<p>I'm currently attending a community college and I would like to know if there is any way for me to get benefits or aid for being a minor who's attending college.</p>
<p>Every time I search on google it just gives me a list of minors for whatever college, and I can't find anything for people under 18 attending college...</p>
<p>If you have'nt graduated high school many districts have concurrent enrollment and will cover your tuition. If you took a GED to be admitted then you would look for same aid as as everyone else.
FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans</p>
<p>Well I was asking because one would think that if you weren't even old enough to have a drivers license or be hired for most jobs, you'd be a bit disadvantaged.</p>
<p>I was hoping someone had thought of aiding young students for this reason. =/</p>
<p>If you are attending college as a degree eligible candidate (that is not concurrent enrollment while you are in high school) then you apply for financial aid by filing FAFSA just like any student. Your eligibility will be based on your family financial situation.</p>
<p>I do not believe it matters how old you are when applying for financial aid in college. You fill out the necessary financial aid application forms (FAFSA in almost all cases, Profile in some). There are many college freshmen, for example, who are only 17 when they matriculate. The do not have any advantage in the financial aid process. They are college freshmen, just like a 20 year old first year student. No difference.</p>
<p>Well darn... I wasn't asking because I just graduated High School and I'm still 17.</p>
<p>I didn't graduate High School, I tested out early. I'm only 16, and I was 15 last semester. That's more of what I had in mind. Guess it doesn't happen often enough for anyone to care though. -_-</p>
<p>Technik...it doesn't matter how old you are when you enter college. If you are a matriculated student, the financial aid process works the same way for you as for any other matriculated student. It's not that no one cares. It's that the student's AGE is not a factor in the financial aid equation.</p>
<p>technick</p>
<p>I think one of the reasons it is not as common as it was when I was in HS (and yes I did test out early) is because high school students now have opportunities to do college level work while still in high school (AP, IB, dual enrollment) Many students who may be eligible to start college at an earlier age choose these less expensive options of earning college credits. Although, in my son's high school they have a bridge program that allows them to take both classes at the high school and classes at the community college, and there is no discount for those classes. </p>
<p>So basically, I don't think that your ability is unique, as there are many very, very bright students. Instead, I think that your choice is unique but not necessarily one that warrants aid.</p>
<p>Alright... I disagree, but it's not really relevant to this thread. Well, I guess I'll just go look for more scholarships. Oh, that reminds me, I'm excluded from many scholarships because I'm under 18 but not enrolled in high school.</p>
<p>In retrospect, I probably should have made a note that I was looking for scholarships more than Financial Aid, per se.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I didn't graduate High School, I tested out early.>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Does this mean you took a GED exam, but do not hold a high school diploma?</p>
<p>No, I took the California High School Proficiency Exam (really long... and no one knows about it), which is legally a high school diploma.</p>
<p>technik, Basically, you short-changed yourself. Had you dual-enrolled, you would still be considered a high school student and be eligible for those scholarships. The one scholarship I know of that's available to comm college students is the Gates if you happen to qualify.</p>
<p>My school district was extremely reluctant to let ANYONE do concurrent enrollment, and I was limited in what I could take. I decided to test out because I'd rather be disadvantaged at college than be in high school bored out of my skull & getting trouble for being outspoken and "difficult". Trust me, there are plenty of reasons I decided to test out early, but that's a different story.</p>
<p>That's still besides the point though, I was just asking if anyone knew of any scholarships specifically for people under 17 who are currently attending college.</p>
<p>teknik: I know about the Profiency exam, because my son took it. And the problem we had was that had he left school after passing it, he'd have lost his California perk of being able to take college classes for free at the community college level. All California high school students are allowed to take courses for free, but only as long as they are enrolled in a high school. You can do it at night even if not during the day, and we were even able to get the college to allow him to do it when his school was refusing, after he became a junior. </p>
<p>But as you recognize now, once you leave high school, you can't get that free tuition perk, but you can have problems getting other aid. So, unfortunately, the CHSPE can sort of cause you problems that way. </p>
<p>Have you considered declaring yourself homeschooled? That's what was suggested to us. If your parent is willing to sign your paperwork, you can basically declare yourself still a high school student, and have your parent sign the paperwork for the community college. That's the workaround that was explained to us. There is some additional paperwork involved, but it would get free tuition and you'd be able to take a full courseload at college that way, until you "graduated" or turned 18, I think.</p>
<p>Edit: OH, and the other thing, that coursework has to be for high school credit, I think. You'd have to check into it, but I think there's a limit you can take for college credit at the free level. But again, there is a workaround.</p>
<p>Thumper1: There's actually a different situation for the OP, which I've commented about. Basically, a student in California can take college coursework for free, and there are California state students who take <em>all</em> their "high school" coursework at junior colleges. The test he's talking about is a legally accepted means to test out of high school in California. Google "CHSPE". You are eligible when you turn 16, you have to be enrolled in high school to take it, and if you pass it, you get a certificate that all California colleges and universities must accept as equal to a HS diploma. It's different from a GED because it's shorter, can be taken before age 18, and requires being enrolled in high school. (You can only take the GED if you are NOT in high school.) </p>
<p>My son took the CHSPE because he was applying to college a year early, and his high school was flat out refusing early graduation, citing a rule that all students had to attend 4 years of courses <em>at that school</em> in order to earn a diploma from the school. Even though he'd have completed the coursework, he had done it in less than 4 years. Complicated.</p>
<p>Complicated indeed...</p>
<p>So am I correct in assuming that there are probably zero scholarships targeted at people under 17 that are currently enrolled in college?</p>
<p>Unless it's for orphans or something, no. Scholarships aren't going to be based on age, with the exception of some non-traditional student scholarships for returning students. But if you're in college, you can compete for the same scholarships as everyone else.</p>
<p>Trin sums it up well. As a college student, you are eligible to apply for any scholarship your college has to offer. Age doesnt matter at all. I suspect you are asking about outside scholarships. If it says you "must be a high school graduate", you might want to write or call the agency offering the scholarship and explain your situation. Maybe they will see that this is the same as graduating from high school. If you are applying for scholarships that are for students who have graduated from "Your High School", then you would not qualify...because you didn't.</p>
<p>Well that sucks. Alright then, back to searching for scholarships and waiting for Cal Grant... Thanks for helping.</p>
<p>By the way, if the scholarship is offered in California -- like it's a company or agency here -- then I think they also have to accept the CHSPE as equal to a diploma, by state law. Go check it out at the CHPSE website, technik.</p>