Emancipation or other options

Paying for College
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<p>Ok so my parents at one time were making 50k combined which is a so-so amount however there are 4 kids in the family (some with severe health problems) and were subsequently swimming in debt. They now make 90k which means they should after a few years be able to get out of debt however they have already told me that they will not and can not help me pay for college.
So with no money no vehicle and no job
do i need to declare emancipation so my costs are cut drastically or can i because i wont have the resources to fund myself</p>

<p>Tip- Getting a job w/o a car is obsolete because i live out in the country with the nearest viable working spot 5 miles away</p>

<p>If not what are my other options cause i think i will be able to get by cc but University seems impossible</p>

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<p>If your parents can’t help you then you need to consider merit aid options. Look at the pinned threads at the top of this forum and see what grades/scores you need for some big $, then create a plan to get there.</p>

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<p>I would be eligible for some merit likely but only about 25% of costs which means likely that id still need around 15k a year if all my numbers are correct</p>

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<p>It’s not that easy to declare yourself emancipated and there are a lot of consequences to doing so. You have to be under 18 when doing so, since you are automatically emancipated at that age, and you have t be self or state supported. It’s not like you can live at home and be emancipated. </p>

<p>I think what your point here is that you want to be eligible for financial aid as an independent student, rather than dependent. Unless you are court ordered to be emancipated because of your parents being negligent or abusive, so that there are dangers for you to be living there with them, it’s not going to work. You can still be independent after 18 for fin aid purposes if you have been at risk of being homeless as certified by social workers, teachers, some independent professional, or actually in a homeless shelter This is not a designation that comes easily and is granted only under the most dire circurmstances, not because your parents cannot pay for your college despite financials that say they can. </p>

<p>Your situation is very, very common. </p>

<p>What are you eyeing with respect to college possibilities? That you live at home right now is worth about $7-12K a year. What you gain with independence is $4K more in loans and $5700 in Pell grants, as entitlements. You think you are going to be able to find a place to live, feed yourself, take care of the sundries like personal items, laundry, transportation, on that after paying tuition? An you may still be able to get that $4K in loans anyways if your parents are not qualified to take PLUS loans like if they have more than 90 late bills on their credit record. </p>

<p>Where do you think you will live? It’s not going to rain money and opportunities for you just because you have a zero EFC (which is what you need to get that $5700 in PELL). The money goes to the school first and towards their costs and YOU have to come up with seed money to get there and wait the few weeks before anything left, if any is refunded to you for living expenses. </p>

<p>Most schools do NOT meet full need Just because a student has a zero EFC does not mean a free ride is in the offering. </p>

<p>Talk to your parents about transportation to a college or a central place each day. Or look for someone willing to give your a ride. A cousin had to do this for his college. Both parents worked, no money for another car, he commuted to State U which was 45 minutes away. One parent dropped him off at a public transportation point every single morning so he could get to the school and once in the loop, he could do what he wanted with transportation available now and from others. He worked, went to classes, hung out on campus or whereever, until a pick time and point each day. </p>

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<p>If you have time this summer aside from any family responsibilities, can you devote yourself to improving your ACT score and studying for the SAT in order to improve your ‘marketability’ for merit awards?</p>

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<p>Ok some of that was helpful others not i do NOT have a form of transportation no family besides immediate nearby and closest friends live far away. My University that i will be Attending is the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
As of now i would have to take out loan after loan after loan (might run out of lending). My ACT is 27 and that seems to be as high as it is going and my GPA will finish around 3.5 (3.7 weighted) For 2 years of University (I actually want 3 more after that for Law School) my costs all inclusive minus merit should be around 40k I have absolutely nothing covering that. I am fine working on campus but i need to find a way to pay for other crap like transportation so that i can get to and from campus (i’d live on campus but the campus is 1 hr away from home)</p>

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<p>Also in respect to my siblings with disabilities what do i need to do to draw money from that special case or what</p>

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<p>Seth, how old are you right now, and when will you enroll in college?</p>

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<p>You are not going to get any money for your siblings with disabilities. The way it works is IF your parents have documented PAID, unreimbursed medical or special expenses in that financial aid year , they can ask for Professional Judgement for those expenses. Some schools will take that into consideration, either in assets or income, but there is no guarantee of that. If taken into consideration, it could lower your family EFC so that you could be eligible for more financial aid. Doesn’t mean you get more aid, just that you are eligible for more.</p>

<p>The fact of the matter is that no school (other than say the military academys and other special cases) guarantees to meet full need as defined by the FAFSA EFC. Even if you get a Zero EFC, all that guarantees is the maximum $5700 PELL grant for the year, and possibly some interest subsidy of the $5500 Direct loans (that just about all US citizens who are full time college students are eligible to get as freshman). UT Knoxville does NOT guarantee to meet full need, nor do they. </p>

