Definitely NOT!! Half of the high school students in the US would be heading to the Left Coast to bunk with Grandma or Grandpa, Aunt Edna or Uncle Earl, if the enticing (and outstanding) California colleges and universities allowed applicants to use their relatives’ addresses … or didn’t check carefully when applicant and high school zip codes are miles apart.

Here is a summary of CA residency requirements for tuition purposes:

To be considered a California resident for purposes of fees, an out-of-state student must have lived in California for more than one year preceding the residence determination date, relinquish residence in other states, show an intent to establish residency in California and demonstrate financial independence. Unmarried undergraduates from other states qualify as financially independent if they were not claimed by their parents or others as dependents for tax purposes for two preceding tax years and if their annual income is sufficient to meet their needs.

So, in order to attend a CA school as a resident, you would have to move in with your grandparents (or elsewhere in the Golden State) for two years for a purpose other than attending school. (Although there is officially only a one-year residency requirement, it takes two years for most students who have been named as dependents on parental tax forms through high school.) In other words, you would have to get a job and not only earn wages in CA but also be able to prove that you are self-supporting and no longer financially linked to your parents in Colorado. They couldn’t declare you as a dependent on their taxes; you would have to change your driver’s license (if you have one), your library card, and any other documentation that connects you to your current home.

I know it can be frustrating to pay high out-of-state tuition when one has ties to that state, but the rules are very strict and carefully scrutinized to protect the true residents. So I’m afraid you’ll have to rethink your plan.

As with most things in the colleges-admissions world, there are no easy answers when it comes to international applicants and fee waivers. Perhaps ironically, some colleges automatically grant fee waivers to every international applicant, while other schools grant no fee waivers at all to internationals. Sometimes the fee is waived just for online applications; occasionally a waiver can only be used with a paper application! Confusing, isn’t it?

So first, you need to read the International Student instructions carefully for each college on your list to see what the waiver policy is. If the school does offer waivers to international students and you have no school counselor, no problem. Ideally, you will find a different school official (head of school, head teacher, etc.) who will write a brief note attesting to your family’s approximate annual income (converted into US dollars) and the hardship that an application fee will present. Alternatively, if no school administrator is appropriate, another adult who has inside knowledge of your family’s circumstances in some sort of “official” capacity (member of the clergy, social worker, etc.) could write the waiver request as well.

As I’m sure you’re already aware, getting any sort of financial aid from U.S. colleges and universities can be a discouraging process. Standards are set extremely high for internationals seeking aid, so be sure that your college list includes mostly those places where your grades and standardized test scores make you a far stronger candidate than the typical admitted domestic applicant. Good luck!

I recommend that you do contact admission offices, whether by phone, snail-mail or e-mail, to explain your change in status. At the “need-conscious” institutions (those that take financial need into consideration when making admission decisions) it can be helpful to you to have the admission committees approach the application from the get-go with a “this kid doesn’t need any dough from us” mind-set.

Moreover, as you suggest, if you checked the “YES” box on the application and do not follow up with forms, you will be precipitating some unnecessary correspondence between admission officials and aid officials and between aid officials and you.

Note, however, that if a student applies as a “no-need” freshman applicant, there is usually a waiting period (two years is common) before the student can apply for aid down the road. So make sure you are comfortable with your change of heart before you commit to it.

When a student applies to college as a “No Need” candidate (i.e., he or she does not ask for financial aid) then there is usually a waiting period (typically two years but it can be longer) before the student can apply for aid. Thus, if you might have only enough money from your father’s trust to cover one year of your daughter’s college, then you should definitely go through the hassle of completing the FAFSA (and the PROFILE where required. Also some colleges have their own forms, too).

Even if you don’t get any aid for her first year due to the trust fund, this would leave the door open for an aid application for her sophomore year, as required. If your income is less than six figures, you will likely qualify for need-based aid, depending on the extent and nature of your investments. If your daughter is applying to any colleges that don’t require the PROFILE, then her odds of getting aid are even better (This will vary by school. PROFILE colleges are generally the ones with the most dough to give away, but a number of FAFSA-only colleges have good aid, too–especially Merit Aid.) Also, by completing the FAFSA, you may be eligible for some loans that you could not get without it.

So my advice would be to bite the bullet and do the forms. Most folks say that they’re not as bad as they expected (which is the same thing I say about my family Thanksgiving every year … though last year was pretty bad. )

I know my family’s annual income qualifies for the waiver, but how do I, a home-schooled student living in China, apply? Thanks for your time.

Many colleges are pretty flexible when it comes to granting fee waivers, at least when it comes to proof of student need. Some go strictly by standardized test waivers and thus give application waivers only to those who have also qualified for waivers for admission testing, too. Most colleges, however–especially the more selective ones–grant a lot more wiggle room when it comes to determining which candidates need not pay their fees.

