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

Re: College advise
 

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.


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

Re: College advise
 

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.

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

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.

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?

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

Re: College advise
 

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.

Re: College advise
 

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.

Re: College advise
 

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.

Re: College advise
 

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.


Well, it'll be about 3 months after filing... but yes, she'll get employment authorization.

Ian

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.

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).

Re: College advise
 

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.

Re: College advise
 

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.

Re: College advise
 

Thank you very much, she has been in a NYC school for 2 years which looks like it will help her.

If we get a scholarship great, if not surely she will pay me back double once she lands a job. Isn't that what kids do nowadays :0)

Re: College advise
 

Your daughter's GPA right now is going to give you an idea of which colleges she should apply for even though she takes the SAT in November. If she learning issues in only some areas there are SAT prep courses which will help her when takes the SAT. As mentioned the school should have someone who will help with college selection and application. College scholarships do vary considerably

Re: College advise
 

I didn't realize that New York had that law. I assumed it was the same as California where they can discriminate against illegal immigrants (California doesn't and not even Texas) for in state tuition but not against legal residents.

Re: College advise
 

Nine states allow instate rates for illegals. As you can imagine it is controversial.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice...-declines-case

(California and)...Eight other states have enacted similar provisions, offering illegal immigrants in those states the same in-state tuition discount offered to state residents. Those states are Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Oklahoma passed a similar law, but later repealed it.

Maryland is debating it this year.

Re: College advise
 

That is why I assumed that New York (a very liberal state) would not discriminate against people with legal status.

Re: College advise
 

We found this site was a good starting point for college planning
http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/plan/
We also looked at several SUNY schools which we thought were great value-as an example SUNY Binghamton claimed it was the top ranked public school in the northeast!
For a newcomer it can be a mind boggling process
Good luck

Re: College advise
 

Thank you everyone, this is certainly going to be a journey with a few bumps in the road. Has anyone used a consultant to help with this? Seems paying a few $'s to avoid making the wrong decision about an important subject might make sense?

Re: College advise
 

A consultant might give you some piece of mind but it isn't absolutely necessary. I think the first step (like this week) should be a meeting with the school's counsellors for an assessment of her options. They'll look at her grades, hear her interests, and give you an idea of what schools she should be aiming for.

If it comes back you are looking at Harvard and Princeton and the like, then a consultant to help prepare the application might be a bit overkill but as you haven't much experience with the US process probably helpful. If you are looking at more of the SUNY-level schools than the guidance counsellors can probably point her in the right direction.

Re: College advise
 

Thanks, we've spoken to the guidance counsellor who has been great but still feel a bit overwhelmed by the whole process.
We are going to few college fairs too to have a chat with them all to see what that brings

Re: College advise
 

BTW, we are NOT looking at Harvard :)

Re: College advise
 

My experience is this- I have a son at university in Virginia, living with us. He has "International Student" status. Because he is an international student he couldnt get in-state rates. The fees for international students at the local Community College were actually the same as for university, despite us having lived here for four years. The decision seemed to hang on a clause about whether the student has a "future" in the US (we are here temporarily)so having a Green Card could work in your daughter`s favour.
We pay all our son`s fees and havent found any other help or concessions. He is lucky enough to be at a private Catholic university (We arent Catholics) where all students pay the same fees, regardless of being home or international students. (Not cheap, but not Harvard levels either). The only help I have come across is a commercial loan but you need to have a US citizen as a guarantor.
My son`s university is, by the way, well set up with regards to helping students with special needs.
So, thats my experience, some bits good, some not so. I`m sure he has gained greatly from being at uni here, though!
PM me if you have any questions!

Re: College advise
 

Here are some other considerations.
First, as others have stated, the HS guidance counselor should be her first stop. However, as a parent of a child with learning disabilities, I found that the guidance counselor assumed my son wasn't "college material," and we had to push to ensure he got the same consideration as other students. Then we found the guidance counselor was not well-versed in dealing with students with learning disabilities.
Second, if she has an IEP, she may be eligible to have accommodations (e.g. extra time, etc) when she takes the SAT. If you go to the College Board website, you will find the process explained there. It is probably too late to start the request process now for the autumn test-dates, but the SAT can be sat again if she doesn't like her scores. Anyway, more and more schools are not looking at SATs, or are discounting their importance in evaluating a student's ability to succeed. That being said, many academic scholarships do use the SAT or ACT score as a criteria for selection. This meant our youngest son, with LD and a crummy SAT score did not get offered an academic scholarship, unlike his older brother who had worse grades but a higher SAT score.
Third, she will not be eligible for accommodations for her disability in college unless her disability is documented by an independent psychologist (the high school IEP will not work in college.) We paid about $1,000 for this assessment - I thought it was well-worth it, but you will have to decide depending on what she needs to be successful. College is harder than high school obviously.
Fourth, our local community college has an excellent program for LD students - our son decided not to go there in the end, but it was a great option for him to consider.
Fifth, there are colleges that specialize in LD students. These are mostly private and expensive though, and we found all the "normal" schools we looked at had good to excellent academic support for all students with additional services from the Office of Disabilities on top of that.
Finally, check out this link http://www.oacac.com/docs/IntlFinAid.xls for a docuemtn listing schools that provide financial aid to international students. And feel free to PM me if you would like to chat about college for kids with learning disabilities.:)