<p>I'm a college freshman at Texas A&M-College Station. I have a full ride on scholarships this year, however have decided to return home next year to UT Austin. I lived with my father in highschool who makes around 160 K and my stepmom who makes close to 80 K, so I obviously received absolutely nothing from FAFSA. However they do not support me and seeing as my mother and father have joint custody of me, I figured I could file fafsa with my mom next year who makes less than 20K.
Is this legitimate? I will need the aid to return home and I really want to!</p>
<p>The simple answer is that yes, you can change your dependency for FAFSA. It depends on who you live with more during the year. Do you live with your mom now when you aren’t at college? Or is the truth that Dad’s place is “home”?</p>
<p>Well, I live off campus and pay my bills and everything myself. Since I’ve mostly lived with my dad, I go visit him more often, but technically I do not reside with either one anymore.
I just wondered if the school would find it odd that my parents income drops by such a substantial amount. Or if they would even check into it that thoroughly.</p>
<p>You can find the answer in the FAFSA instructions:</p>
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<p>[Completing</a> the FAFSA: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html]Completing”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/index.html)</p>
<p>Since you are only a freshman this year, you probably would have to use your dad’s info since you lived with him for most of 2011.</p>
<p>Before you cut ANY ties with your current school, wait until you see your FA offer from UT. I don’t think UT promises to meet need, so you may not get the aid that you need even if you use your mom’s income.</p>
<p>You need to be honest. It sounds like your dad is your custodial parent for financial aid purposes. That being the case, the way you would “change this” is to reside with your MOM when you are not at your college address. You would need to demonstrate that you did so the majority of the time in 2011. If it’s not possible to determine the “most”…then the parent who contributed most to your financial situation is the one who MUST be listed on the FAFSA…and that would be your dad.</p>
<p>By the way…FAFSA doesn’t give anyone money…it’s a financial application form. As noted by Mom2, you might be eligible for a Pell Grant using your mom’s income/asset information (if her income is that low) but you might not get much more than that except loans.</p>
<p>Will you be living at home when you return to Austin? If so, with whom?</p>
<p>And lastly, is there a reason why you are giving up a full ride to return to Austin?</p>
<p>I know that UT isn’t too generous in the financial area but I work a lot so I’ve been saving to go home. I would definitely not leave A&M without being sure I could handle my financials at UT.
As far as custody etc, my parents have joint custody so I can technically live with either and seeing as neither pays my bills and I have my own apartment (have since May) I figured it could feasibly be to my discretion as to who to claim.</p>
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<p>Sorry it doesn’t work that way…did you read the criteria I posted? It doesn’t matter what COULD have been, it matters who you actually spent more time with or who last provided more support. In your case, it definitely sounds like your dad. If you plan carefully, that can change for the following year though.</p>
<p>sk8rmom, I think it is within the student’s discretion if he is willing to spend more time with the poorer parent. If College kid is living at college, he wont be with either parent a lot, so he has to spend more time with poorer parent.</p>
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<p>That is true. BUT the student has that he/she has lived most with his father. In order to make up of that for the UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR (2012-2013), this student would need to demonstrate that he/she resided with the MOTHER most during 2011. That does not sound like it is the case…and doesn’t really sound like it can be honestly made to happen by the end of 2011.</p>
<p>BUT the student certainly could now begin to reside with his/her mother at all times when on vacation or when not in college…for 2012…and when it’s time to file the FAFSA for 2013-2014 (using the residency from 2012) the student can certainly say it’s his/her mom…if she/he actually resides with the mom more than the dad during 2012. Those are the rules.</p>
<p>What is the criteria to “demonstrate” who the student lives with more of the time?</p>