An option is to move to a state where residency will depend on where he lives and works, not where his parents live and work. Then he should live there for a year and then only start college.
It sounds like none of his parents live in the US – so unless he’s 24, doesn’t that mean he’ll be paying out of state tuition regardless?
Knowing budget really helps with suggestions because OOS doesn’t matter if he can afford private.
South Dakota publics don’t charge much of a mark up for OOS or even international students.
What are states that students can establish residency and in state tuition rates aren’t dependent on parent residency?
The problem is that dad is planning on paying tuition. That makes the OP a dependent. If he moved and worked to be financially independent that would work after a year in Utah, Missouri, not sure where else.
Umn Morris has no OOS surcharge and has snow. Very good for CS
@MYOS1634 You’re good at this!
Umn Morris also offers transfer scholarships…
https://www4.morris.umn.edu/admissions/scholarships
@AroundHere @MYOS1634 etc. my dad wants me to just do FSU online because it’s cheaper. We don’t have a high budget and he doesn’t have much time to gather all his tax info for the FAFSA. Thanks for your help anyways.
The parent you spend most time with, father or mother, has to take care of FAFSA - OR you can take care of it yourself. It’s the only way you can have access to some financial aid (a federal loan and, perhaps, a Pell Grant depending on your parent’s income.)
@MYOS1634 what if I don’t have access to any tax/income info?
Online college is great for working professionals, but it’s not a great way to get into a field where you don’t have a toehold. Is your goal to get a degree then return to your current town, or were you hoping to move out? Going to school in person will make it easier to get internships and eventually a permanent job in the US if that was your goal.
If money is tight, that’s all the more reason to take the time to do the FAFSA. Why wouldn’t you want to qualify for assistance? The alternative is paying money you don’t have. Stop rushing to transfer in January and take the time to dig up the required information.
Will FSU online give you in state tuition? Otherwise, it’s not particularly cheap, either.
Neither parent will help with the FAFSA? Because if college will be hard to afford, it’s your basic go-to for financial aid, although some aid will come from colleges themselves.
I agree with AroundHere, online college isn’t good for students who aren’t already in the workforce. It has a lot of pitfalls. Much of college is networking, meeting people, establishing relationships, doing things on-campus, going to the career center and the career fair and office hours - and if all your coursework is done online you won’t have any of this.
dano2, it sounds like your dad wants you to get a degree in the cheapest, fastest way possible, i.e right away and online.
But if you decide to live and work in the US, that may not be a good use of your time or money.
Online schools have a mixed reputation in this country. For someone younger, who is not working full time, attending a traditional college is a much better way to go. As MYOS points out, by studying online, you will miss out on a great deal that makes college valuable: networking, connections, access to support services, etc. All of these are tremendously important as you finish school and get ready to enter the workplace.
You need to explain all this to your father. You also need to explain the benefits of him filing FAFSA so that you can qualify for work-study and loans which will make paying for college easier on all of you.
This process takes time and some research. Given that it’s October, I agree that a January start date may be unreasonable, although you HAVE been given some good school suggestions on this thread.
It’s high time to start contacting them as you get ready to have this very important college discussion with your dad.
I’m sorry this isn’t easy: not much about higher education is in this country…
@katliamom @MYOS1634 @AroundHere and others, thanks for all your replies. I ended up going to my local FSU campus/branch with in-state tuition and a mix of online and in-person classes. I’ll hopefully be transferring to somewhere in Florida maintaining the in-state tuition this or next year.
Thanks for letting us know.
How are you liking it so far ?
@MYOS1634 it’s alright, thanks for asking. Nothing special, but I hope that changes when I get to Florida.