Help Fadia Finish her Master's Degree

Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted individuals,

I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. I don't do this often, but I just hit a dead end. In my pursuit of higher education, I have encountered unexpected challenges that have left me in a difficult financial situation. Let me briefly describe the problem to you. I also dive deeper into the issue later on.

Initially, I was informed that I qualified for resident tuition through the Western Region Graduate Program (WRGP), allowing me to pursue my studies without the burden of out-of-state fees. However, just two months into the program, I received an email stating that, due to a legal oversight, students on F-1 visas, like myself, were not eligible for resident tuition. This meant that after the first year, my tuition costs would increase significantly.

In search of alternatives, I explored the possibility of applying for Colorado Residency, as indicated on the school's website. I fulfilled the required criteria, such as residing in Colorado for 12 consecutive months, obtaining a driver's license, and filing income taxes. However, when I inquired about the application process, I was informed that F-1 students were ineligible for residency, contradicting the information on the website.

Here lies the problem: Throughout my time at the Colorado School of Public Health, I have struggled to find assistance. Despite my efforts to secure scholarships, I have been unsuccessful, and the job I found only covers a portion of my expenses. As an F-1 student, I am restricted to working no more than 20 hours per week during the academic year, which limits my ability to generate sufficient income to cover the nonresident tuition fees I am now facing. I currently owe the school an amount that is double what I earn in a month, leaving me in a precarious financial position.

To complete my degree, I need your support to cover expenses of only one semester. The nonresident tuition, which I will be charged, is $1,420 per credit hour and I need 10 credits for the Fall semester which brings it to $14,200.

A Brief Background about me:

My name is Fadia Chehadeh and I am an international student on F-1 student visa. I grew up in one of the smallest Palestinian refugee camps in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon with my siblings, unemployed father, and mother. Unfortunately, Lebanon does not adopt any domestic legislation that addresses the status of refugees. This means that as a refugee in Lebanon, I have absolutely no civil rights; this includes no access to healthcare, nor education. Therefore, growing up, it was always a struggle for survival in Lebanon.

So, from a young age, I made it my purpose to find a future for me and my family outside the walls of the camps.

At the age of 16, I received a scholarship to attend one of the 18 United World Colleges around the world known as the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, United Kingdom. Alone in a foreign country, I learned how to thrive and build myself from nothing. I learned how to stand up for myself and fight for what I believe in. I learned how to challenge the fear of being alone. I finished by earning the IB diploma and moving a step closer to fulfilling my promise. In 2018, I moved to the United States to attend one of the best liberal arts college in the Pacific North West, called Whitman College. After 4 years full of rich educational experience and a great community, I graduated and moved to Colorado to earn my Master degree in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology about a year ago. All of sudden, that promise is within reach.

Here is what happened:

Let me share with you what happened. About a year ago, I graduated Magna Cum Laude in Biology from Whitman College and I was lucky enough to join the Colorado School of Public Health to earn an MPH in Epidemiology.

I originally chose the school because they had told me that I qualify for resident tuition through a program called The Western Region Graduate Program (WRGP) which helps students access graduate education outside of their home state without paying the high price tag of an out-of-state education. So, since I was a "resident" of Washington State, I was able to get approved to receive this benefit, which was great news to me. Not two months into the MPH program, I receive the following email from the school:

"Earlier this spring, your WRGP eligibility through Washington state was confirmed by the Tuition Classification office. At the time of that communication, it was the understanding of this office that you could qualify for WRGP (resident) tuition classification, despite your F-1 visa status. Unfortunately, we learned yesterday through our University Legal Counsel that this decision does not align with legislation governing Colorado tuition classification, and that students on F-1 visas may not receive resident tuition, even through WRGP. We sincerely apologize for this oversight, and the significant financial change this may cause for you. Our Legal Counsel has permitted us to extend to you 1 year of resident tuition due to this administrative error. After that time, however, your status would be reverted to Nonresident, and you would be assessed the higher tuition rate. This means you may receive resident tuition for Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023. Effective Fall 2023, your status would change to Nonresident for tuition purposes, barring a change to your visa status during the Fall 2022 semester. "

I recognize that it was such a good gesture from them to give me an exception until the end of the first year of the program, but then I had to look for alternatives, keeping in mind, I was never able to land a single scholarship from this school despite the many I had applied to.

Moving forward, I went over to the Colorado School of Public Health's website, and I notice that students can apply for Colorado Residency if they meet the criteria. You can find the criteria here: https://www.cuanschutz.edu/registrar/residency/current-students#ac-domicile-criteria-1 There was not a single mention that F-1 students are ineligible for residency.

Based on what they provided on their website, I was given the idea that I am eligible for that, and that can be a way of helping me keep paying resident tuition. I stayed here for the 12 consecutive months, got my driver’s license, and filed my income tax like mentioned. I sent an email about a month ago to their office asking them a question about the application, and this is the reply I got just a few months before the start of my second year:

"Tuition classification is determined at the time of admission. Eligible nonresident students wishing to have their tuition classification reviewed may submit a Petition for Resident Tuition Classification as soon as they have met the criteria for Colorado domicile. Generally, once a student qualifies for resident status, they do not need to resubmit documentation for subsequent years in order to qualify. In your specific situation, according to our records, you currently hold an F-1 visa status. Is this accurate? If so, unfortunately, certain visa statuses (including F-1) are not eligible to establish Colorado domicile. You may recall that an administrative error was made in determining your tuition classification at the time of your admission, relative to WRGP; that communication is attached here for reference. This means you will continue to be assessed the resident rate through the end of Summer 2023. Effective Fall 2023, your tuition will automatically be assessed at the nonresident rate (barring a change in your visa status). No further residency application information is needed from you at this time, unless you wish to present new visa information or petition this status."

Here is the problem:

Despite not having any luck of landing a scholarship of the many I applied for, I managed to find a job. I was able to pay for some of my classes through the tuition assistance benefit of my job and a few thousands that I had saved up from my work-study at Whitman College. As an F-1 student, legally, I am not allowed to work over 20 hours a week during the academic year. So, what I got paid could barely covered my tuition expenses of year 1 even though it was at the resident rate. Now, since I only can be charged a nonresident rate, what I owe to the school is double what I get paid per month and what I can afford.

Coming from a refugee camp in Lebanon, my family is unable to help with any of the costs of my education that I am focused to get in order to help them get a better life than the one they are living in the camps in Lebanon. The only option I have left is your generosity. I know I am asking for a lot and it is a huge amount, but I hit a dead end and I have no one to help. I am asking you to help me pay for just the Fall semester ($14,200 excluding miscellaneous fees). I can’t apply for student loans because, again, F-1 students are not eligible to receive federal assistance. Most of the scholarships that the school shares are also for either US Citizens or permanent residents which I am neither. So, now I have hit a dead end and I don’t know how to move forward. I have been in contact with other offices on campus to ask for assistance, but everyone seems to just not see my emails. I don’t know what to do…

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Your support would be an incredible gift, lifting the burden from my shoulders and allowing me to focus on completing my degree and making a positive impact in the field of public health.

Any amount is appreciated!

Here is a breakdown of costs for your reference:

Resident tuition = $876 per credit hour

Non-resident tuition = $1,420 per credit hour (which I will be charged)

Miscellaneous fees = $300 per semester.

I have only 20 credits left to graduate which makes the amount that I owe of $28,400 but I am just asking you if you are willing to help with the Fall semester of 2023 only which is (10 credits X $1420 = $14,200).

Here the link also to confirm these costs: https://coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/cost-of-attendance