<p>I wanna go to Canisius College, but my family wouldn't allow me to go. I know I need their info for financial aid, I'll get around that somehow though. But would be family be able to stop me from going to the college of my choice? </p>
<p>Do I need their permission to apply for a college/enroll in a college?</p>
<p>You need money to go to college. W/o their cooperation on sending FAFSA, you’re stuck. </p>
<p>“I’ll get around that somehow though”</p>
<p>Unless you hit the powerball this year, NO. </p>
<p>Frankly, repost this question on the Parents forum and get some seasoned advice there on how to speak w/your parents, perhaps to learn their objections and ease their fears or ultimately, how to bend to their wishes.</p>
<p>I agree. Needing their permission isn’t the issue. Needing their cooperation with the money is. If they have high income, or money already saved for your education, you can’t get need-based aid just because they refuse to pay for Canisius. (Really, if it worked that way, all parents would just refuse to pay!) And if they have modest or low income, you’ll need a whole lot of information about their finances in order to get need-based aid. You’ll never be able to “get around” needing their financial information for financial aid. It’s too complicated. And if they don’t file FAFSA, you won’t get financial aid.</p>
<p>If you have about $50,000 of your own money (plus money for such incidentals as toothpaste, deodorant and entertainment), you could probably go to Canisius this year without their say-so. But realize that while about $50,000 will cover this year, the cost will go up noticeably every year.</p>
<p>I know it’s very unpleasant to be in the situation you’re in, but there’s no quick or easy way out of it.</p>
<p>Are you independently wealthy? Have a rich friend or relative who will fit the bill? Otherwise you are going to need help paying for college. Federal direct loans max out at $5,500 for freshmen and doesn’t increase all that much for upper classmen. To borrow more you would need a co-signer.</p>
<p>Why are your parents so opposed to your choice, and why are you so determined to attend that particular school? Are there any Plan B schools that you can agree on?</p>
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<p>If you need their money, their information for financial aid (which you will need until you are 24, married, or a military veteran), or their signature for anything, then they have absolute veto power over your college choice.</p>
<p>If you will be 18 by the time you make the matriculation decision and find a full ride merit scholarship, they will not have any direct power over your college choice, though they can still wield power by threats to throw you out of the house.</p>
<p>Yes, unless you have a trust fund of some kind where you can get at the funds for college, or run your own very profitable business already, you need their support. What are your parents’ objections to Canisius? Where do they want you to apply instead? Will they allow you to at least apply to Canisius and other colleges as well?</p>
<p>If you’re 18, you don’t have to listen to your parents at all.</p>
<p>Proceed with caution, but good luck paying for college if your parents aren’t supportive.</p>
<p>I attended a college my parents didn’t want me to attend. I got a full merit scholarship that covered my costs, and given that I was over 18 they couldn’t stop me from going. They eventually came around, and helped me move in, and my mom even gave me a small allowance until I found an on-campus job. If you ask them now, they will both say they are very glad I went there.</p>
<p>But you have to find the funds. If they are helping you pay they have more say in you not going.</p>
<p>Why don’t your parents want you to go there? It may be that your parents have very legitimate reasons and are just concerned. (My parents were religious conservatives, and they simply didn’t want me living on campus around “bad” influences not from their own sect of Christianity. They wanted me to commute somewhere from home.)</p>
<p>Great story Juillet! </p>
<p>You should be forever the exemplar of how it should be done!</p>
<p>Bravo!</p>
<p>Come up with a good presentation on why you want to go and how that school will benefit you in the long run. Thats how my son convinced me. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you are over 18 and you can pay for it yourself, then you can go anywhere you want to.</p>
<p>If you expect your parents to foot the bill or contribute financially, then they get a say in what they’re paying for. Why are your parents against this particular college? Are their concerns justified? Is there another school that is similar to this one that you and your parents can agree on?</p>
<p>You do not need “parent permission” to apply to a school. You don’t need permission to enroll in a school where you’re accepted. No school demands parent permission.</p>
<p>However, you’ll need their money and FA info unless you have your own money or join the military and then the military pays. if your stats are high enough, maybe you could get a full ride, but I don’t know if that college gives those.</p>
<p>What do you mean by “getting around” your parents’ financial info? You’ll need that every year. How would you do that secretly? Also, how would you handle the “family contribution” expectation?</p>
<p>What do you like about Canisius and what do your parents not like about it? How would you pay for that school? That school doesn’t give great aid.</p>
<p>I’m hoping Canisius accepts me. I research their info everyday, call their admissions office everyday, I can’t stop thinking about it. My SAT scores meet their 25th percentile, I’m hoping I can get in. I made a college essay trying my hardest to convince them that I take school seriously now. Ihope they understand and accept me.</p>
<p>Your question may be moot. Canisius is expensive. How would you pay for it. Your stats will not get you much money nor will it get your a “preferential aid pkg”.</p>
<p>^^Yup. And I would stop calling admisssions every day. A little creepy.</p>