FAFSA asking for US high school completion status with international A-levels - no option fits!

Hi there! This is a common confusion for international students. Your A-levels are equivalent to a US high school diploma, so you should select 'high school diploma' on the FAFSA. The system doesn't distinguish between US and international diplomas at this stage. You'll have a chance to note that your education was completed abroad elsewhere in the application or when you submit documentation to your schools.

I actually went through this exact same thing with my International Baccalaureate diploma from Switzerland! I selected 'high school diploma' and didn't have any issues. The colleges I applied to asked for my credential evaluation separately, but the FAFSA itself just needs to know you completed secondary education.

select none of the above. my freind did a levels from india and she got flagged for verification when she put hs diploma. took her 3 months to fix everything and almost lost her finacial aid packet!!!

Select 'high school diploma' - that's the correct answer. The FAFSA isn't concerned with the country where you earned your diploma, just that you have one. I've been helping international students with FAFSA for years, and this is a standard selection for A-level completers. However, be prepared that you might get selected for verification - not because you did anything wrong, but because international students often get flagged for extra review. Have your A-level certificates ready and any official translations if they're not in English.

I've dealt with this situation for years in college financial aid. Select 'high school diploma' - A-levels are equivalent to a diploma for US admission purposes. However, be aware that as an international student, you may face additional challenges with your FAFSA application beyond this question. Have you been able to reach Federal Student Aid to discuss your specific situation? Many international students struggle with getting personalized help. If you're having trouble getting through on the phone, you might want to try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I've recommended it to many of my international students - it helps you get through to an actual FSA agent without the endless wait times. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

just curious but why r u even filling out fafsa with international credentials? arent u only eligible for federal aid if ur a us citizen or eligible noncitizen? the whole thing is confusing af lol

I'm in almost the same situation but with an IB diploma from Germany. I put 'high school diploma' and got selected for verification. It wasn't a big deal though - I just had to send in my diploma and transcript with an explanation letter. The verification resolved in about 3 weeks and my SAI calculation wasn't affected. One thing I wish I'd known earlier: make sure you're calculating your GPA correctly on the application if they ask for it. The US 4.0 scale is different from how grades work in many other countries, and that caused me some headaches!

One more thing to keep in mind - when you submit your FAFSA, also reach out to the financial aid offices at the schools you're applying to. Let them know about your international education background. Most schools have experience with international credentials and can note your file. This proactive approach can sometimes help avoid verification delays.

Based on the follow-up questions, I want to clarify a few things: 1. For credential evaluations: Many US universities will do this in-house if your A-levels are from a recognized examining board (Cambridge, Edexcel, etc.). Some may require you to use a third-party evaluation service like WES or ECE. Check with each university's international admissions page. 2. For verification preparation: Keep digital copies of ALL your certificates, transcripts, and score reports. Also have documentation of your US citizenship status ready (passport, birth certificate, etc.) since you're a US citizen who studied abroad. 3. For contacting schools: Email them now, don't wait. Explain your situation and ask if they need any additional documentation from you given your international education background.

I went through this exact situation last year with my A-levels from the UK! I was also a US citizen who studied abroad and was super confused about this question. I ended up selecting "high school diploma" after speaking with a FSA representative, and it worked out fine. Just wanted to add that if you do get selected for verification (which I did), make sure you have your A-level certificates scanned and ready to upload. The financial aid office at my university was really helpful - they knew exactly what A-levels were and processed my verification quickly. Don't stress too much about it! The system is designed to handle international credentials from US citizens studying abroad. One tip: when you email your schools, mention that you're a US citizen with international credentials right in the subject line. It helps them route your email to the right person who has experience with these situations.

I'm actually in a similar situation - I'm a US citizen who completed my A-levels in Australia and I was panicking about this same question! After reading through all these responses, I feel so much better. I was leaning toward "none of the above" because I thought it might be more "honest" but it sounds like "high school diploma" is definitely the right choice. One thing I wanted to add - I called my top choice university's financial aid office yesterday and they confirmed that A-levels are treated as equivalent to a US high school diploma for FAFSA purposes. They also mentioned that they see this situation pretty regularly with US citizens who studied abroad, so we're not alone in this! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating these confusing situations!

As someone who works in university admissions, I can confirm that selecting "high school diploma" is absolutely the correct choice for A-levels. The FAFSA question is asking about your completion status, not the geographic location where you completed your studies. I've processed hundreds of applications from US citizens with international credentials, and this is such a common situation that we have standard procedures for handling it. A few additional tips from the admissions side: 1. When universities receive your FAFSA, we can see that you're a US citizen, so international credentials combined with citizenship status actually makes perfect sense to us. 2. If you get selected for verification, don't panic - it's often random and not because anything looks suspicious about your application. 3. Most universities have relationships with credential evaluation services, but for A-levels from recognized boards, we typically don't require third-party evaluations since they're well-understood qualifications. You're handling this exactly right by asking questions and being thorough. Best of luck with your applications!

