I’m a senior and class of 2016. I plan on attending college in fall of 2016. I have a detailed question about my aid. My mother died, and my father got deported to his home country. That left my uncle and aunt to take care of me. As of now I don’t know if they are in a legal guardianship with me. I’m vacationing without them this summer so until I return I don’t know if I’m in a legal guardianship. So am I considered independent? I’ve never met my father and my mother passed nearly a decade ago. Would I qualify to be an independent? what would my efc even be? I don’t think dependency is even an option because of my situation.
You got plenty of answers the previous time you asked this question. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1785716-my-guardians-and-my-aid.html#latest What’s new since then?
Well the one of the colleges I want to go to wants court papers. But I’m worried that my uncle and aunt don’t have the papers. Then what?
You either need to get proof that you are in legal guardianship, or you won’t be considered indeodent for financial aid purposes, and I believe the same info was give to you in that other thread.
You need to get the info the college is requiring. Until you do, they will not finalize your financial aid.
Ok. Will do
This is why you were advised in the last thread to get all your papers in order. You’re vacationing. You can’t do anything about it now, but when you get back, get on it.
I’ve learned that it is much easier to just give the administrative offices what they want. They want a certain form, just get it. It will be much easier in the long run to get guardianship papers while you are a minor, then you will be for sure independent when you are 18. You won’t have to explain if you should want to transfer, you won’t have to explain for FA every year.
Whilst speaking to one of the financial aid people at one of my colleges they said since I’m 17 it’ll be hard to get in a legal guardianship. But yeah I will be talking to my uncle when I return. They also mentioned something about a dependency override form.
" I will be talking to my uncle when I return. "
Why wait? If you can communicate with us about this, you can communicate with him. “Hey Uncle, I need to know if you and/or Aunt are my court-ordered legal guardians. If you aren’t, can we fix that as soon as I get home?”
""I’m vacationing without them this summer “”
Something sounds odd. I’m guessing that your aunt and uncle are your sole support, so wouldn’t they be paying for this vacation? And wouldn’t you have the means to have some contact with them over the summer, even it’s just a simple text or email asking about legal guardianship because colleges will be asking.
If you are in a legal guardianship then everything is easy. Either you have the papers or you get a copy of the papers from the court. Cut and dried.
If you are not in a legal guardianship then everything is hard. No you are not likely to get in one now at 17. So you have to have dependency override. This means each and every college decides. You fill out form for each. Do you know whereabouts of father, why or why not? You give all types of supporting documents and information to each. Mother’s death certificate. Verification letters from independent people, not your relatives, that you have had no contact with the father. Maybe you have and he just doesn’t want to pay for college. How does anyone know that? Independent letters from people that can be relied on, clergy, doctors, school officers maybe. Then you may not find out the decision until late.
Instead of posting about it over again, get to the bottom of it. You make it seem like a vacation is more important. Pick up the phone, write a letter, send an email.
If your EFC turns out to be zero because you have no income or assets you will get a federal Pell for 5770 and a federal loan for 5500. That’s all you are guaranteed. Some schools might give you something in addition and some may not. That means that you have to come up with the money that they don’t provide. How? Well that is your problem.
I don’t think it would be that hard to get a court issued guardianship. In fact, you might be entitled to some state or federal benefits like medicaid, social security from your mother’s account if she ever worked and paid into SS. This guardianship won’t be contested, so should go pretty smoothly.