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moving2nyc Sep 19th 2011 12:59 am

College advise
 
Hi Group,

My daughter will graduate next year and we have been told we need to start planning for college ASAP.

A bit of background;

My daughter has learning difficulties and has needed extra help from high school but is confident of getting OK grades

We didn't plan to be in the US so I dont have a college fund and I'm hoping for some scholarship help. We've heard being an international student might help with that?

We are just about to kick off the green card application and the lawyer says after filing we are looking at a 2 year process. Not sure if that would effect the "international student" scholarship opportunity?

Does anyone have experience of this process and could offer advise or point me to any resources to help

Thanks in advance

ian-mstm Sep 19th 2011 1:39 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629242)
I'm hoping for some scholarship help. We've heard being an international student might help with that?

She might be eligible for scholarship help or a student loan once she has a green card... but, until then, the well of international scholarships has pretty much dried up these past few years due to the downturn in the economy.



Does anyone have experience of this process and could offer advise or point me to any resources to help
I got a TERI loan when I worked on my Master's degree in the US, but that was some time ago, and I'm not sure if they're still operating.

Ian

lisa67 Sep 19th 2011 1:43 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629242)
Hi Group,

My daughter will graduate next year and we have been told we need to start planning for college ASAP.

A bit of background;

My daughter has learning difficulties and has needed extra help from high school but is confident of getting OK grades

We didn't plan to be in the US so I dont have a college fund and I'm hoping for some scholarship help. We've heard being an international student might help with that?

We are just about to kick off the green card application and the lawyer says


after filing we are looking at a 2 year process. Not sure if that would effect the "international student" scholarship opportunity?

Does anyone have experience of this process and could offer advise or point me to any resources to help

Thanks in advance

Take a look, if you haven't already, at your local community college. The fees are a lot lower and if you chose the right courses, the credits can be transferred to a larger college after a year or two if that's what your daughter would like to do.

moving2nyc Sep 19th 2011 1:54 am

Re: College advise
 
Thanks both,

Do you think once we've started to green card application she will be deemed a resident and get better opportunities? I now she gets a work permit the minute we file for a the green card

nethead Sep 19th 2011 2:07 am

Re: College advise
 
Not sure, one of the reasons I got my citizenship last year, was because a lot of scholarships aren't open to non citizens, so even having a green card doesn't automatically mean you'll be entitled to scholarships.

penguinsix Sep 19th 2011 2:14 am

Re: College advise
 
Who would be sponsoring her for the Green Card? I'm not entirely sure why it would be a 2-year-process but it might, depending on the mechanism.

Graduating next year means she's a Senior this year, right? She needs to get cracking. Has she taken the admissions test (SAT or ACT)? Many kids take that their Junior year so the scores are already in and ready to be sent to schools with the applications which start going in this September. Does her learning difficulty affect test taking? She may need to look into special options that might exist for the tests.

As far as funding goes, this will be a bit rough. Do you qualify for "in state" tuition at the state universities where you live (i.e. University of Michigan, Eastern Illinois University, Iowa State University, UCLA, etc). There is a residency requirement for parents and the kids and if you can meet this you will shave about 1/2 off the cost of a private university. Scholarships for international students are few and far between--probably not realistic.

As someone mentioned, if university is sort of "well, I guess I should go" kind of thing, you might look at a local community college. These are 2-year programs in which kids satisfy the general education requirement for a university degree (i.e. 2 years of math, 1 year of English, 1 year of Philosophy, etc) before going to a 4-year school to complete those programs in their major. While it is a tremendous cost savings usually over a 4-year school, it also gives some students a chance to ask the real question: do I want to go to university or not?

moving2nyc Sep 19th 2011 2:36 am

Re: College advise
 
Q: Who would be sponsoring her for the Green Card? I'm not entirely sure why it would be a 2-year-process but it might, depending on the mechanism.

A: I'm on an L1a and my company is sponsoring me for the green card. Lawyer seems to think it's a 2 yr if not quicker process?

Q: Do you qualify for "in state" tuition at the state universities where you live
A: we live in NYC, how do we know if we qualify for stuff? speak to local colleges?

Q:Has she taken the admissions test (SAT or ACT)?
A: not yet, she takes them in November

There's definitely a desire to attend college and get a qualification to help her get started with a career. Clearly we want to support that but finding it tough to know where to start.

Thanks for your help

lisa67 Sep 19th 2011 3:15 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629312)
Q: Who would be sponsoring her for the Green Card? I'm not entirely sure why it would be a 2-year-process but it might, depending on the mechanism.

A: I'm on an L1a and my company is sponsoring me for the green card. Lawyer seems to think it's a 2 yr if not quicker process?

Q: Do you qualify for "in state" tuition at the state universities where you live
A: we live in NYC, how do we know if we qualify for stuff? speak to local colleges?

Q:Has she taken the admissions test (SAT or ACT)?
A: not yet, she takes them in November

There's definitely a desire to attend college and get a qualification to help her get started with a career. Clearly we want to support that but finding it tough

to know where to start.

Thanks for your help

The high school counselors are an excellent source of information.
My son, who is a HS senior this year, was given an appointment with one of the counsellors to talk about whatnhe wants to do after school, when he was a Junior last year.
In my home state of TX you have to live in the state for a year and then you qualify for instate tuition.

