Generally, it’s a lot easier to get financial aid for college if you are a US citizen. There are very few scholarships, grants, or student loans that are available to foreigners.
I have not scoured Occy website regarding scholarships, and that would would likely be waste of time as he attended years ago. However, in a quick google, I found a website listing with many schools offering various forms of financial aid to foreign students—up to 450. This was one search on google:
http://www.edupass.org/finaid/undergraduate.phtml
As far as aid goes today, many states universities are waiving out-of-state tuition for illegal immigrants—that is a scholarship! In fact, that is the same scholarship that is offered to many out-of-state students wishing to attend state schools in states other than their own. Usually, good grades (B or better are required for these. These waivers are considered scholarships. How do I know about this? My 3 children went to out-of-state schools on these waivers.
Regarding the past when barry would have attended, in the late 70s and early 80’s, I worked at a flagship STATE university (Big 10/Super 12-sized school). I helped foreign students with their admissions to graduate school. In my experience, foreign students routinely had their out-of-state tuition waived if they could show $500/month support. Some sort of loophole! At that time there was a push for Detante and diplomacy and a theory that if we allowed foreign students to attend our universities, we would be making future connections for when these students would be leading their countries, etc. Perhaps these waivers don’t exist today, eh perhaps they do. But more importantly,
They did exist. so yes there were (and likely still are) scholarships for foreign students. As Occidental is an expensive private school, they can structure scholarships however they wish. Of course barry would try to maximize his tuition dollars—if he could come in as foreign student and save money, why wouldn’t he? If they had waivers at state schools, I would be very surprised if they did not exist at expensive private schools.
I think it is very plausible.
I should add that I don’t know if he was born in HI or not, but I am just saying that he may have had financial incentive to register as a foreign student.
BTW, are you aware that his mother registered him as a muslim in Indonesia at an elementary school—as they required a religious declaration on the application. That was reported on by a Chicago Sun Times reporter before his files were all locked down—it may have been when he was running for US Senate.
Yes, there is some aid available to foreign students, but it's much easier to get aid if you are a US citizen or permanent resident. Ask any college counselor.
As far as aid goes today, many states universities are waiving out-of-state tuition for illegal immigrants—that is a scholarship!
True enough, but that only applies to state schools. The colleges that Obama attended, Occidental and Columbia, are private.
As Occidental is an expensive private school, they can structure scholarships however they wish. Of course barry would try to maximize his tuition dollars—if he could come in as foreign student and save money, why wouldn’t he?
Because it most likely would have been easier for him to get aid as a US citizen than as a foreigner. The majority of financial aid programs, even at private collages, are subsidized by the Federal government and are only available to US citizens and permanent residents. Here's occidental's current handbook:
http://departments.oxy.edu/finaid/CMSLIVE/Oxy%20Handbook%2010-11.pdf
If you scroll down to page 8. You'll see that around half the scholarships and grants that are available are from Federal programs, which are all closed to foreigners. The rest are available to both citizens and foreigners.
This was no different in 1980. If anything, it was even harder back then for a foreigner to get aid.