<p>My girlfriend and i are thinking about getting married. If we do get married and live in the same house as my parents will we be considered independent or dependent?</p>
<p>Here is the dependency status checklist link:</p>
<p>Dependency</a> Status Worksheet - Worksheet - Federal Student Aid</p>
<p>You must be married ON THE DAY you file your FAFSA. For FAFSA purposes, you just need to be married. However, some schools may be stricter about how they award institutional funds ... they might expect your parents to keep helping you. It would be a good idea to ask your school's financial aid office. For Pell grant & all federal grants associated with Pell (like ACH) and for Stafford & Perkins loans ... you will be automatically considered independent.</p>
<p>Kelsmom is right. There are many grad students who find that being married is not an advantage when it comes to aid. PROFILE and other schools that do not go by FAFSA (and they tend to be the ones more generous with financial aid) do not have to go by FAFSA's rules. It was a shock to a number of families when they found out that even when their kids were independent by age, that grad schools often ask for the parent's financial information. They can use whatever criteria they want to award aid. If both you and your spouse are living off of both sets of parents, they can request that info too. It's not a lark being independent.</p>