<p>after about 5 years of my parents being unemployed, they both finally have jobs that make about $50,000 a year. they both owe a lot of debt and will not help me for college. i was able to afford this year of college off of pell grants and student loans. for next year, i won't qualify for any financial assistance. </p>
<p>i am seriously considering purposely getting my self into a situation where i am "homeless" so i can declare myself as an independent and be able to qualify for more pell grants/loans. is there anything wrong about this plan, besides that fact that it is immoral.</p>
<p>also, i come from a lower class family and have been poor most of my life. i have been on food stamps before. it is only recently that both my parents have found good jobs.</p>
<p>You may not qualify for Pell, but provided you file the FAFSA, you will qualify for student loans. Before you do something crazy, go sit down with the people in the financial aid office, and find out what your options really are.</p>
<p>I seem to remember that you had so issues with who your custodial parent was, and verification, all not too long ago. So I guess you got that cleared up, were able to claim your father as a custodial parent and then get some PELL money. How much did you get, how much are we talking about here? You are going to a community college, working, getting loans and at lest some PELL, and living with whom, where? If you are living with a parent, with what most community college costs, your traveling, books and sundries expenses should be doable with a part time job and the DIrect loan.</p>
<p>As Happymomof1 has suggested, make an appt with the financial aid office and find out exactly what options you have. Then make your decisions as to what to do next.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse btw my parents never actually legally divorced, and my brother is enrolling for college too, so it worked out ok. right now i am living with my mom.</p>
<p>i am going to talk with a financial adviser but i was also thinking about this. or joining the air force or something like that.</p>
<p>Are your parents separated? Divorce is not the only criterion, separation, like living in separate addresses means using the custodial parent’s finances on FAFSA. With two in college, the custodial parent’s EFC (if the same parent) will be cut in half. Custodial parent is the one with whom the student lived with the most in the 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA. It is often wise to make sure that the custodial parent you pick is the beneficial one that way, if it’s close as to the same as to how much time you live with each of them. </p>
<p>How much does your community college cost? Living at home means, tuition, fees, books, supplies, and commuting fees are what you need to pay. You know what you can borrow as a full time student from Direct Loans, and most students do have to work as well. </p>
<p>Be very careful about what you decide to do regarding the homeless situation. To pretend to be when you are not is tantamount to fraud and this is a federal form you are talking about. Ethics is an important thing in life and to start down this kind of a path…well, I won’t preach, I think you know what I mean. I don’t think you are going to get any adult here that will tell you to do this just to get financial aid. The provision is included as a failsafe option for those who truly have problems.</p>
<p>Probably the simplest method for you to become an independent is to enroll in a combined bachelor’s/master’s program if your school offers one. Any student enrolled in a master’s program is treated as independent for FA.</p>
<p>Also, if you gave a significant amount of financial assistance to your parents while they were unemployed, you might be able to claim them as <em>your</em> dependents and thereby claim independent status for yourself.</p>
<p>Definitely talk to your school’s FA officer about these, and any other options they can propose.</p>
<p>How many times does it need to be repeated? Dependent status for tax purposes and dependent status for purposes of financial aid are NOT the same thing.</p>
<p>i’m not going to commit fraud, i would actually live homeless for a while. i have a friend who is usually homeless and he stays in youth shelters and stays at friends houses. i have a car i can stay in too.</p>
<p>my parents live in the same house, but they aren’t going to stay together.</p>
<p>This student is talking about NOW which implies to me that he/she is getting prepared for the 2014-2015 FAFSA. That will be based on the 2013 tax year. If the parents now have jobs that pay $50k each…I’d have trouble trying to know how a student would be able to provide half of their support. That student would have needed very significant income to do so…and that student income would also need to be reported on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>The most important thing to do when applying for financial aid is to be HONEST. If your family financial situation has improved, then so be it. You have to report what it IS.</p>
<p>I’m not sure becoming “homeless” when your family has a home is going to benefit you at all. You just can’t decide to “make yourself homeless” when your parents HAVE a home.</p>
<p>The “homeless” claim requires verification … but you are actually too old to be declared automatically independent due to homelessness, anyway. At your age, it requires a dependency override from the financial aid officer (who will surely request documentation). You won’t be able be independent due to supporting your parents, because you are their dependent for aid purposes regardless of whether or not they could/did support you (or the other way around).</p>
<p>Sorry … you are dependent for aid purposes. No way around it.</p>
<p>Why would you choose to take the space in a homeless shelter from someone who may not have any other options, just so you can qualify for more money?</p>
<p>If your parents just got these well-paying jobs, chances are that whoever is your custodial parent for FAFSA won’t have all that much income for 2013. Remember the aid is based on the taxes which are based on the income over the 12 months of 2013, not on the projected 12 month salary. Do the math: X months x $Y = $Z. $Z is what the income tax, and the FAFSA will be calculated from.</p>