pending AOS are you considered an international student?

[cardinal 1]

I have a question regarding the definition of an international student at US graduate school programs, for anyone who has gone through this already.

Fiance is coming on a K1 visa (we hope!) and will apply to PhD programs, but will almost certainly have to submit the application before receiving his green card (but after filing for AOS). So his immigration status at the time of submitting the application will be pending. Would he then be considered an international student or not? And does this usually vary from school to school? Our concern is whether we will need to provide proof of our ability to finance his course of study - this is required for international students at all schools, as far as I can tell.

We will check with the schools themselves but I wanted to tap the experience of folks on here as well

thanks!

[Dave-n-Oksana 49]

I have a question regarding the definition of an international student at US graduate school programs, for anyone who has gone through this already.

Fiance is coming on a K1 visa (we hope!) and will apply to PhD programs, but will almost certainly have to submit the application before receiving his green card (but after filing for AOS). So his immigration status at the time of submitting the application will be pending. Would he then be considered an international student or not? And does this usually vary from school to school? Our concern is whether we will need to provide proof of our ability to finance his course of study - this is required for international students at all schools, as far as I can tell.

We will check with the schools themselves but I wanted to tap the experience of folks on here as well

thanks!

You should probably talk to the school. I know for my Daughter, she was considered a resident for tuition purposes, but still needed to take the ESL classes as English was not her primary language.

Dave

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Education is a matter of the states, not the federal government. If you take the time to read up on this, you'll find some amazing facts, i.e., that illegal aliens in California and some other states not only pay in-state tuition, but are now also eligible for private student loans.

When it comes to tuition, many schools distinguish between in-state residents, or out-of-state residents. An international student would be considered a member of the latter group, whether or not he is from a galaxy far away, a country on the other side of the globe, or the US state bordering the one he's applying for. Most schools consider a prospective student a resident for in-state-tuition once he has resided in the state for at least 1 year.

That's not the case with your finance. While he won't be an international student while his AOS petition is being adjudicated, he's also not a resident of the state for in-state-tuition purposes.

You may want to inquire at the school's admission office. Be prepared to get a wrong answer.

[Messybrownhair 251]

In my case, they considered me an international student until I got my GC. When I applied I was still in Manila (I applied for grad schools together with filing the k1) and so I sent in forms as an intl student.. I did the TOEFL, and transcript verification. I moved to the US on my k1 and found out I was accepted, I was told by the intl student office that I either needed a GC or student visa to enroll for class, so I did AOS right away and got my GC in time. I am now not an intl student but I don't qualify for in-state tuition still because in PA you need to have been a resident for a year. Thank goodness I have partial funding so it still won't be that expensive