<p>Daughter is graduating in May 09. Plan always was to get a job then go back to grad school later. With current economy, it is possible she could be going straight into grad school.</p>
<p>My question has to do with how we handle FAFSA for this coming year. Son will be an undergrad. Do we fill it out for both kids, even though we are not sure if D is going to grad school? Forgive my ignorance, but do you have to list grad schools the report will be sent to? And if she winds up getting a job & not going to grad school, then how do you inform son's undergrad school? Submit a correction?</p>
<p>I feel like I am flying blind here and there are way to many variables!</p>
<p>Thanks for any insight you can provide!</p>
<p>For the undergrad student...IF you are providing more than 1/2 of your grad student's support, you can list that student as a member of your household. Then you can also list them as a student pursuing a graduate degree (that is one of the choices on the FAFSA). HOWEVER...you need to know that all schools don't treat this the same way (including FAFSA only schools). Some schools will not count your grad school student as a student in college at all...others will. This varies by school, and you need to call the school to ask.</p>
<p>For the grad school student...that student will be completing a FAFSA as an independent student for financial aid purposes. They cannot list the undergrad kid on their FAFSA at all. They will have a household number of 1 (themselves) and a number in college of 1 (themselves).</p>
<p>I would suggest you do have your potential grad student DD do a FAFSA now, just in case. I did this for my DD and she entered an unfunded masters, but was awarded a work study which provided a living stipend and worked into a TAship that allowed tuition remission.</p>
<p>The profs and other students had not ever seen a grad student get a work study, I think it is because we got it in so early whilst the funds were still available. Interestingly once she started TAing she no longer got any work study $</p>
<p>Somemom...I don't think work study is a grad student federally funded program. Perhaps some schools award jobs to students based on need...but I don't think it's work study...I could be wrong.</p>
<p>thumper1 and somemom, thanks for your replies. I appreciate your guidance. I hope Indiana University is one of those schools that will count a grad student as a student in college! I'll call them tomorrow.</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>Thumper, it actually showed up as a work study for the entire year. I do not know the details behind the scenes, but we verified the award over the phone to ensure it was not a computer error, FAFSA was clearly done as an independent grad student. I do know her state offers both state and federal work study</p>
<p>I found this online:</p>
<p>There are a number of ways graduate students can earn money to pay for college. In addition to finding a job, graduate students can take advantage of Federal Work-Study , teaching assistantships (TA) and research assistant opportunities (RA). </p>
<p>Federal Work Study
The Federal Work-Study Program offers part-time employment for eligible students demonstrating financial need. Federal Work-Study jobs may be on campus or off campus, and are guaranteed to pay at least the current federal minimum wage. You may be eligible to earn more, however, total earnings are limited to the amount awarded through the Office of Financial Aid. </p>
<p>To be considered for Federal Work-Study, complete the FAFSA. Funding for work-study positions is limited and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.</p>