Financial Aid + Getting Married

[rachelmae8]

<p>I currently do not receive any help paying for my school. I am 19 years old and engaged. I have no children, am not 24, and am not currently married, so I am not independent (although I pay all of my own bills). Everything I spend going to school is going into loans. My boyfriend and I are planning on getting married next year, however, I'm currently debating if it would be smarter to get married before I apply for next years' financial aid. I currently attend a community college, but would like to switch to a 4 year school (either public or private). I obviously do not want to try to fund a $30,000 a year private school in student loans, but if I were to get married would I be able to get enough in grants?</p>

<p>Combined, my fiance and I make about $25,000 a year.</p>

[CTScoutmom]

<p>If you transfer to a school that meets 100% of need, you would get the aid you need, though it wouldn’t all be grants. You need to look at the individual schools you are considering, and find out about the aid they offer to transfer students - how much is in loans, and how much grants, do they meet need… In terms of financial aid, you would be better off married, but don’t rush into it because of the aid. Would you consider an earlier wedding if it wasn’t for the aid? If not, you should still wait.</p>

[cptofthehouse]

<p>Most colleges are not as generous to transfer students as they are to first year applicants. That includes a number of colleges that guarantee to meet full need for first year students. So do ask about that when you are looking at colleges. Also be aware of that. </p>

<p>Also, most schools do not meet full need, so increase in need does not necessarily mean increase in aid. What kind of EFC do you have right now as a dependent? Married, you might well qualify for PELL grants, subsidized Staffords and any state aid that is automatically income related that you aren’t getting due to your parents’ financials. </p>

<p>Marriage is a serious commitment. I won’t go beyond that, as I am sure you know where this would lead.</p>

[mom2collegekids]

<p>What state do you live in?</p>

<p>What schools were you going to transfer to?</p>

<p>Most schools don’t meet need, but perhaps you live in a state that gives good state aid for its state universities.</p>

[sybbie719]

<p>Also keep in mind at many schools that give their own institutional aid, you may be independent for federal aid (on the FAFSA), however, the school may consider you a dependent student when it comes to their own institutional aid.</p>

<p>At many schools that give their own institutional aid, if you start as a dependent undergraduate student, you will finish as a dependent undergraduate student regardless of age, having children or marital status.</p>

<p>For example: at USC OP will be considered dependent on parents regarding institutional aid from USC. </p>

<p>While OP may be independent, regarding Federal aid, s/he will need his parent’s information to get institutional aid from USC.</p>

<p>for example, USC states the following:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>o be considered independent for purposes of awarding university financial aid, undergraduates must meet one of the following conditions:</p>

<p>You are at least 26 years of age before January 1 of the award year you were admitted to USC.</p>

<p>At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you are married.</p>

<p>At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you during the award year and the summer preceding the award year</p>

<p>You are an orphan or ward/dependent of the court</p>

<p>If parental information is required when you are admitted to USC, you will be required to submit parental information throughout your enrollment at USC, regardless of your age, marital status, or other changes in circumstances (excluding the death of both parents). </p>

<p>If you feel, however, that your particular situation would justify independent status, you may submit a written appeal. Appeals should explain your circumstances in detail and include supporting documentation.</p>

<p>[USC</a> Financial Aid - Applying & Receiving Financial Aid - Special Circumstances - Factors We Will Consider](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/applying_receiving/special/dependencystatus.html]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/applying_receiving/special/dependencystatus.html)

</p>

<p>at Cornell

</p>

<p>independent Students</p>

<p>If you are admitted to Cornell as a dependent student, you will remain as such for your time at Cornell. Even if you are considered independent for federal student aid, Cornell may consider you to be a dependent of your parents when determining institutional aid eligibility.</p>

<p>**Cornell will consider you to be independent if:</p>

<p>you are a non-traditional student and have been self-supporting for more than five years; or</p>

<p>both of your parents are deceased; or</p>

<p>you are a ward of the court**</p>

<p>If any of these situations apply to you, please contact our office to discuss your individual circumstances. You will need to request the application for independent student consideration.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/special-circumstances/family-circumstances[/url][/quote]”>Family Circumstances | Financial Aid

</a></p>

[sybbie719]

<p>The university of chicago states the following:</p>

<p>

What if I am financially independent of my parents?</p>

<p>You may be considered an independent (self-supporting) student by federal and state program guidelines, but for purposes of awarding University of Chicago grant assistance, we have a more restrictive definition of independence. </p>

<p>To be considered independent, you must be at least 24 years of age by December 31 of the award year (December 31, 2011, for the 2011–12 academic year).
In addition, you must provide proof to the Committee on College Aid that you have been self-supporting for the past three years and the current calendar year, and that you will be self-supporting in the calendar year following your enrollment in the College.</p>

<p>**NOTE: If you enter the College as a dependent student, you will be considered a dependent throughout your undergraduate years. </p>

<p>Are there any exceptions to these rules?**</p>

<p>If you do not meet our definition of independence but you are an orphan or a ward of the court, you may be considered self-supporting by the University. </p>

<p><a href=“http://collegeaid.uchicago.edu/files/1112_brochure.pdf[/url][/quote]”>http://collegeaid.uchicago.edu/files/1112_brochure.pdf

</a></p>

<p>You will have to be able to prove that you have received no support from your parents over the past 3 years (they have not paid for your school, they did not claim you on their taxes, etc?)</p>

<p>IN addition, the school does do database reviews (they can probably look at your past FAFSA):</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Database Reviews
The following are among federal agency databases reviewed by the Department of Education to confirm some
of the information on your FAFSA form:
Social Security Administration for confirmation of Social Security numbers and U.S. citizenship status;</p>

<p>Selective Service System for confirmation of Selective Service registration status, if applicable; </p>

<p>and
Department of Homeland Security (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Services) for confirmation of eligible noncitizenship status, if applicable.</p>

<p>If data you provided on your FAFSA does not match the data at these agencies, the Committee on College Aid will ask you for additional documents to verify that the information on the FAFSA is, indeed, correct. </p>

<p>Examples of documents that you will be asked to provide are a copy of your passport to confirm that you are a U.S. citizen and a copy of the Selective Service acknowledgement card to confirm that you are registered with Selective Service.</p>

<p><a href=“http://collegeaid.uchicago.edu/files/1112_finance.pdf[/url][/quote]”>http://collegeaid.uchicago.edu/files/1112_finance.pdf

</a></p>

<p>I think it would be a non-issue at Columbia because they state:</p>

<p>

**I have taken some time off from school. May I still apply as a transfer?</p>

<p>Potential applicants to Columbia College who have taken a break of more than a year in their education (with the exception of those who must complete national military service) should consider instead Columbia’s School of General Studies; the same is true for students who wish to attend a part-time program.** Applicants to The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science should proceed with this transfer application regardless of any break in schooling.</p>

<p>[Frequently</a> Asked Questions | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“FAQs | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions”>FAQs | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions)

</p>

[cptofthehouse]

<p>That is something that the OP should keep in mind before applying to a school–that her dependent/independent status could be unchangeable from what it is at the time of application.</p>