<p>I am helping a friend's niece with college stuff. We are trying to figure out how to fill out FAFSA. She lives with Grandparents, Mother is in and out of her life, mostly out of it. Father sometimes drops in at grandparents home but currently the police are looking for him and no one has seen him for weeks. No one actually has legal custody of her. Father was never married to mother and is not listed on birth certificate.<br>
What the heck do we put on the FAFSA forms? She can't be independent because she (student) is single, under 24 etc... (I think).</p>
<p>ebeeeee,
I don't know the answer to your question. But I do know a girl who had a similar situation. She and her sister had moved into their grandparent's home in the middle of her junior year in high school, she was able to get finaid. Their dad left them without financial support and their mom was in and out of prison. If no one here knows the answer, drop me a pm and I'll contact my friend and see if she's willing to help someone else out who is in a similar situation.</p>
<p>ebeeee, it looks to me that if the child is(or has been before age 18) a ward of the court then she can file FAFSA as an independent student. If the courts have not gotten involved it looks like thats another issue entirely, the FAFSA website says to contact the college for info. So if the courts aren't involved, it looks like its going to be very tricky. I do know that for my friend, the courts were involved and I believe she was ward of the court as is her sister.</p>
<p>oaklandmom, thanks...unfortunately the courts are not involved. Mother left her for several days unattended (when she wa a preteen). Father was around at that time, drove several hundred miles, picked her up and brought her to Grandparents. She has been there ever since. Once in a while Mom thinks she wants her, rants and raves at Grandparents house...cops get called. Cops ask child where she wants to be, she tells cops "I live here with my Grandparents", cops haul Mom out of there.
She is not a ward of the state because the Grandparents basically just stepped in and housed her. I am going to call the college and figure out what they think she should do. I don't even know what to tell her to put on the forms.<br>
Jeeze, for everyone out there who is unhappy that their kid didn't get into whatever school...think on this one.</p>
<p>ebeeeee</p>
<p>What you have described is very common where I live. It is a lot more common where I live, then most any place else from what I can gather. At the College I work my little part time extra job at, they have a waiver on the financial aid office (which is where I work) web site and no one where I work considers it a big deal at all. That is why I sometimes loose my goshdarned temper almost when I read through some of the threads on this area of the web site. What your pal is going through is worse than someone who want$ want$ want$</p>
<p>Gosh darnit, I am going to get back on topic now...</p>
<p>You have to find out where your pal wants to go to school. Then you two kids sit down over some hot chocolate and look up the fin aid web sites of every single school your pal wants to go to in order to check and see if they just plainly have a waiver form or information about that on the web site. If you see nothing, then have your pal e mail (or call) the HEAD of the fin aid department of every school and get further info. If you folks call, make the HEAD of the fin aid office follow through, you e mail them and recap things to have something in writing.</p>
<p>Try to keep on keeping on when it comes to trying to help your friend. And, please tell your friend to hang in there. Is there a guidance counselor your pal can speak with, or are they already out of school? Trust me, your pal will get their schooling. Be aware that your pal might have to provide proof. Proof= the granny coming into play and osme other things the school will tell you about. It will be alright.</p>
<p>I'd just list the Mom as a single parent (if you can get her to cooperate and provide income numbers), since they never married, and dad doesn't llive with Mom or the student. Mom's still the custodial parent. That will get you through the initial FAFSA step, and get you a SAR and an EFC to send to the colleges.</p>
<p>Only Mom's income and assets will count in the formula, not the missing Dad's. Then when you narrow the college choices, contact the financial aid officers and explain the situation with the grandparent. They'll likely have the student fill out a statement explaining the situation. They can make adjustments based on their 'professional judgement.' That might hurt your aid if the Grandparents have large income (unlikely if they're in retirement), and if the FAO decides to adjust the aid based on the grandparent's income.</p>
<p>Have someone in the community like a school counselor, principal or minister who is aware of your friend's niece's situation write a letter documenting the situation that can be sent to the financial aid offices with other paperwork that they request.</p>
<p>Thanks all. The Grandparents do not have substantial income, far from it. The school counselor should be able to document the situation and there is actually documentation that the police are looking for the Dad, so that should help. Mom has little income or assets but sblake, you are right, technically the Mom is a single parent because the Dad isn't even on the birth certificate.
I am going to get with the financial aid people at the school she is interested in....I don't think the traditional "fill out the form" will work in this case.. Thanks for all your advice.</p>
<p>Such a sad situation. She's lucky she has her grandparents. Most kids in that type of situation wouldn't even think about going to college, but she must have a good head on her shoulders to rise above.</p>
<p>There was a situation with a girl in our town years ago like that. Both parents were out of the picture and she actually lived with a friend. Though the friend's parents were probably mid-high income, the girl ended up going (and living) to a state college and getting full financial aid. I don't know exactly how they did it, but I believe the girl did get a waiver through the admissions office. The guidance office at the high school helped out a lot. </p>
<p>I wish the girl well.</p>
<p>This is absolutely one of those extenuating circumstances where the child's parents are not and probably should not be part of the finaid application. SBlakes idea is a good one IF this child can get tax information from her mom. That sounds like it is not likely. THIS is just the type of situation waivers are made for. This student doesn't have parents who don't want to complete the forms and/or pay...this student (sadly) doesn't really HAVE parents. Thank goodness for her grandparents and friends like the OP. I agree, contact the colleges, and get a waiver if they have one to do. It should not be difficult to document the "lack of involvement" of the parent(s).</p>
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Once in a while Mom thinks she wants her, rants and raves at Grandparents house...cops get called.
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<p>This ^ makes me think it will be really hard to get tax information (if that is even applicable) out of the mommy in this situation.</p>
<p>ebeeeee, you are truly a good friend. This whole situation will work out alright. </p>
<p>Just make sure that everything works out alright when you folks both speak with the HEAD (all caps for extra emphasis, style, and flavor) of the fin aid department. </p>
<p>Where I work my extra little job, I am not personally allowed to make professional judgements- I guide a lot of folks who fill out the waiver form to the big boss and all of that. But, most any University or Community College will totally do a little waiver using Professional Judgement like nothing for your pal. It is no big deal and the documentation your pal might have to provide is not hard to deal with at all. You just make copies of all of it, and then maybe fax it or do first day priority mail prior to the meeting so that you have a written reciept of sorts to be on the safe side. Alrighty? It will all be alright.</p>
<p>Merlinjones,
Thank you! Cyberhug. I called the college today and they gave me the link for an dependency status appeal. They told me that in cases like this, you fill out the form and the college can use it to get around the FAFSA rules about having to be married, over 24, etc. I am going to hand it off to the student today. Also printed the website from the police department with her Dad's picture, figure that should help to provide evidence of the problem.</p>
<p>ebeeeee--it sounds like at some point, Mom must have had legal custody. So her numbers would most likely have been the one's asked for (that she needs to get a waiver for.) Since parents are not married, and Dad definitely doesn't have custody, there's not much necessity, at least for FAFSA, to prove his disappearance. FAFSA would not ask for his info, anyway.</p>
<p>Garland, thanks. I will pass that info on to the student. I think Mom did have legal custody but she basically abandoned the student...</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this kind of situation is not that unusual with the students I work with. It sure does put our angsts in perspective.</p>
<p>Kudos to you for helping out.</p>