<p>You should talk to your school guidance counselor about what awards are available, fin aid and otherwise from your state. I have no idea what Tennessee offers in terms of college aid. The rest is up to the colleges individually, and each has their criteria. </p>

<p>Can a parent drop you off in the morning at a location where you have access to public transportation? How are you getting about right now? What have you discussed with your parents about what you will do once you finish high school? Are they expecting you to stay at home all day? Do they have ideas on how you can get about? A lot of young people do not have cars and have to depend on ;public transportation and rides from family and others. My son does not have a car, so I have to drop him off places, not always directly where he needs to be, but where he can get a ride to the place whether with a classmate, friend, public transportation, and walking. </p>

<p>UT_Knoxville costs about $11,200 a year, tuition and fees alone, and has a COA of $25,672. It only met full need for a little more than a quarter of the students who had it. They only gave merit money for about half that number (12.5%) for an average scholarship of $2200. So that is the reality of going to school there and what it costs and what they tend to give out in financial and merit money. </p>

<p>If you commute there, you and your parents need to figure out how you get there each day. You look for ride shares. Your parent will have to get you to a mutual agreed upon place for a ride share, and you pay for others to take you into Knoxville at whatever time in the morning and then again in the evening. You spend all day there and try to find a job and other things to do once you are there. But you need to network and talk to your parents about how you will get there. Maybe a more local school has to be where you go at first, such as a community college or local branch of the university or a local state school, not UT. </p>

<p>My husband comes from an area that is a good half hour from the local community college and 45 minutes or more from the nearest university. But the community centers and high schools do offer limited college courses in town sponsored by the community college. A cousin did get two years of college done locally, by taking those courses and some on line courses, before taking on that commute to the university. The hour and half a day that it takes to go there and the costs of driving there were tough on her, so she tried to do as much as she could locally. </p>

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<p>In the OP. The poster says he lives out of the country.</p>

<p>So Seth…where do you live? Do you live an hour from UT Knoxville, or do you live out of the country?</p>

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<p>Thumper- I meant out in the country like rural also i am 17 ill enroll in cc next fall and university 2 years after that
CPT- Thanks actually that helped a lot and yes i have already decided to hit cc before University but they expect me to take out loans to get cars (complete loans) on top of University. Seeing that i live in practical nowhere i don’t have public transit as an option either so i really don’t know what to do. The COA total with my expectied merit is 40-45k and im not sure that i can take that much out</p>

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<p>Also technically if i lived on campus at UT i would only need the car for cc but either way i still need a vehicle</p>

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<p>@thumper1‌
He said he lives out IN the country, not out OF the country.</p>

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<p>How are your test scores? Have you applied to any colleges yet?
That is the first place to start. Apply to some private and instate universities and see what comes out of it with your award letter. After that, you can then compare the cost of attendance and other expenses that each school will requires after the award and then decide on one of them if it is doable. If not, then the CC route for 2 years might be a good option.
But bear in mind, when you transfer to a university after 2 years in CC, you will get very little scholarship or financial award from a 4 year institution.
Best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Have you had this discussion with your parents as to how you will be getting back and forth from CC when you go? Do you have a driver’s license? I think there will be a reality check when it come time to buy a car, and getting financing as a teen with no job becomes an issue. When you take out a car loan, payments for it start rather quickly. Where do they think you will get the money to pay back the loan? Unless your parents want you home all day, they will start looking for some ways to make it happen. If they don’t, then you are going to have to start taking initiative, or you won’t be going anywhere. </p>

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<p>I am taking my license test next week but my parents refuse to help me with either getting a car or letting me use theirs (they wont pay for insurance and i cant either). And as much as i get what youre saying the parents thing is not going to happen and with jobs being so far away i cant do them so taking initiative means moving somewhere i can but once again that rquires money to do</p>

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<p>It sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place. Do you know what your parents expect you to do? i.e., if they can’t help you move forward in your life, it is okay with them if you live at home forever with no additional education and no job and no car?</p>

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<p>Thats exactly what it is every path is seeming a dead end and they would eventually kick me out i suppose</p>

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<p>FYI My parents were both born in the early 60s and have a very much do it yourself attitude plus our relationship isnt that great (not bad either just not very close)</p>

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<p>Are you in-state for UTK? Aren’t all of the other UT’s less expensive? What about UTM? With the state lottery scholarship you’re in a better financial position with maybe some merit aid, too.</p>