<p>I'm a 23 year old who has taken some time off to work and now I want to start college. I'll be a first time freshman when I enter. My problem is that I make around 15,000 a year with no help from my parents, but when filling out the FAFSA they require my parents income, around 150,000 a year if not more. My parents will NOT help me with school and have said so much and I know if I include them then I'll be turned down for any aid whatsoever. I've been told until I'm 24 I have to include their income because they see me as a dependant even if i'm not. Is there anyway to get around this? It doesn't seem fair to penalize someone because their parents make good money especially if I don't have access to this money and it will not be helping me return to school. As far as merit based goes I'm not sure if i'm eligible because it's been so long since I graduated, but I did graduate from a good high school with a 3.75 gpa and a 34 on my ACT. Should I just focus on getting merit based and forget financial aid or is there some way to get around using my parents income?</p>
<p>Your grades are pretty good, especially your ACT, it depends on which school you apply to though.</p>