eligibility for Fafsa

[jimdean 0]

heyy guy! im new here and i want to ask some question... will first of all i came here in usa as a k-2 visa later after the marriage we filled for adjustment of status ( long story short it was approved im currently done with my bio metric first week of September  ). Now i want to enroll in a university ( college is really expensive here)  or a community college but i need your helped to determine if im qualified for fasa (i really need this cause i cant afford without an aid ). i want to enroll this coming January  (fall term). Any opinion is welcome . 

Edited October 10, 2017 by jimdean

[Roel 7,193]

If you have a green card then yes, you can apply. It's still not a free money though. Fafsa will only show you what kind of aid are you eligible for. Probably a lot of it will be student loans. Just saying  (I found out a hard way). 

[Liam2021 587]

FAFSA is just only the online form which you fill out, and it link with school code. The school base on this information to give you an award( federal grant, state grant..). You can get around 6k from federal grand for a year( if you 're full-time students). Loan is just an option.

[Bzlibem 111]

You can apply as long as you have green card in-hand. EAD or receipts won’t work. 

If your family’s income is low enough (I may be wrong but I believe it’s 50k) you will get a pell grant (around 6k /year) and you may qualify for your state grants. Rest of it are sub and unsub loans 

[databit 328]

Have you been a resident of your state for a year? If not, the college may charge you non-resident tuition, which is even more expensive that regular tuition---and some schools won;t let you change the non-resident status you originally enrolled under, even after a year. Establishing residency at some Community Colleges may be difficult! Here's a sample of what California Community Colleges require (your state may vary. It says you would have to be an LPR for a year): http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelopment/Admissions/Pages/Residency-Requirements.aspx

[jimdean 0]

15 hours ago, databit said:

Have you been a resident of your state for a year? If not, the college may charge you non-resident tuition, which is even more expensive that regular tuition---and some schools won;t let you change the non-resident status you originally enrolled under, even after a year. Establishing residency at some Community Colleges may be difficult! Here's a sample of what California Community Colleges require (your state may vary. It says you would have to be an LPR for a year): http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelopment/Admissions/Pages/Residency-Requirements.aspx

thanks for the help!... no iv'e been only here for 6 months...(wisconsin) my step dad is a citizen..will that help? 

[jimdean 0]

22 hours ago, Roel said:

If you have a green card then yes, you can apply. It's still not a free money though. Fafsa will only show you what kind of aid are you eligible for. Probably a lot of it will be student loans. Just saying  (I found out a hard way). 

thanks for help... mind if i ask what was your experience ?

 

[jimdean 0]

21 hours ago, H&T said:

FAFSA is just only the online form which you fill out, and it link with school code. The school base on this information to give you an award( federal grant, state grant..). You can get around 6k from federal grand for a year( if you 're full-time students). Loan is just an option.

heyy thanks man... i really want to graduate without a loan. This spring maybe would not the best time for me cause my gc dint arrive yet... ive heard about the diversity law in this country; do you have any idea about that? 

[Liam2021 587]

2 minutes ago, jimdean said:

heyy thanks man... i really want to graduate without a loan. This spring maybe would not the best time for me cause my gc dint arrive yet... ive heard about the diversity law in this country; do you have any idea about that? 

You don't need worry about that too much. Right now, just go and apply for the school. You can get a bachelor degree with no loan if you have a decent grade. Actually everyone got total 6 years free federal grants. Btw, my best advice is wait until you lived in USA more than 1 year and go to college. If you apply right now you have to pay the tutition rate of international students.

[jimdean 0]

21 hours ago, Bzlibem said:

You can apply as long as you have green card in-hand. EAD or receipts won’t work. 

If your family’s income is low enough (I may be wrong but I believe it’s 50k) you will get a pell grant (around 6k /year) and you may qualify for your state grants. Rest of it are sub and unsub loans 

thanks man

[jimdean 0]

Just now, H&T said:

You don't need worry about that too much. Right now, just go and apply for the school. You can get a bachelor degree with no loan if you have a decent grade. Actually everyone got total 6 years free federal grants. Btw, my best advice is wait until you lived in USA more than 1 year and go to college. If you apply right now you have to pay the tutition rate of international students.

yea you're probably right... im currently waiting for my ead and it's been 1 month 2 weeks; some said it takes 3 to 4 months. can u share your experience about this?