<p>MY USA Citizen daughter currently in India with us, is planning to do undergraduate study in USA university after XII (IB Diploma). I am earning around $40,000 per annum in India and my only saving is in the USA retirement account ($300,000). I understand that FAFSA do not consider retirement account saving for Financial Aid consideration.</p>
<p>My daughter education is important for me. My first option is to get Financial Aid, Loan and the last resort will be to use Retirement saving OR move with her, work in USA to support her Education.</p>
<p>I got impression that if we don’t apply for Financial Aid, it will increase chance of admission.</p>
<p>Can we have TWO application in the same school one with Financial Aid and other without Financial Aid?</p>
<p>Please note that I have no intention to play any game with the college.</p>
<p>My plan is:
- If my daughter is accepted with Financial Aid: I will continue to live in India.
- If my daughter is accepted without Financial Aid: We will move with her, work in USA to support her Education.</p>
<p>Please advice…</p>
<p>No, you can’t have 2 applications in with the same college.</p>
<p>If financial aid is important then apply and ask for financial aid. It is pointless to not apply for aid, be accepted, and not be able to afford to attend because you have no aid.</p>
<p>Agree, you can only apply once. But how much FA are you expecting? If she only receives a Pell grant, for example, are you willing to pay the rest of the costs each year? Is this a single school that isn’t need blind but guarantees to meet full need or is she applying to multiple schools?</p>
<p>I will apply for multiple school depending on her SAT scrore…</p>
<p>I think you mean…SHE will apply to multiple schools depending on her SAT score. She is the one going to college; she will be the one who applies.</p>
<p>In another post, you mention applying to state (public) schools. She will be considered a non-resident and will be charged OOS fees. She will not be considered a resident while she’s in school.</p>
<p>BTW…public schools are “need blind”. They do NOT consider need when you apply. </p>
<p>Most public schools do NOT give much need-based aid.</p>
<p>However, some schools give good merit scholarships, so perhaps that might be an option. What are her stats?</p>
<p>When is she taking the SAT? Has she taken it yet?</p>
<p>USAUGStudy,</p>
<p>What is your status? If you are a citizen or permanent resident, moving now to the state where you would like her to study makes some sense. You would need about 12 months residence in that state to qualify for in-state fees. In Maryland, you would only need 3 months to qualify for in-state fees at the community colleges. Other states may have similar policies.</p>
<p>If you aren’t a citizen or permanent resident, your relocation would be more problematic.</p>
<p>Assuming that your daughter is not a US citizen, you need to research which colleges offer merit and need-based aid to international students. There are some, but not many. You can search this website for that information.</p>
<p>You might also look at Canadian colleges, where the tuition for non-citizens is often reasonable.</p>
<p>Yes, fafsa does not count retirement income that is in a US IRA or a similar US restricted retirement account. They do count the current year’s IRA contributions as regular income.</p>
<p>For most colleges that are not extremely wealthy, the need for financial aid is primarily a factor if the family can pay almost none of the costs, or if the student is a marginal applicant and is on the edge of being admitted or not admitted. </p>
<p>For example, many colleges will admit an applicant at the top of their applicant pool regardless of need, but will deny admission to a student who needs financial aid from the wait list if there are full pay students on the wait list. </p>
<p>Colleges offer the most aid to students towards the top of their applicant pool. Therefore, if your daughter is eligible for aid, and you really are looking towards merit aid, it would be better to apply to some colleges where she will be in the top 15% of applicants. </p>
<p>I’ve been told that Dickinson College in Carlisle PA may offer merit aid to top international students, but I don’t know that for a fact. That College markets itself as a globally-oriented college.</p>
<p>The OP started her post by saying her daughter is a US citizen.</p>
<p>It would be nice if we could set up a special thread just for these citizens who are living abroad. They face so many challenges that are peculiar to their situation! The standard advice for non-citizens educated abroad doesn’t always work for them, and neither does the standard advice for US citizens or permanent residents who are educated in the US.</p>
<p>I appreciate if we have separate forum for USA Citizen Living Abroad.</p>
<p>My problem is that we are not studied in USA so no knowledge about admission process in USA and difficult to get any advice in India too.</p>