<p>I have recently become a US permanent resident which now makes me eligible for Pell Grant. I am finishing my last semester in a community college where I will receive my AA in and then I am transferring to a university. I have never failed a class, my GPA is 3.50+, I have never been convicted of anything. Oh and my major is Computer Science.</p>
<p>However, since I wasn't allowed to work before, I never worked in US (except a part time job I am currently holding on-campus). My parents who live in Europe pay for my food and rent.</p>
<p>So, this is my question now: am I eligible to get a Pell Grant even if I'm unemployed? I read online that students need to show the need... well, I am unemployed, so what greater need is there? I have of course started looking for a job and will continue to do so, but if I don't find any, will I be eligible for a Pell Grant? And if yes, will I get the maximum to pay the tuition? The tuition is $6k and maximum is $5.5k but my parents will help me pay the rest.</p>
<p>How old are you? If you’re under 24, then you have to include your parents income on FAFSA. That will determine if you have need.</p>
<p>Most students don’t have much/any income because their parents are supporting them…just like yours are.</p>
<p>So, much will depend on how much your parents earn if you’re under 24.</p>
<p>If your parents have been paying for your tuition, rent, food, etc, while you’re in the US, then their income may be too high to qualify for a Pell Grant.</p>
<p>Well, as income for the last year I put 0,00 and it says I’m entitled to $5,645, then I tried again and I wrote $1,400 (because I assume I will earn this much in the on-campus part-time job that I have in my college) and it said the same, $5,645.</p>
<p>So, that means I will be entitled to that, right? There was no line to enter my father’s salary, though.</p>
<p>Yes, there is a place to enter your parents’ income. you put their income in the PARENTS section.</p>
<p>“I am 21. My parents live in Europe though, they are not permanent residents, do I still need to provide their income?”</p>
<p>Of course you do. Just because your parents aren’t Americans and don’t live here doesn’t mean that you don’t use their income.</p>
<p>Your parents info goes in the parent section.</p>
<p>You’ve filled out FAFSA wrong. You put that you’re an independent student and that’s wrong. You need to fix that otherwise your school will come back and demand that money back.</p>
<p>You aren’t entitled to that money unless your parents are low income, which it doesn’t sound like they are. You have to include your parents income just like everyone else your age HAS to do.</p>
<p>But, really, Daniel, your parents don’t live in this country . . . so that should exempt you from a requirement imposed on every other young person who applies for the Pell grant?</p>
<p>It sounds like parental income won’t impact your eligibility for assistance, so it really shouldn’t matter. But why would you want to start out your new life here by providing false info on your financial aid application???</p>
<p>Parent income and assets will have to be reported. $10k is low income. </p>
<p>If the OP is verified, it is likely the school may inquire into how the OP has been supporting himself with a parent income that low and no income of his own.</p>
<p>And that parental income will have to be verified. Obviously, the IRS retrieval tool won’t be an option, but the fin aid office will ask for some proof that the numbers you’ve provided are accurate. Given that 10K is very low income, expect a few raised eyebrows because you’re claiming it fully supports two households – pays your expenses here and your parents’ expenses in Europe.</p>
<p>I saw that claim about parent income and found that unbelievable based on the fact that for this student to have had an education visa and his parents paying for his education as he stated.</p>
<p>the student has low earnings and to get a visa, he has to show that he has all costs covered. Likely, his parents were the ones who showed that he had those costs covered and they’ve been paying for him while he waited for his green card. </p>
<p>Besides, doesn’t a person have to show that they won’t be a financial burden on the US in order to GET a green card?? By what means was he able to show that?</p>
<p>My parents who live in Europe pay for my food and rent.</p>
<p>How are his parents paying for food and rent in the US if they only earn $10k per year? </p>
<p>Something doesn’t sound right.</p>
<p>And…it seems weird that a person who has little to no income could even get a green card, a person who’s paid little to no taxes (and neither has his parents), to suddenly qualify for a bunch of money from US taxpayers. How nutty is that???</p>
<p>You guys seem to think that I’m lying or something. I never said I don’t want to include my parents’ income, I just didn’t see the part on that website, I only saw a part that asked how much I earned, don’t be so quick to assume or judge. And I asked because I could never use my parents’ income for anything else (like when I was looking for an apartment to live) JUST because they don’t live here, so why the attack, this is the first time I am checking for financial aid information, I literally don’t know anything about it so I just came here to check some info.</p>
<p>And all those other information, well, for my student visa my uncle helped me and for my green card, my friend signed the affidavit of support, learn the immigration laws before assuming or judging, I came here for information and I see that I’m getting attacked, jesus christ, nobody is trying anything, I’m trying to check if I am entitled to a grant, if not, I will then try to get info if I would be entitled to a loan… and if not, then I guess I won’t be able to continue my education in a university to get my Bachelor’s… would you be satisfied then?</p>
