<p>It came back a little less than $4,000 this time.
Still, my parents can’t and won’t pay that :/</p>
<p>Still sounds high based on the information you have given. Remember not to include untaxed social security income. Any part of that $40,000 that is from untaxed social security (federal pension), is bnotreported for FAFSA purposes.</p>
<p>Also, the EFC is not necessarily all you are expected to pay (unless you are going to a school that meets full need without loans - usually only private and Ivy level schools promise that). The EFC is just used to determine your eligibility for federal aid. The largest federal grant is the Pell. The maximum Pell is currently $5550 for students with 0 EFCs. As the EFC goes up, the Pell goes down almost $ for $. Other than that, federal aid is loans and possibly Work Study or a small SEOG grant. The WS and SEOG depend on each school’s policies, but as a freshman, you will be eligible for $5550 in direct student loans. Any other aid depends on the school itself and possibly the State (if they offer any need based State aid).</p>
<p>Make sure you do your FAFSA early to make sure you are in line for the most aid possible.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for the help, I greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>As I mentioned, NONE of our income is taxed…so what does this mean? My EFC is 0?</p>
<p>Your parents would not have to pay that amount. With a $4000 EFC, you would be eligible for a portion of a Pell grant, about $1400. You would get the HOPE, and YOU would be able to take a $5500 direct loan in your name. Your parents have nothing to do with that, and you don’t even need their permission to take this loan.</p>
<p>Did you use the Net Price Calculator on the school website? Of not, please take the advice here and do so. It will be FAR more accurate an estimate than that ACT calculator…FAR MORE ACCURATE…as it is school specific. </p>
<p>I’m still not clear on what income you are putting on this FAFSA estimator. If it is untaxed social security income, it is NOT included. Does your family have OTHER income?</p>
<p>We have no other income other than the Social Security and retirement. I was just putting down $40K on the section of the ACT calculator that asked for "untaxed benefits (include social security). But I was putting both the SS and retirement down, so I need to put nothing down?</p>
<p>Also, I can take out the loan at seventeen? Do I have to tell them about it? Because if they know, they won’t let me go.</p>
<p>I went on the schools website (it just asked for general household income, so I selected the bracket we’re in), put in the information and this came back:</p>
<p>Estimated total grant aid:
(Includes both merit and need based aid)</p>
<p>$5,713</p>
<p>Estimated net price:
(Price of attendance minus grant aid)</p>
<p>$6,978</p>
<p>if any of the retirement income is private pension (as opposed to Federal SS pension), then that mist be reported.</p>
<p>As far as I know, Federal loans are available whatever your age. You would not necessarily have to tell your parent about them. However, you will receive periodic mailings about your loans so it is likely your parents will realize you have them pretty soon. Your parents need to understand that, if they are unwilling or unable to contribute at all to your education expenses, it is likely you will have to borrow some federal loans.</p>
<p>Yes, they are under private pension. But what would I have to list them under on the FAFSA?</p>
<p>So, I only need to list the retirement?</p>
<p>I can’t have the information sent to my college mailing address?</p>
<p>When you take out a Direct Loan, you will need to give your permanent address not your college address. To be honest, I would be up front about this with the parents. What do they want you to be doing after high school graduation? Do they want you to go to college? If so, do they understand that it isn’t free?</p>
<p>Re: income, you need to enter the pension income that is NOT untaxed social security on the FAFSA. </p>
<p>If your parent income is below a certain amount annually and they are over 70, it is very possible they are not required to file a tax return. I am not a tax expert so I do not know the numbers OR if your parents actually qualify for this. I do known that my mom didn’t have to file taxes the last six years she was alive…her SS and pension incomes combined were below that threshold.</p>
<p>have you considered agnes scott college; a small liberal arts womens college in Decatur, ga. they give very generous need based aid and are SAT optional</p>
<p>One huge problem you may run into is that I think it’s possible your parents *should *be filing a tax return. Their total income is well over the cutoff for not being required to file one. Even if the social security pension is ultimately deemed not taxable because other income is low, a tax return is still required to be completed to show this. (my husband is also 70 and retired and receiving his SS pension and we have had a similar income some years - we did have to do a tax return every year). If they should be filing a return and do not, you will not be eligible for any federal aid at all. Your parents need to check into this with a tax accountant. They probably will not owe any taxes, but not filing will make a huge difference to the aid you are able to get.</p>
