<p>Hello! I’m a new user and an international student who’s starting college the next spring on a CC. I’m willing to do anything to earn a good GPA before trying to transfer to Cal. But I wanted to know if there’s a way to get some financial aid from anywhere, because the economic situation of my parents isn’t the best, as we are from a non-developed country. So, am I having a chance to study where I want, despite the fact that I’m not able to pay such a expensive tuition? (They don’t give any financial aid to international students before the second year)
Thank you and sorry if I have many mistakes! (I’m not a native speaker)</p>
<p>Welcome to the forum!</p>
<p>I would think that the community college you are planning on attending would be able to help you in a more specific way. As I understand it there are several options for people who need financial assistance. Talk to your CC financial aid office. Apply for scholarships early and often and apply for financial aid when you are applying to university. </p>
<p>Best of luck</p>
<p>A friend of mine transferred to Berkeley as an international student. It is hard, because as you mentioned scholarships for internationals are really limited. Start researching on opportunities from outside sources early. Try scholarships.berkeley.edu, and search by “Type of Award/ Eligibility Criteria” - they have an option for “Other Visa Status” aka International Students. These scholarships are from outside sources, but they are worth applying for (Berkeley has a person responsible for searching for these outside scholarships and that lady takes her jobs seriously!). Also, after being here for a while, you’ll be eligible to get a work authorization for your F1 visa (I don’t know exactly when, but my friend started working with that work authorization during her second year at community college). Take advantage of that, it’s only 15 hrs/week, but you can use that money to pay your CC tuition and maybe some other expenses. Also, when you are choosing CC if you haven’t done so yet, look for the ones that have TAP agreement with Berkeley - you’ll have a better chance of getting admitted if you do the TAP program! Good luck with your academics and Go Bears! :)</p>