Below are the fee-waiver eligibility guidelines from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). However, these figures are not set in stone and may vary depending on many factors including cost-of-living in the applicant’s home city or country. Also, since your family’s income sounds low, you need to also verify to colleges that your parents don’t have assets that might make you ineligible for a waiver. Certainly it’s hard to offer proof of what you don’t have, but do be aware that colleges will want to know about family resources beyond the household income.

Number in Family —-Family Income

5 ———————————— $47,400

If it sounds as if your family should qualify for a waiver, and since you are a home-schooled candidate and have no guidance counselor to vouch for your financial situation, here’s what you should do:

1) Write colleges a brief letter (e-mail is fine, too) explaining your situation (as you have done here —including the fact that you worked to cover your testing costs) and also providing a specific annual income and an explanation of other assets. If there is some other “authority figure” (e.g., a minister or social worker) who is involved with your family and can write to corroborate your letter, so much the better, although it is not mandatory.

2) If your family pays US taxes, include a copy of your parents’ most recent tax return. (If you are applying for financial aid–and it sounds as if you must be–you will need this anyway. If you are NOT applying for financial aid, you will not receive a fee waiver.)

In some cases, you’ll find a fee-waiver application form on college Web sites, but it’s not common. So, typically, it’s up to you to present your situation to colleges and hope that they’ll let you off the hook.

The financial aid question is still on the Common App but, this year, you’ll have to play a little hide ‘n seek to find it (like so many other times in the admissions process, eh?) The question is now in a separate section called “Future Plans,” which you’ll see on the main Common App menu, and not under “Personal Data,” where you may be looking for it, if you’ve used the Common App in the past.

This is actually a good change, in my opinion, because it allows students to easily customize the information they send to colleges, which couldn’t be done on the old form … e.g., need-blind schools don’t require your answer to the financial aid question but need-conscious schools do.

Hope that helps. Happy hunting!

Colleges and universities that belong to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (better known as the NCAA) typically offer sports at either the Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3 level. Division 1 is the most selective and Division 3 the least … but, even so, there’s a big jump between being a good high school athlete and being qualified to play at college on any level, even Div. 3.

NCAA rules prohibit athletic scholarships at Division 3 colleges. You’ll have to go to Div. 1 or 2 for softball dough (more on that in a minute). But, if you qualify for need-based financial aid or some other form of merit scholarship (e.g., for academics, arts, etc.) then you may indeed receive $$ to attend a Div. 3 school … you just can’t get the money specifically for softball.

Note, however, that some Div. 3 colleges do tend to “sweeten the pot” for athletic prospects. For instance, let’s say your family qualifies for need-based financial aid. Instead of giving you an aid “package” that is mostly loan and some grant (the good stuff that you don’t need to pay back), you may find that, as a sought-after softball player, your aid package turns out to be all–or mostly–grant money.

If you’re an especially strong Div. 3 player, then you might even be a contender at some Div. 1 or 2 institutions, too, where athletic scholarships are permissible. If so, you’ll have to register with the NCAA and make sure that your course selection, grades, and standardized test scores meet certain minimal standards. For more information about these standards, as well as most everything you want to know about playing a sport in college, see the NCAA’s Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete: http://www.ncaastudent.org/NCAA_Guide.pdf

Note, however, that scholarship money for sports is hard to come by–only the most talented athletes will qualify–and even if a coach is considering you for an athletic scholarship, most of these scholarships are not the “free rides” that we all hear about on TV or through the rumor mill. Many coaches are given a fixed amount of scholarships but then may divide them among several recruits, so the result is that no single player receives more than a few thousand dollars. Thus, if a coach expresses an interest in you and mentions the possibility of scholarship help, don’t hesitate to ask whether you’re looking at serious bucks or just pizza money.

To find a list of colleges with NCAA softball teams, go to: http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec/sponsorship Note that this list indicates if the program is in Division 1, 2 or 3. There are also other colleges that are not affiliated with the NCAA but do offer softball as well.

To find more softball schools, use the College Board “Matchmaker” at http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/adv_typeofschool.jsp Under the “Sports & Activities” heading, select “Softball” in the “Women” column, and then, down below, you have the option to narrow down your search to Div. 1, 2, or 3 (and also intramural).

Keep in mind that, even if the Division 3 colleges can’t offer scholarships for athletic prowess, what they may be able to provide is a boost in your admissions odds, if you’re a promising recruit. In other words, if you find that you’re a borderline candidate at a top-choice school, the coach’s clout may make a difference in your admissions verdict. So, as soon as you discover any colleges—at any level–that interest you, feel free to contact the coach to express your interest. At the Div. 1 and Div. 2 levels, the NCAA has strict rules that govern the sort of exchanges that coaches can have with recruits, but at Div. 3 colleges, those rules are laxer.