<p>First of all, Laurren, college is not the “do al and end all” in life. You will be 17 upon graduating, you say, so you will still be a minor under most laws. If your parents will not give you any money, and you don’t have any money, and you did not get enough scholarship money to go away to college, and you have no transportation, then you can’t go to college. It’s really as simple as that. It may not be a realistic choice for you. You can ask your parents for advice as to what you should do after graduation in this scenario. Perhaps helping out around the house, looking for jobs where someone can give your rides to their place and doing cleaning, yard work, baby sitting, tutoring, ironing, can get you out if you truly have no access to a car.</p>
<p>You can look for a friend or relative that will take you in for an extended visit when you turn 18 and use that as a springboard for starting a life on your own. Once you are 18, you can join the military. So you can plan for when you can legally leave and get your ducks in a row.</p>
<p>College is not for everyone. It is an unfortunate fact of life that it is up to your parent’s willingness to support whatyou want that gives you college choices. If they refuse to fill out the financial aid forms, refuse or cannot pay for anything, will not provide transportation when you are far from work and school opportunities, that is up to them. When you become 18 and are an adult, you can leave that scenario.</p>
<p>If your parents are in the situation as you describe it and will let you use their financial information, then you probably qualify for some PELL money, state money (HOPE) and you can borrow $5500 on your own even without their cooperation. If your parents are not required to pay income tax and not required to file, you can state that. If it turns out that they are and they have not, it’s going to cause a hold up of your financial aid. But you can give the paper work your best shot.</p>
<p>As you are in school, you probably see kids getting cars from their parents and other things. Don’t know what your parents gave you, but you say you don’t have a car. Well, school is pretty much like that car. If your parents don’t give you one, you have to go out and get it yourself. You have to find a place to live, find a job and try to get on your own two feet if your parents are not going to help you that way. And many parents don’t. Most college bound students do have parents not only helping them in that venture but pushing them along, so, yes, it is not fair, and hurts when you don’t have parents like that. But they have fed you, clothed you, and given you your three squares. There are some who are negligent in that respect, abuse and harm their kids too. All luck of the draw. </p>
<p>I wish there were some magic place to refer you to, and it’ll take care of everything for you, but it doesn not work that way.</p>
<p>It’s not that my parents won’t support my going to college or help me, it’s that they don’t have the money to and they don’t want me to take out loans to hold me back in the future.</p>
<p>They’d NEVER approve of my enlisting in the military, and I’d be COMPLETELY cut off.</p>
<p>But thank you very much.</p>
<p>The military is only one option, and since they don’t have any money, and live somewhere that you can’t find work or get access to a job or school since they don’t have a car you can consistently use, I’m not sure what they’d cut off. You can stay at home and take care of them, I guess. But seriously, if they don’t have the money, they don’t want you to take out any loans, who is going to pay for you? What do they think is going to happen if you don’t find some answers. No one is likely to pay for you.</p>
<p>I suggest you look at the thread put together some years ago by Momfromtexas and use her search methods for finding some full ride scholarships. But likely, you and/or your parents won’t like that venue either. It’s a matter of finding those schools where you will be a top student that will pay your way, many of them in out of the way places. </p>
<p>There are really only so many alternatives out there that will pay you. And you say that it’s not thay your parents won’t support or help you—well they can by approving and encouraging the best options you have.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This isn’t true. For two people over 65, married filing jointly, gross income has to be over $21,300 to be required to file. Social security isn’t included for most people in this gross income test. Chart A on page 8 here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040.pdf[/url]”>http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040.pdf</a></p>
<p>The note on gross income says: </p>
<p>Do not include any social security benefits unless (a) you are married filing a separate return and you lived with your spouse at any time in 2011 or (b) one-half of your social security benefits plus your other gross income and any tax-exempt interest is more than $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly).</p>
<p>So for example, if they are getting $30,000 social security and $10,000 pension, $15000 + $10000 is less than $32,000.</p>
<p>oops - Your probably right annoying Dad. I wasn’t taking into account that our social security/other income balance is probably quite different to the OP as only my husband has SS pension.</p>
<p>Lauren, look under simplified means and automatic zero for FAFSA EFC and see if you qualify for that. A zero EFC would give you $5550 for college. You , on your own, can take out $5500 in loans, some of it possible subsidized for freshman year. THat with the $2K that HOPE kicks in, might get you a good start at a college, if not for the fall semester, for the spring, as fall awards are cut in half for two semester but the spring one is not in some series. Once at a college, it would be up to you to find a job to pay for what is left in the cost. If you go locally, see what your Cost of Attendance will be, and if there are funs available, given these sources to buy a car letting you commute.</p>