I just wanted to jump in and say how grateful I am for this entire discussion! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels abroad (in Singapore) and was completely lost on this question. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful - especially hearing from actual admissions professionals and people who've successfully navigated this exact situation. One thing that really stands out to me is how consistent the advice has been: select "high school diploma" and don't overthink it. I was definitely overthinking it and considering "none of the above" because I wanted to be super precise, but it sounds like that would actually be the wrong choice. I'm also taking notes on all the practical tips about gathering documents, contacting schools proactively, and being prepared for potential verification. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences! It's made what felt like an impossible decision into a clear path forward.

This entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also a US citizen who completed my education internationally (A-levels in Malaysia), and I was really struggling with this same question on my FAFSA. What really sealed it for me was reading the admissions professional's explanation about how the question is asking about completion status, not geographic location. That distinction makes everything so much clearer! I was getting caught up in technicalities when the answer is actually straightforward. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice about being proactive with my schools and having all my documents ready in case I get selected for verification. It's so reassuring to know that this situation is actually pretty common and that universities have standard procedures for handling it. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - especially those who went through verification successfully. This community has turned what felt like a major roadblock into a manageable step in the process!

As someone who just went through this exact same situation with my A-levels from Canada, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences! I was literally stressing out about this question for weeks, going back and forth between "high school diploma" and "none of the above." What really helped me make the decision was realizing that the FAFSA system is designed to be straightforward - they want to know if you completed secondary education equivalent to a US high school diploma, which A-levels absolutely are. I ended up selecting "high school diploma" and my FAFSA processed without any issues. For anyone else in this situation, I'd definitely recommend keeping digital copies of all your A-level certificates and results readily available. Even though I didn't get selected for verification, having everything organized gave me peace of mind throughout the process. It's so reassuring to see how many US citizens with international credentials are successfully navigating this! This thread has been invaluable - thank you all for creating such a supportive space to discuss these confusing aspects of the FAFSA process.

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels internationally (in Dubai) and I've been losing sleep over this exact FAFSA question for the past week. Reading everyone's experiences - especially from those who successfully went through the process and the admissions professional who confirmed the correct approach - has given me so much clarity and peace of mind. The key insight about this being a completion status question rather than a geographic one really makes everything click into place. I love how supportive this community is! Seeing so many people in similar situations helping each other navigate these confusing aspects of financial aid applications is really heartwarming. I'm definitely going to follow all the practical advice shared here: selecting "high school diploma," gathering my documents proactively, and reaching out to my universities to give them a heads up about my international credentials. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and knowledge - you've turned what felt like an insurmountable obstacle into a clear, manageable step in my application process!

This entire discussion has been such a lifesaver! I'm another US citizen who completed A-levels abroad (in the Netherlands) and I was genuinely considering not submitting my FAFSA because I was so confused and stressed about this question. What strikes me most is how universal this confusion seems to be among US citizens with international credentials, yet how consistent and clear the solution actually is once you understand it. The distinction between "completion status" versus "geographic location" that the admissions professional mentioned really is the key to understanding why "high school diploma" is correct. I also really appreciate all the practical tips shared here - from keeping documents organized, to contacting schools proactively, to being mentally prepared for possible verification. It's clear that this situation is much more common than I initially thought, and universities have established processes for handling it. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who took the time to come back and update us on how their verification processes went. This community support has transformed what felt like an impossible barrier into just another step in the application process. I'm finally ready to complete my FAFSA with confidence!

Wow, this thread has been absolutely amazing to read through! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels internationally (mine were in Thailand) and I've been stressing about this exact same FAFSA question for weeks. What really helped me was seeing the consistency in everyone's advice - from people who've successfully gone through the process to actual admissions professionals. The key insight about this being a "completion status" question rather than asking about geographic location really makes it all click into place. I was getting way too caught up in trying to be technically precise when the straightforward answer is actually correct. I'm so grateful for everyone who shared their verification experiences too - knowing that it's a common situation that universities handle regularly makes it feel much less scary if I do get selected. I'm definitely going to follow all the practical advice shared here about gathering documents and contacting my schools proactively. This community is incredible! You've all turned what felt like an impossible obstacle into a manageable step. I finally feel confident about selecting "high school diploma" and moving forward with my FAFSA. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion - especially those who came back to share how their processes turned out!

This thread has been such a goldmine of information! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels internationally (mine in Japan) and I was having the exact same panic about this FAFSA question. I kept going in circles between "high school diploma" and "none of the above" because I wanted to be completely accurate. What really sealed it for me was the admissions professional's explanation about completion status versus geographic location - that distinction makes everything so crystal clear! I was definitely overthinking it and getting caught up in technicalities when the answer is actually straightforward. I'm also really grateful for all the practical tips everyone shared about document preparation and being proactive with schools. It's so reassuring to know that this situation is common enough that universities have standard procedures for handling it. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences, especially those who came back to update us on their verification outcomes. This community support has been incredible - you've transformed what felt like an impossible roadblock into just another manageable step in the application process. I finally feel confident about selecting "high school diploma" and moving forward with my FAFSA!