Claiming yourself as an independent

<p>EDIT: Nevermind! The search button IS my friend! (admins should update forum to the newer version, which has the capability for thread starters to delete their thread)</p>

<p>I'm 21-year old junior/senior that will likely transfer a second time to a different school in a different city. When I told my parents about the situation, my mother stressed that if I were to go through with it, I should claim myself as an independent in order to get a better financial aid package as well as applying for various loans given out by financial institutions.</p>

<p>I disagreed that my financial aid would hardly improve, if at all, if and when I were to claim myself as an independent. Is it even legal to do so? She claims that once you turn 21 or 22 you have the right to do so. Either way, I doubt my expenses would be lowered.</p>

<p>Do you have any information about acquiring loans from financial institutions or other organizations? What other methods are available besides the obvious (scholarships, fasfa stuff).</p>

<p>Thanks for your assistance.</p>