<p>This situation is, by the way, classic of what I would hope to address if state money were used to make it possible for every and any student to be able to go to college. There are students who are not near enough to a state program to be able to commute when no public transportation and no car is available for use. Buying a car is not an inexpensive move. The woman who cuts my hair ran into this situation when two of hers ended up in two separate schools when the older one finished at a cc and wanted to continue for a degree. They shared a car, they worked, they were at the end of what they could afford, and they needed another source of transportation in the mix. The solutions were thoroughly unsatisfactory. ANd I am in the Mecca of public transportation.</p>
<p>Laurren, I hope you are also applying to the other school you mentioned because if they have merit aid, or other scholarships, they may be in a better position to offer you support.</p>
<p>Are your parents willing to file a tax return so that you can actually apply for FA?</p>
<p>Also, thinking outside the box a bit. The suggestion for Agnes Scott is a good one. It’s a wonderful school. They don’t have animal science and while that is ideal, there are just not that many schools with that major. Most college degrees have general education requirements- history, math, English, foreign language and pre-vet has some basic ones like biology, chemistry, statistics. These can be taken at about any university. Do you have any other options to get these classes? The hands on animal experience- which you do have and need to continue can be done in summer, internships, and some requirements like animal nutrition can be taken online. This may not be your first choice for school but if it is your most affordable choice, you can make it work.</p>
<p>If college does not seem to work for this year for some reason, when you are 18 you can take a gap year- work, and save up for that car/tuition. You could move. Do you have relatives that live in your state near a college/cc? You can also retake the ACT/SAT and try to get better scores for merit aid .</p>
<p>Berry has a Bonners Scholar program that may be an option, but again, your parents need to prove their income and that may require filing taxes. I am not familiar with tax laws after retirement, but my father filed taxes long after he retired and so did my grandfather before they passed away so I wonder if there is some misunderstanding about who should file- even if they don’t owe anything.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with many of your state schools, but some may be more affordable than others and offer the basic pre-vet requirements. It’s also that contacting the school that accepted you may be able to assist you, and your parents, with a good estimate of your costs and what they need to do to file for FA. </p>
<p>Sorry this is so difficult for you.</p>
<p>It is possible that the parents did not need to file tax returns. If and when selected for FAFSA verification, if the that is the case, there will be a request for certain info such as the social security and pension year end forms. </p>
<p>The issue that the OP is facing is not a college issue so much as a “next step after graduation” issue. Even if the student were not even thinking about college, when she graduates high school, if she lives in a home where no public transportaion is available, no car or ride is available to her and there are no jobs within walking distance, what she is to do next becomes an issue. To find job, one ofen has to go to where they are offering them and most jobs require that you go on site regularly. So let’s say, the OP needs to take a gap year or two, or three or doesn’t want to go to college. What will she do once she is off the school bus route, in terms of finding a job? </p>
<p>Suggestions range to Americorp, Job Corp programs, living with friends/relatives that live where there are jobs and access to public transportation.</p>
<p>To expect a college and for college funds to address this basic issue is a stretch, I would say, and in most cases it will not. </p>
<p>In this student’s case, given her info, it looks like, between PELL, State money, and Stafford Loans, she might be able to go to school at least during second semester when all of the funds can be applied to one term. If there is absolutely not a red cent more that can be applied (really the gap needed to be filled) between the first semester costs and 1/2 of the federal,state entitlements and what any given college gives, than the student can’t afford to go to college. Or if the EFC should turn out to be $6K and no PELL money be out there for the student. Of course, if the student finds a school that will ante up the money, that’s a whole other thing. Look at Berea College, Antioch, Indiania U of PA and some local/state programs. There are also some very low cost colleges in the US that may work out. If the OP is PELL eligibe, maybe between that and the Staffords, a school can be found.</p>
<p>If not, the student needs to address what her next step is going to be even without college if living at home is what she wants to do. No one is going to snap up a car for her or commit to being her chaffeur.</p>
<p>My parents are very supportive and willing to help me in any way, they just don’t have the money to send me to college.</p>
<p>Since everyone said do not include your social security, the retirement (pension) is $24,000 a year.</p>
<p>I have no relatives that I actually know. The last time I saw one was about seven years ago.</p>
<p>I calculated everything, and it’s going to be right at $8,000 per year (not including books) for my tuition, meals, room, etc.</p>