Becoming a Resident Student

[BlueRaiderUK 0]

Hi,

I'd like to know if anyone has experience in enrolling in community colleges or universities as a freshman with foreign credentials instead of a GED/High School Diploma.

I have been told in advance by a Foreign Credential Evaluator that my UK GCSE/GCE's are worth at least as much as a US HSD. However, do college's accept this when applying as a Resident (in-state or US) Student? As I want to be eligible for financial aid, and not have to get the GED, if in essence I already have surpassed it.

Thanks, Michael

[rebeccajo 14]

There's usually someone at the college or university you wish to attend who can tell you if the credentials are enough to enter into their programs.

Your biggest problem will actually be the financial aid. You will only be eligible for certain types (remember the 'public charge' aspect of your visa) and then only for a certain length of time. Any hitch in your greencard processing could stall your education.

I've just now looked at your timeline and see you have had your interview and are stuck in FBI namecheck. You might want to research the posts of the member dani_christine as regards to her UK hubby's US collegiate experience.

Edited December 31, 2006 by rebeccajo

[BlueRaiderUK 0]

There's usually someone at the college or university you wish to attend who can tell you if the credentials are enough to enter into their programs.

Your biggest problem will actually be the financial aid. You will only be eligible for certain types (remember the 'public charge' aspect of your visa) and then only for a certain length of time. Any hitch in your greencard processing could stall your education.

I've just now looked at your timeline and see you have had your interview and are stuck in FBI namecheck. You might want to research the posts of the member dani_christine as regards to her UK hubby's US collegiate experience.

Thanks for the reply Rebecca

I have indeed asked admissions at a couple of colleges I am interested in. They're yet to get back to me.

I thought that financial aid was okay, I did my own research and then reading various posts in this forum on the subject, I was under the impression that it did not interfere with the Affidavit of Support (did you mean this or the visa itself?).

Could you expand on certain types and length of time? I checked the FAFSA worksheet and it says most aid is for US Citizens and Eligible non-citizens. It lists a conditional resident as a eligible non-citizen, and if I remember correctly a conditional resident only apply to marriage based green cards? therefore why would this appear on the worksheet, if a conditional resident wasn't eligble?

I'm planning to start college in Spring 2008, by which time I would hope the namecheck would be complete, However I should take it with a grain of salt that my Interviewing Officer said the majority are complete within 3-6 months.

[rebeccajo 14]

You aren't a conditional resident yet though. That's the problem. You don't have your greencard. You are an 'applicant to adjust status' or at best a 'non-permanent resident alien'.

Yes most aid is available to you. Read up through dani's posts or PM her - she can explain the types that are available to you better than I.

Her husband's problem came into play when his AOS approval became protracted. His financial aid was withdrawn after 1 year because it was the universities policy that AOS should have occured within that one-year timeframe.

[dani_christine 0]

yes...you will be fine attending school with your exams as proof that you've finished your high school education. if you enroll in a community college, you will have to sit for their standard placement testing, to determine what level math and english classes you will be enrolled in. more amusingly, you also will most likely have to do some testing at the foreign student's office, to prove that you are a proficient english speaker. (anthony said to the girl, "Um...you've heard of ENGLAND, right?" as in, "We invented the language, you numskull!" )

if you enroll at the university level first, you will be required to sit for the ACT or SAT test, depending on the individual university's requirements.

as far as financial aid goes, Rebeccajo is right...you are not a conditional permanent resident at this point. you are an adjustment applicant. you are, however, an "eligible non-citizen". the way that we got anthony qualified for federal financial aid was by producing his Advance Parole, as Parolees DO qualify for Pell Grants! of course, it took some wrangling and convincing talk to get the financial aid officers at the school to actually believe us!

You must be one of the following to receive federal

student aid:

• U.S. citizen

• U.S. national (includes natives of American

Samoa or Swain’s Island)

• U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151,

I-551, or I-551C (Permanent Resident Card)

If you’re not in one of these categories, you must have

an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship

and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the

following designations:

• “Refugee”

• “Asylum Granted”

• “Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending”

• “Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued

before April 1, 1980)

• “Parolee” (You must be paroled into the United States

for at least one year and you must be able to provide evi-

dence from the USCIS that you are in the United States

for other than a temporary purpose and that you intend

to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.)

If you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent

Residence (I-171 or I-464), you’re not eligible for federal student

financial aid.

If you’re in the United States on certain visas, including an F1

or F2 student visa, or a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa, you’re not

eligible for federal student financial aid.

now, what happened to us, however, was that the first year following anthony's application for AOS, he was approved...however, there is a provision in the law that says that you are only eligible for financial aid during the first year of parolee status, because they expect that an application for AOS should be approved and you should have the greencard in hand by that time. in our case, sadly, that was not so.

receipt of federal funds for financial aid is not prohibited, and does not count as "public aid".

good luck to you, and i wish you all the best!

