There is an option in the FAFSA to skip the parents information. When you’re 18, you’re considered independent and you do not have to include your parents information. Yes, you will be eligible for grants and loans. I went my entire college as an independent and I got loans and grants just fine. By the way, you’re eligible for a partial scholarship at Auburn University and the deadline is Feb 1.
That is just NOT TRUE. There are certain conditions under which you are considered independent (married, in armed forces, etc). Here are the requirements, OP:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/dependency#dependent-or-independent
You can’t get federal loans if you are considered dependent under these rules and your parents won’t fill out the FAFSA. @coolguy40, the only thing I can think is that you meet the criteria for independence (which the OP doesn’t seem to) or you lied on your forms…
Can you get a job at a company that will help with tuition? UPS, Starbucks and some of the big corporations offer tuition assistance. Wanting to be an accountant is great, as some of the companies require you to take classes that will help at your job. How about getting a job at a bank?
With all your APs, you might have already completed your core classes for English and history, but may need to start the sequence for accounting.
Without the parent information, you can still get unsubsidized loans if the school determines you are financially independent of your parent. This would likely require OP to move out of the parents’ home. A year’s rent might well exceed the maximum 5,500 unsubsidized freshman loan.
Even with the unsubsidized loan, OP will not be eligible for any federal subsidies or grants.
How the school allocates its own funds is based on its own policies. This is why OP might be able to get merit aid.
My friend’s son is a tad older. He also wanted to do accounting though he may want something different now. In high school after our third semester senior year many seniors are eligible for an internship though you need to be at school for ap classes and performance classes like band and chorus so it isn’t always feasible. Basically from what I understand after April vacation kids are placed in a local company and depending on where they work they try to allow them to do as much as legally allowed. I think the work 5 to 6 hour days though that includes a lunch break. It might be during school hours but esp if your working around 1 or 2 classes the hours can be different.
I think his plan was to take a year off and apply to schools then to save up some money to help his parents pay. I’m not sure why but he didn’t want to start right after graduation. He did an internship in the 4th quarter at a small insurance company which lead to a full time job. They taught him a lot of basic bookkeeping/accounting and other insurance stuff. They also are paying for him to take some community college classes. He seems content and is in his third year. I think he will end up doing a bachelor’s part time while working part time as soon as he finishes his associates but I’m not sure if accounting is still his desire. Yes it is taking longer but he is happy.
@DoubleFantasy have you ever heard of a Gap Year? It is an option for your unique situation. You can accept an admissions offer and ask to DEFER for one year. Some colleges will allow you to keep any scholarships you have been awarded. During your gap year, you could work full time (and live at home if your parents allow you) and save up as much money as you can. You can not attend any college classes during your gap year, in order to preserve your Freshman Status.
This only works if you are admitted to a low cost school, or one that gives you massive scholarship.
But you can just take the gap year anyway, and work to save money while also researching and applying to more affordable schools, or to schools that will give you lots of merit money for your stats. You need to confirm with each school that their merit aid is NOT dependent on you filling out FAFSA or other parent-oriented financial forms. Each school will have their own policies, so be careful to call and speak with officers at each school. Do not trust the random person who answers the phone in financial aid office, but actually ask to speak with a financial aid officer to be sure you are getting accurate information.
In general, you are going to get your best merit aid scholarship offer as a Freshman. If you transfer from community college to four year university, you may get some money, but not as much as if you had started there as a Freshman.
So, protect your Freshman status, and try to pick a school that you can afford for all four years.
On another note, did you think your parents were going to provide money for your college education? Did they make a rash decision at the last minute and pull their support? Or did you not really talk about it, and just thought they would pay? I am just curious if this is a snap decision that took you by surprise.
I was wrong about the FAFSA. But, like I said before, there’s always a way to pay for college. Get a job in a company that offers tuition assistance. A bank teller at a major bank, for instance, you could draw off the benefits of the company. That requires no FAFSA. Work full time over the summer and use your savings to pay tuition for community college. Use tuition reimbursement to pay for the next semester.
Check for full ride merit scholarships where you would not need parental money or FAFSA forms (but you may need to work to earn money for travel and incidentals).
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21089443/#Comment_21089443 lists some possibilities:
Alabama State
Alcorn State (MS)
Jackson State (MS)
Prairie View A&M (TX)
What is he eligible for at UA Huntsville?
What about trying in Missouri and Utah since scholarship winners who can pay instate tuition after a year while keeping their scholarship?
@coolguy40: that’s simply not true. “Where there’s a will there’s a way” doesn’t work with college. Paying for college has become so complicated even with parents’ help that without it the only solution may be to wait till age 24 - and 6 years at age 18 is one third of their life.
