<p>Once you are independent by FAFSA rules (24 years old in your case) your parents income and assets are not reported on FAFSA. That is what the independent classification on FAFSA means. It does not actually matter whether you are independent in real life - for FAFSA you are considered independent. Even if you still live with them you are independent for FAFSA because you can answer yes to the question about your age. </p>
<p>As I have said before, your EFC will be based on your own income and assets. Ifyour EFC is 0 you are eligible for $5550 in Pell grants (the same as a dependent student with a 0 EFC would be eligible for). You may be eligible for SEOG grants depending on how your school awards them. And you will be eligible for higher Stafford loans than a dependent student. ($9500 for a freshman independent student compared to $5500 for a freshman dependent student). I don’t know how calgrants work.</p>
<p>You can’t generally cherry pick which grades you will or will not transfer. Not at schools I am familiar with anyway.</p>