dealings with US immigration).</p>