<p>And of course I’ll provide them any proof that they’ll require.</p>
<p>Edit: I went again and checked the FAFSA4caster again and I still didn’t see a section of including parents’ income.</p>
<p>while yes, you are 21 and you consider your self an independent student, making your own way, for financial aid purposes, you are not an independent student. The school will require the income/assets of your parents. Being self employed can be tricky because you know that your parents don’t make a lot of money. However, the college may not see it that way. </p>
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<p>actually monies paid on your behalf; whoever is paying your rent, whoever has paid for you to attend school this year has to be included on the FAFSA as monies paid on your behalf.</p>
<p>The challenge that everyone is trying to tell you is that with your parents making 10k a year and you saying that you virtually have no income, this is automatically going to prompt a low income verification. You are going to have to prove, how you eat every day and how you keep a roof over your head. These monies will be used to determine your eligibility for aid.</p>
<p>Daniel…it is possible that you answered a dependency question incorrectly and the parent section did not appear. The most common mistake is the one about guardianship…if you answered YES to that, you might not see a parent section. But you are NOT in a guardianship…</p>
<p>Check the answers to those questions…did you answer YES to any of them? If so, which one? Probably should be NO.</p>
<p>Adding a parent income of $10,000 to your FAFSA will not likely affect your Pell grant eligibility much if any.</p>
<p>But as others have noted…housing and food costs in this country are usually in the $6000-$10,000 a year range. If your parents are paying that for you, the college will probably want to know how all the parent home expenses are being met as well…and will want some verification of that low income.</p>
<p>I just now saw the link sybbie719 provided, I was using the website that 4kidsdad provided but I will check it right now.</p>
<p>Of course I will provide verification, my father’s tax returns and all that stuff. As a side note, I made a mistake in saying 10k dollars because it’s 10k euros and euro is stronger than dollar so it will be around 13k dollars.</p>
<p>And well, my food is very bad lol, it’s basically Nutella almost everyday so I would argue I spend a lot less on food. We struggle all the time but my parents don’t pay for their rent because our country gave us a rent-free apartment (it’s what our country does for low income families and if they wouldn’t do that, I could never come here).</p>
<p>"And…it seems weird that a person who has little to no income could even get a green card, a person who’s paid little to no taxes (and neither has his parents), to suddenly qualify for a bunch of money from US taxpayers. How nutty is that??? "</p>
<p>Mom2Collegekids wrote what I was thinking, but was afraid of not being “PC”. This is one reason why our country is struggling. Can I send my 21 year old to Europe and expect government aid for college from any of those countries? I just don’t get the rationale, when we can’t even support, educate, and feed our own citizens… Good luck, OP. I just don’t enjoy paying my taxes, and health care costs, etc. Sorry. It would make much more sense if you had to show that either your family or yourself had paid at least a few years of taxes into our system first.</p>
<p>No attacks, we’re just giving you info. Forewarned is forearmed, kwim? If you can verify the very low income, yes, you’ll get full Pell, no problem, but we’re telling you that you’ll need to verify. This gives you time to get the folks’ paperwork together. No matter what the home income, once you have the green card, you’ll be able to qualify for direct loans.</p>
<p>*Mom2Collegekids wrote what I was thinking, but was afraid of not being “PC”. *</p>
<p>Ha…I need to share with you some of my Italian nerves. I’m not afraid of “not being PC” ever. lol</p>
<p>I do think this country is nuts for allowing this sort of thing to happen. The Pell Grant funds are coming from Tax-payers’ wallets…not from some mythical gov’t source. Think about the US citizens whose EFC are just beyond the Pell numbers. Their families have been contributing for YEARS and they get squat! This is ridiculous. </p>
<p>This student got a green card because some “non parent” promised to provide support. Oh yeah? where’s this “support” now that he’s got his green card and now qualifies for Pell? So ridiculous.</p>
<p>Thank you ordinarylives and everybody else.</p>
<p>As for you teachandmom, if you would know how much I love this country, you would know that I am doing everything to find a full time job and you would know that once I get it, I will pay taxes with smiles on my face unlike 99.9% of Americans which include bankers that caused the whole 2008 crisis by pressuring into removing the act that prevented to turn safes into roulettes, the movie actor millionaires, corporations like Apple that use the loopholes in the system to pay less taxes overseas. But sure, students who want to finish school and people who still believe in the greatness and opportunities of this country are everything that’s wrong with this country. Have a great day.</p>