The employers tend to have a limit on how many credits you can take per semester (3-4) for instance. You can’t be a bank teller with just a high school diploma anymore.
To make matters worse, op lives in PA, where even community college is expensive AND doesn’t lead to one of their flagships but one of the directionals where the budget has been drastically cut.
And there aren’t any full ride or full-tuition scholarships instate at public’s. (Op could commute to a local college with a full tuition scholarship… Op, is there any 4-year college within winter driving distance? Check if they offer competitive full tuition scholarships).
The savviest move is likely for OP to move to a state where residency isn’t parent-dependent and where someone over the age of 18 working full-time time will be considered instate for tuition. Op should retake the sat to bring his up as much as possible, no longer for admission but rather for the purpose of the highest possible scholarship.
“The savviest move is likely for OP to move to a state where residency isn’t parent-dependent and where someone over the age of 18 working full-time time will be considered instate for tuition.”
Utah… Dixie State the best deal I have found for a family member in a similar situation, they offer accounting. https://dixie.edu And Utah is filled with resorts, many of which have dorms so it is an easy state for a young person to move to and set up a residence. https://www.coolworks.com/utah-jobs
https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/merit-tuition-scholarships says 45% or 67% of tuition, depending on how GPA is calculated. Not close enough to a full ride to be a realistic choice.
@DoubleFantasy University of Alabama-Huntsville is a small campus in a low cost town. It is a hub for Research/Space/Computers/Engineering/Military, and as such draws many peoples from across the country and around the world. So, the population is diverse and welcoming to new people moving into the area.
You do not currently qualify for full tuition there, but if you raised your SAT score 40 points, you would get free tuition. This college accepts whatever the GPA is on your high school transcript. They require freshmen to live on campus, but might possibly give you a waiver, and if so, you could find a low cost room to rent close by. Economy is solid, and plenty of part time jobs available.
We have family in Huntsville, and you can PM me if you want more info. UAH has a solid reputation in the STEM areas, I do not have any knowledge of how good they are with accounting.
Can you straight up ask your parents: Do you not want me to go to college? Why?
If they say yes, we want you to go to college, but we can’t pay for it, then all you can do is to ask them to fill out the FAFSA…that is part ofthe rules to get you free money for college.
If they say no,
Some parents are toxic/have personality disorders. They are not rational/reasonable. They may not want you to do better than them. They may think you will think yourself better than them if you go to college. They may be doing illegal things and don’t want exposure.
If this is the case, I would do everything I could to get out of their house. Work if you have to, and when you are 24 file the FAFSA yourself.
@powercropper Parents basically threw this at me at the beginning of my senior year.
All of this came running at me in a period of one month.
And thanks to you for the recommendation as well as all the others who responded.
@DoubleFantasy I am so sorry you are having to deal with this shocking information and all the ramifications of not having parental support as you try to finish strong in your senior year.
Are you living in an actively HOSTILE environment, or is it just the lack of college support you are dealing with? If you are able to continue living at home, with kind parents who love you and care about you, that is best scenario for helping you keep your grades high and retake SAT. If you are not in a good situation at home, trying to find alternate place to live might be a next step.
I have relatives that firmly believe it is up to each of their children to handle all college expenses, but they have been very vocal about their decision and the children understand college is their own responsibility. And they live in a state that has some pretty generous state aid for high stats kids.
Since you live in PA, I understand your options are more limited. Please, please keep asking questions. Or PM some of the posters that are reaching out to you. Note the number of posts under each posters names. Some of them have counseled thousands and thousands of folks, and would be willing to help you think through specifics of your situation.
Are you signed up to retake the SAT? I think that is a positive step you can take to improve your merit aid options.
What is their plan if they do not contribute to your college education? Do they expect you to afford it yourself or live with them in your post-high school plans?
@powercropper I signed up for the SAT again, so I’m gonna study to maximize my score. Basically, getting high test scores are the only hope I have if I wish to go to college in 2018 (or 2019 if colleges are really that picky about when they get my SAT scores).
SAT scores are good for around 3 years right? So let’s say I can’t go to college this year, it’d still be ok next year? It’d be great to get that out of the way to save a bunch of money during a gap year if I really have to do so.
Be careful that a few of the colleges’ scholarships may only be available to those attending college immediately after high school (i.e. not available to gap year students).
@ucbalumnus Shouldn’t be a problem if they would accept my new SAT score.
If they’re picky about the due date, then there isn’t much I can do then.
@coolguy40, seriously stop giving wrong information. I have seen you give it on other threads as well. These are people’s real lives, not something to play with and give false hope to through your incorrect information.