<p>I was recently accepted to Claremont McKenna and I received a very, very generous aid package. My mother has sole custody of me and is unemployed. We live with her boyfriend and although he has a job, we don't need to claim him because they are not married and he isn't legally responsible for me in anyway. </p>
<p>However, my mom will inevitably get a job and I am afraid that the cost of attendance for me will skyrocket. If she were to get a job, she would probably be making somewhere in the range of 25-35k. I have looked at CMC's general aid package guidelines and contacted a few people and it seems likely that I'd end up paying around 3-4k a year if she were to get a job, which isn't bad at all. What I am really worried about is the fact that my mother and her boyfriend are considering buying a house. It would be in the name of her boyfriend and I think that means technically she doesn't have to claim that as well. However, how do I explain a change in address when I update my fin aid profile? Won't the college ask why I am living somewhere else? If CMC, or any college for that matter, found out you were living with someone else, would they want their financial records as well? Again, my mother is not married to this man, but I assume that they might still consider him as part of the 'household'? </p>
<p>I would appreciate any insight any of you may have.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it - this is one of the loopholes. Since they are not married - you will never need to claim his income. Those of us who were divorced and got remarried often feel ‘cheated’ by the system because the step parents income is included, while we know people who have been living with someone for 10 years - and their income isn’t included. People change addresses all the time - as long as your mother’s name isn’t on the house - you are either renting or just living there - so there is no asset to her. The only thing that will impact you is when she starts working.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply njmissy13. You’ve put a lot of my worries to rest. I was recently requested to submit a document that asks how my mother is supporting the both of us when she’s unemployed. Is it okay then to mention her boyfriend is supporting us, or that we’re just living with him?</p>
<p>I don’t know the answer for this - at least not a definitive answer since I haven’t been in this situation (I’m on the remarried side). I would think if you replied that a friend of hers was helping out and you were living with the friend (or boyfriend - however you want to word it) until she has a job and income, that might be sufficient. You may want to wait for a reply from someone else who is more familiar with this side of it though. Is this a FAFSA only school or a CSS profile school? It might make a difference in the answer.</p>
<p>However, how do I explain a change in address when I update my fin aid profile? Won’t the college ask why I am living somewhere else?</p>
<p>No. they’re not going to care that you’re living somewhere else. Your mom is still your custodial parent. It’s not as if you were then going to be living with your bio dad. And, since your mom won’t be an owner, it wouldn’t matter anyway. She’d essentially be a renter.</p>
<p>You might want to mention to your mom that if she does want to marry her boyfriend at some point that it will negatively impact your financial aid, since his income would then be considered. A lot of people are surprised by that. If marriage is in the cards, she should wait until she’s filed the last financial aid forms for your senior year.</p>
<p>This is why colleges should simply lower the overall price of tuition and quit playing games with FA awards for people like the OP who game the system</p>
<p>The situation is not OP’s fault- nor is it under her control. However, there is a good reason why colleges don’t consider the boyfriend’s info-- boyfriend and mom could break up tomorrow and mom would have NOTHING. He has absolutely NO obligation to support OP or mom. If he has property in his name, it is HIS and HIS alone, especially if you are talking about a house that he buys with his money, since OP’s mom is unemployed and does not contribute financially. So how could a college consider bf’s income when he has no legal obligation to OP at all and could literally throw them out on the street? Now, if the bf is also the OP’s dad. . . that would make a difference. But outside of that, OP really has no financial resources at her disposal for college costs.</p>
<p>Be reminded that during the verification process, mom may prompt a low income verification, to which the school may ask how is mom eating and paying her bills everyday. Remember monies paid on your behalf, must be reported on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t that be limited to bills in mom’s or student’s name that are actually paid by someone else? It was my understanding, for FAFSA anyway, that gifts of free rent or free food wouldn’t count.</p>