School

[Brian & Giang 11]

My finance was just approved for a K-1 visa and will come to the USA in 2 weeks.  She wants to start attending a university right away.  Does anyone know if there is a form we have to file to attend school, I know there is one for work(I-765) but was wondering if there is a similar one to attend school.  Thanks for any replies! 

[Georgia16 2,858]

Depends on the school. Try and contact the school she wants to attend.

 

Just be aware that it will most likely be a higher fee (Out of state/international student) until she gets her Green Card.

[p-ana 933]

She will have to contact the school she's interested in and see what kind of docs they require for her to start, but there is no form similar to the i765.

starting right away will be a lot more expensive because she will have to pay fees like international student. If she waits for the green card she may be able to pay a lot less 

[sparkles_ 456]

The admission forms plus any credit transfer are the only forms concerning university itself. 

 

She can't get financial aid in the forms of loans or grants to fund her education until she has the GC. So you will be paying for her schooling out of pocket at first unless she waits.  

[Boiler 45,486]

Is it not a bot late for this year to apply to Uni?

 

Anyway give them a shout and let us know what they say.

[Bzlibem 111]

Most admissions closed for 4 year colleges because semester starts in a little over a month  but she can probably enroll in 2 yr community college for either fall semester or spring. She will be considered international student with out of state tuition. It depends on a school but generally As soon as she hits 1yr anniversary of living in the US she can petition her tuition but you will need some bills in her name/drivers license/lease agreement etc. she can petition her residency status to change to domestic student when she gets her green card. 

For community college she will need translation of her school transcripts and pass TOEFL if she's not from a country where English is main language. Although if she wants to try to apply for next fall semester at 4 year college she will need to also take standardized test like SAT or ACT. 

To 4 yr colleges admission is usually processed by commonapp.com although it varies depending on a school. 2yr colleges usually process application internally. 

Shes not eligible for FAFSA until she gets her green card but she can try applying for scholarships. 

I don't know the procedure for transfer students really but I'm pretty sure that most of it begins with Common App.

 

[Coco8 1,042]

38 minutes ago, Bzlibem said:

Most admissions closed for 4 year colleges because semester starts in a little over a month  but she can probably enroll in 2 yr community college for either fall semester or spring. She will be considered international student with out of state tuition. It depends on a school but generally As soon as she hits 1yr anniversary of living in the US she can petition her tuition but you will need some bills in her name/drivers license/lease agreement etc. she can petition her residency status to change to domestic student when she gets her green card. 

For community college she will need translation of her school transcripts and pass TOEFL if she's not from a country where English is main language. Although if she wants to try to apply for next fall semester at 4 year college she will need to also take standardized test like SAT or ACT. 

To 4 yr colleges admission is usually processed by commonapp.com although it varies depending on a school. 2yr colleges usually process application internally. 

Shes not eligible for FAFSA until she gets her green card but she can try applying for scholarships. 

I don't know the procedure for transfer students really but I'm pretty sure that most of it begins with Common App.

 

 

Community college is a good idea, particularly because she probably at this time she lacks what is needed to get into a good college (essay, high STAT scores, experience taking classes in English, letter of recommendations), even if admissions were open. I have friends who after a year or two of community college transferred to UCLA, UC Davis and UC Berkeley. 

 

She should contact the office for international students or admissions. Usually they allow to enroll with pending AOS, but it can vary from place to place.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2017 by Coco8

[Ontarkie 14,221]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from K1 P&P - As this is not a K1 topic.~~

[Bzlibem 111]

21 minutes ago, Coco8 said:

 

Community college is a good idea, particularly because she probably at this time she lacks what is needed to get into a good college (essay, high STAT scores, experience taking classes in English, letter of recommendations), even if admissions were open. I have friends who after a year or two of community college transferred to UCLA, UC Davis and UC Berkeley. 

 

She should contact the office for international students or admissions. Usually they allow to enroll with pending AOS, but it can vary from place to place.

 

 

When I was doing it they didn't let me enroll as domestic  international student was the only option even with AOS notice of action. The least you need to be considered domestic is AOS approval letter. But it's in Illinois so it probably varies a lot depending on state or school. Starting in community college is easier (admission), less expensive and if you keep good grades you can transfer after 2 years to a really good college  

[Coco8 1,042]

31 minutes ago, Bzlibem said:

 The least you need to be considered domestic is AOS approval letter. 

Oh, then she could enroll for the Spring semester (January). However, a lot of places in California are in que quarter system so she might be able to enroll earlier. I think for the quarter system, classes start at the end of September. In the semester system, classes start at the end of August. 