Bob Sep 19th 2011 3:35 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629276)
Thanks both,

Do you think once we've started to green card application she will be deemed a resident and get better opportunities? I now she gets a work permit the minute we file for a the green card

Ask the colleges she is interested in. They're all different in what they offer and to who as well as what they'll charge.

Some will be international rates till you get greencards in hand, others when you've been resident for 12 months etc.

There's no one answer fits all.

Michael Sep 19th 2011 3:58 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629312)
Q: Who would be sponsoring her for the Green Card? I'm not entirely sure why it would be a 2-year-process but it might, depending on the mechanism.

A: I'm on an L1a and my company is sponsoring me for the green card. Lawyer seems to think it's a 2 yr if not quicker process?

Q: Do you qualify for "in state" tuition at the state universities where you live
A: we live in NYC, how do we know if we qualify for stuff? speak to local colleges?

Q:Has she taken the admissions test (SAT or ACT)?
A: not yet, she takes them in November

There's definitely a desire to attend college and get a qualification to help her get started with a career. Clearly we want to support that but finding it tough to know where to start.

Thanks for your help

In New York, she qualifies for in state tuition after one year of residency by her and her parents living in that state. If her parents do not live in New York or whichever state she attends college that has similar rules as NY (many states), she will not be eligible for in state tuition until she reaches the age of 23 or can prove that she is self supporting.

In California, in state tuition at state universities (Berkeley, UCLA, etc) is about 1/2 of non resident cost to the same university and about 1/4th the cost of private colleges (Stanford, USC, etc.).

New York city has good colleges at the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) campuses that are relatively inexpensive for residents. Just don't point her at private colleges such as Columbia, Parsons, or Juilliard unless she can get a scholarship.

ian-mstm Sep 19th 2011 4:03 am

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629276)
Do you think once we've started to green card application she will be deemed a resident and get better opportunities?

The word "resident" can mean many things - but don't confuse it with "permanent resident"... they're not the same thing. You'll be deemed "resident" in a state (or community) once you've lived there for a specific period of time - whether or not you have GCs.



I now she gets a work permit the minute we file for a the green card
Well, it'll be about 3 months after filing... but yes, she'll get employment authorization.

Ian

penguinsix Sep 19th 2011 7:05 am

Re: College advise
 
If you live in New York proper (i.e. not New Jersey or Connecticut) then these are the rules to attend any of the SUNY campuses:

http://www.suny.edu/student/paying_residence.cfm

Note: A immigrant resident specifically states that you need a green card. However, there is another option if she has spent 2 years in a US school and graduates from a NY high school she can get resident status, regardless of green card or not.

Is her college list Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Princeton and the like? For these hyper-competitive, private schools, not only are you going to deal with the financial burden ($60k a year) but she's also late in the application game. Applying in Nov/Dec will put her at a disadvantage to kids who have applied and been offered early admissions, thus taking away a few of the very coveted places. She may actually consider a gap year to prepare for the applications to the hyper-competitive schools.

For many of the SUNY schools she may have a much easier time with the admissions, even starting in the Fall/Winter. It's just a matter of dotting the i's and crossing all the t's.

First step would be for her to visit her guidance counsellor who can give her some advice based on her academic scores as to what schools are "reaches, possibles, and safety schools" in the applications game. She'll also need to have a think about what it is she wants to do with her life, and whether there are certain schools that would be better suited than others for that career choice.

From the SUNY site:


Students claiming to be immigrants must present proof of their status by providing the campus with a valid Permanent Resident Card. Once a student's immigrant status has been verified, the student may then establish New York State residency by meeting the domicile criteria. See Proof of Domicile (above).

Non-immigrants are grouped in categories depending on the type of visa presented at the port of entry. Non-immigrants admitted to the United States in categories that prohibit them from establishing a United States residence are not eligible for resident tuition.

In general, the Federal Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act prohibits students who are unable to present valid documentation of their alien status from eligibility for the resident tuition rate.

Non-resident students, including undocumented students, who attend for at least two years and graduate from a New York high school may be eligible for resident tuition. See the campus Student Accounts Office (Bursar) for details and to apply for resident tuition.

nethead Sep 19th 2011 1:09 pm

Re: College advise
 
But the OP is specifically asking about scholarships which is not the same as 'in state, out of state' tuition. I think as even a green card holder, you'd be hard pressed to find many scholarships (unless maybe she's sporty).

Sheepdip Sep 19th 2011 1:46 pm

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by moving2nyc (Post 9629312)
A: I'm on an L1a and my company is sponsoring me for the green card. Lawyer seems to think it's a 2 yr if not quicker process?

Ours took about 6 months (which we couldn't believe to be honest) - check the processing times on the gov website. Also depends on how good your attorney is at getting all the supporting documentation together I believe.

Bob Sep 19th 2011 2:45 pm

Re: College advise
 

Originally Posted by nethead (Post 9630022)
But the OP is specifically asking about scholarships which is not the same as 'in state, out of state' tuition. I think as even a green card holder, you'd be hard pressed to find many scholarships (unless maybe she's sporty).

The easiest ones are employment based ones, but then you'd need to have someone working at a company offering it. They aren't nearly as good these days either.

MBNA used to offer a pretty good one for all employees, something like $5K a semester with a B average, had to work 12 months for every semester claimed or you'd have to pay it back when you leave the company.

Unfortunately, when BoA bought them out, those grandfathered in would have to work 3 years for every semester claimed or would have to pay the money back and then dropped it for anyone who wasn't on the scheme.


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