[BlueRaiderUK 0]

yes...you will be fine attending school with your exams as proof that you've finished your high school education. if you enroll in a community college, you will have to sit for their standard placement testing, to determine what level math and english classes you will be enrolled in. more amusingly, you also will most likely have to do some testing at the foreign student's office, to prove that you are a proficient english speaker. (anthony said to the girl, "Um...you've heard of ENGLAND, right?" as in, "We invented the language, you numskull!" )

if you enroll at the university level first, you will be required to sit for the ACT or SAT test, depending on the individual university's requirements.

as far as financial aid goes, Rebeccajo is right...you are not a conditional permanent resident at this point. you are an adjustment applicant. you are, however, an "eligible non-citizen". the way that we got anthony qualified for federal financial aid was by producing his Advance Parole, as Parolees DO qualify for Pell Grants! of course, it took some wrangling and convincing talk to get the financial aid officers at the school to actually believe us!

You must be one of the following to receive federal

student aid:

• U.S. citizen

• U.S. national (includes natives of American

Samoa or Swain’s Island)

• U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151,

I-551, or I-551C (Permanent Resident Card)

If you’re not in one of these categories, you must have

an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship

and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the

following designations:

• “Refugee”

• “Asylum Granted”

• “Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending”

• “Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued

before April 1, 1980)

• “Parolee” (You must be paroled into the United States

for at least one year and you must be able to provide evi-

dence from the USCIS that you are in the United States

for other than a temporary purpose and that you intend

to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.)

If you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent

Residence (I-171 or I-464), you’re not eligible for federal student

financial aid.

If you’re in the United States on certain visas, including an F1

or F2 student visa, or a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa, you’re not

eligible for federal student financial aid.

now, what happened to us, however, was that the first year following anthony's application for AOS, he was approved...however, there is a provision in the law that says that you are only eligible for financial aid during the first year of parolee status, because they expect that an application for AOS should be approved and you should have the greencard in hand by that time. in our case, sadly, that was not so.

receipt of federal funds for financial aid is not prohibited, and does not count as "public aid".

good luck to you, and i wish you all the best!

Thanks for clearing that up dani_christine, thank you both for the information.

Michael

[rebeccajo 14]

She's one heck of a woman, isn't she?

[sheraz 0]

Financial Aid is not a public charge.

GCE can get you waiver for science and math. I got 18 hrs credit for the sciences in GCE.

Dont waste your time at community college doing the exact same courses for which you can receive credit. Apply to 4 yr college and then apply for credit transfer.

[ChristinaM 0]

It's all very well to skip the community college if you can afford to go to the 4-year schools.... My community college charges me $78 per credit hour, as opposed to the $197 per credit hour the state university charges. Also, most community colleges seem to have an agreement with the state universities whereby all credits from a recognised associates degree will carry and you can enter the university system as a junior (3rd year).

I was not able to get any credit for either my A-Levels or my first year and a half of British university (even with the transcripts), so I had no choice but to start from scratch. None of the admissions advisors even knew what my qualifications were. I could have tested out of certain things, but in order to get the credit you still have to pay for most of the credit hours as if you were taking the courses - so I figured I may as well just take the courses and be done with it.

This semester should be a nice easy one - four credits in algebra and trigonometry.

(I was reading physics and computing - someone has to like all that icky maths stuff!)

[clloyd 0]

The technical college I am going to accepted my Canadian courses for transfer. I am going to be applying soon to a private, adult learning college. I hope they accept it as well. They allow people with a degree already to only take the major requirements to get a second degree. I hope they accept mine.

[BlueRaiderUK 0]

I found out today, that using a foreign credential evaluation service is acceptable for the community college I wish to enroll in, in place of a HSD/GED.

Just need to wait for that darn Green Card now.

Michael

[perfect 39]

Be careful to use a good foreign credentialling/verification service. My son graduated high school in the UK in the top 25% yet when the credentialling service here looked at his certificates for equivalency they told us he didn't even have a GED equivalent which was BS!! He had only one week previously passed with very high scores a university placement test and yet according to this service he hadn't even got high enough scores to graduate high school.

Both myself and the adviser at the University felt that it was because the credentialling service was not familiar with international exam certificates and really had no clue what they were doing, even though it was a credentialling service recommended by the university!!

Also, the university was going to charge $485 per hour for his course whereas the community college charges $20 per unit.

He is now going to apply to community college and see whether they have a different take on his UK exam results!

[BlueRaiderUK 0]

Be careful to use a good foreign credentialling/verification service. My son graduated high school in the UK in the top 25% yet when the credentialling service here looked at his certificates for equivalency they told us he didn't even have a GED equivalent which was BS!! He had only one week previously passed with very high scores a university placement test and yet according to this service he hadn't even got high enough scores to graduate high school.

Both myself and the adviser at the University felt that it was because the credentialling service was not familiar with international exam certificates and really had no clue what they were doing, even though it was a credentialling service recommended by the university!!

Also, the university was going to charge $485 per hour for his course whereas the community college charges $20 per unit.

He is now going to apply to community college and see whether they have a different take on his UK exam results!

Well I asked in advance at Educational International, which after reading other similar topics here at VJ, EI, ECE and WES seem to be most popular. They said I have a High School Diploma and college credits, just with my GCSE's and A-Levels.

Something else to consider is that different Universities need different qualifications, just to state that looking at International Student requirements, some universities merely want 5 GCSE's, and others want 3-4 A-Level passes at A-C grade, which would suggest that they're unsure how much a GCSE or an A-Level is worth. I find it difficult to believe getting 5 C's at GCSE level is the same as a US Student receiving their high school diploma with a 3.0-4.0 average.

Michael