 

If you do not get the letter in time, she could do some free courses (they are everywhere) or join a reading group at the local library. That will help her with the English and the vocabulary of what she'd like to study and even to make friends. 

[databit 328]

Please be aware that the competition for colleges in California is intense. Her grades will have to be high.

[databit 328]

1 hour ago, databit said:

Please be aware that the competition for colleges in California is intense. Her grades will have to be high.

Oops, looks like you are in Illinois? In that case, check the budget situation there regarding schools. The state is having to cut back a lot of classes.

[Cathi 5,748]

14 hours ago, Bzlibem said:

Most admissions closed for 4 year colleges because semester starts in a little over a month  but she can probably enroll in 2 yr community college for either fall semester or spring. She will be considered international student with out of state tuition. It depends on a school but generally As soon as she hits 1yr anniversary of living in the US she can petition her tuition but you will need some bills in her name/drivers license/lease agreement etc. she can petition her residency status to change to domestic student when she gets her green card. 

For community college she will need translation of her school transcripts and pass TOEFL if she's not from a country where English is main language. Although if she wants to try to apply for next fall semester at 4 year college she will need to also take standardized test like SAT or ACT. 

To 4 yr colleges admission is usually processed by commonapp.com although it varies depending on a school. 2yr colleges usually process application internally. 

Shes not eligible for FAFSA until she gets her green card but she can try applying for scholarships. 

I don't know the procedure for transfer students really but I'm pretty sure that most of it begins with Common App.

 

My oldest just graduated from UNH and my youngest starts in the fall. Both applied to at least a half dozen private and public universities each,  I'm pretty well versed in college applications as of late. Today many 4 year universities no longer require SAT or ACT. Here's a list of nearly 1000 of them. More are being added to the list yearly and this is not a complete list.  http://fairtest.org/schools-do-not-use-sat-or-act-scores-admitting-substantial-numbers-students-bachelor-degree-programs. It talks about international students in the link but if she applies after she has her green card then it's a non-issue.

[Bzlibem 111]

8 hours ago, mimolicious said:

My oldest just graduated from UNH and my youngest starts in the fall. Both applied to at least a half dozen private and public universities each,  I'm pretty well versed in college applications as of late. Today many 4 year universities no longer require SAT or ACT. Here's a list of nearly 1000 of them. More are being added to the list yearly and this is not a complete list.  http://fairtest.org/schools-do-not-use-sat-or-act-scores-admitting-substantial-numbers-students-bachelor-degree-programs. It talks about international students in the link but if she applies after she has her green card then it's a non-issue.

Well at least in my city all of colleges required a standardized test scores. I applied to 6 colleges. Each of them also required submission of 2 different essays: Personal essay(you choose from a few given topics to you) and why particular course of study. 

And in terms of tuition being admitted as an international student is indeed a huge problem. First, TOEFL costed me around $200 plus you need to score well on it. Sometimes when your English composite scores are satisfactory they waive the TOEFL requirements like it happened at a one college that I applied to. 

Second, you get absolutely no chance for in state tuition. It means that till you get your green card you pay double the tuition that you would pay as domestic, in state. 

I applied to colleges right away when I came to the US. I didn't have a green card, I didn't have a social. Just a B visa. I just got a green card and managed to reverse a few admission decisions that I couldn't without a green card and documenting in state residency. I tried with I-797, EAD, various receipts. The least is the approval letter 

[WandY 430]

18 hours ago, mimolicious said:

My oldest just graduated from UNH and my youngest starts in the fall. Both applied to at least a half dozen private and public universities each,  I'm pretty well versed in college applications as of late. Today many 4 year universities no longer require SAT or ACT. Here's a list of nearly 1000 of them. More are being added to the list yearly and this is not a complete list.  http://fairtest.org/schools-do-not-use-sat-or-act-scores-admitting-substantial-numbers-students-bachelor-degree-programs. It talks about international students in the link but if she applies after she has her green card then it's a non-issue.

That's misleading information about not needing SAT or ACT scores. Fairtest.org is backed by the NEA and others involved in education reform. It is not a reputable source for advising prospective college students. ACT and/or SAT scores are SOMETIMES not the leading indicator used for admission to a university. This is especially true at open-enrollment schools, which guarantee a seat regardless of ACT/SAT scores. For a new international student, many schools will allow enrollment in a class or two, or a mix of an ESL class and a mainstream class, such as an entry-level English class. The local community college is a good start, as they will probably not require transcripts or anything for enrollment in a class or two. Also, community colleges do not always charge international rates because the local student is in the taxing district - especially if you are married. Check around - you'll find something.