Expert: Les Thomas - 2/1/2012

Question
Greetings,

I am from the Philippines and will soon be migrating to US. I am in fourth year college now so I am planning to continue my studies there. I am concerned as to how being a recent immigrant would affect my eligibility for a Financial Aid specifically the Pell Grant and FAFSA (because those seem to be the more commonly availed ones).

Thank you so much for your time in reading this.

Answer
Eli,

Thanks for inquiring to AllExperts about Financial Aid.  

You're question has a few variables to it, so I'm going to try to outline things for you.

All in all... it depends on you being a Citizen of the US, and it can also depend on the College.

You will need to check with the Colleges you are planning on making application to, or transfer to.  The policies on awarding financial aid to international students varies from one College to the next.

Unless you are a US Citizen... you would not be eligible for Federal funded Financial Aid.  That is where the FAFSA form comes into the scenario.  

If you are a citizen... then no problem, you fill out the FAFSA Form, submit it to the US Department of Education, and within a short time, they will report to you and the Colleges you are making application to - what your EFC or Expected Family Contribution is.  

** (NOTE:  This FAFSA Form has to be filled out correctly... right now, The US Department of Education is reporting that over 80% of all FAFSA forms are being filled out with errors.)

The FAFSA is based on 74 different components, looks easy - but can absolutely damage your ability to receive Financial Aid if it's filled out incorrectly.  For assistance, and to make sure everything is correct... if you are a citizen - I suggest you contact College Funding Connection @ 1-619-778-5828.   

If you are not a citizen... what you'll need to be looking for are Colleges with what is commonly referred to Institutional Aid - for International Students.

That is where you'll have to check with each school's financial aid department or perhaps they may have some information on their College website - to find out for sure.  Each College has different rules, regulations, and a different formula for computing aid for international students.

I hope this helps, and all the best of luck to you.