A final thing to keep in mind is this: Some Division 3 coaches are straight shooters and some are not. At Div. 1 and 2 colleges, prospective students often sign a “Letter of Intent” which helps the coaches know which athletes are sure to matriculate. At Div. 3 schools, however, it’s hard for a coach to assess which players will eventually enroll. So, it’s common for coaches to suck up to all potential athletes with the hope that at least a couple will show up in September. So be wary of promises made by Division 3 coaches. The nice guy who tells you that you’re a “likely four-year starter” in December may forget about you entirely by the following fall, if his recruiting season has been successful. So be sure to query coaches about team size, returning players (and their positions), how many players will be cut after try-outs, etc. This will help you to determine if the coach is serious about you or maybe leading you on.

Good luck with your senior year and you college search. I hope you find a lot of colleges that are in the ballpark for you and at least one that may even be a homerun.

As one financial aid expert has put it, “Colleges don’t like to be social workers.” What that means for you is that they will compute your daughter’s EFC based on a bunch of potentially complicated factors (more on that in a minute) and then give you the bottom line–a total. You and your ex must then duke it out to determine who pays what. In other words, there’s nothing that says, “This is Dad’s official share, and this is Mom’s.”

When a college uses the CSS Profile and makes financial aid determinations for children of divorced or legally separated parents, there are a number of complex issues that are evaluated, and each college has its own way of looking at the data. For instance, admission folks will consider whether the custodial parent is remarried and, if so, the stepparent’s income will go into the mix. They may look at things like how long you’ve been divorced, if you have been negligent with child support, what your assets are (some colleges include home equity; others don’t; many will “cap” the amount of equity they consider, if your home is worth a lot), whether or not you have other children, etc.

Thus, you can play with an online EFC calculator and you can plug in both your ex-wife’s income and your own under “Adjusted Gross Income” to get a very rough sense of what the family total will be. (Be sure to use the “Institutional Methodology” calculation, not the Federal.) However, the real bottom line could end up being substantially different, due to some of the issues named above or other similar ones.

One common scenario is this: if your wife is remarried to a spouse who makes more money that you do, this will raise the EFC. However, if the stepparent won’t be contributing to your daughter’s college costs, then you and your wife will still have to shoulder that extra burden. The two of you will need to work out a figure for each to pay that you both deem to be fair. Obviously, for many split families–who can’t agree on what movies Junior is allowed to see on a Saturday night or on when he is old enough to get a tattoo (I vote for 50 )–this can be a hot-button question.

On the other hand, for some parents, it’s pretty straightforward–they either divide the payments in half or pro-rate them based on income.

Since your daughter is just a sophomore, she may have no idea yet where she plans to attend college, but if there are already a couple front-runner schools, you should feel free to make phone appointment with financial aid officers to get at least a ballpark sense of where you may stand and how that particular school makes its aid decisions. Ultimately, this may even help your daughter make her decision, too.

Best wishes as you travel through this maze.

Congratulations on your daughter’s awards. It’s quite an honor for her to receive so many accolades, but–as you have already surmised–the prizes may be longer on praise than they are on actual dough, once the dust settles.

When it comes to dealing with “outside scholarships,” college policies are all over the map. Most schools will begin by deducting the award money from self-help (work study, loans), but then the prizes can start to eat into the good stuff … grants.

As you probably know, all outside scholarships must be reported to your daughter’s college, and there can be hell to pay (and $$$ penalties) if you stay mum. It sounds like you’ve already notified the school, so you’ve gotten some Brownie Points for your prompt disclosure. Now, the next step is to create a specific list of college-related expenses that you’d been hoping the prize money might cover. For instance, if your daughter needs a computer, printer, and scanner, these should go on the list. If her major requires atypically expensive books or supplies, then include them as well. If she expects to do an off-campus internship and must pay for public transportation or even a car, put the anticipated cost on the roster. Try to think of all extenuating circumstances that are applicable to your daughter’s academic (or related) needs, but don’t stretch the points too hard (e.g., “Summer ecology research program in Belize” would qualify; “Spring break in Daytona for much-needed R&R would not!).

If you tell financial aid officials that you have earmarked the award money for essential academic purposes, they may have some wiggle-room when it comes to paring down your grants. But one important rule of thumb to keep in mind this that, whenever you endeavor to bargain with finaid officers, it’s important to always sound appreciative and never entitled.

Good luck with your negotiations. Let us know how you make out, and best wishes for a wonderful college career for your daughter,

Unfortunately, colleges will not officially consider your generosity when calculating financial aid awards. However, it might be helpful nonetheless to compose an explanatory letter to send to finaid offices at your child’s college (for current students … or to all the schools on the list, for prospective ones). Tell the officials exactly what you’ve told us here. In doing so, follow the Number-One Aid-Appeal Rule, which is to be sure to sound appreciative for any crumb they may deign to toss your way and never entitled to more. At many institutions, the financial aid officials do have some wiggle-room when it comes to determining your bottom line, so it won’t hurt to try this approach.

Presumably, if your church has scholarship $$$ available, you have already explored this avenue.

Good luck!