I recently appealed for financial aid at my University, declaring my new independent status. I am now considered independent because I am married.
They said it is University policy to continue to obtain my parent’s income tax returns and asset information, all four years of college. In which case I will definitely not be able to afford to attend; my parents are not aiding me.
If my parents refuse to submit this information will there be any issues?
I am independent on both the FAFSA and CSS Profile which don’t ask for any parental info.
Keep in mind that just because you are married, you may be independent for federal aid, but it does not necessarily make you independent for institutional aid.
Many schools that use the CSS profile to distribute their own institutional aid have policies in place that if you start as a dependent student, you finish as a dependent student even if you have a life event that now makes you independent. Many of them have these policies in place for just this reason; to keep a student from getting married, filing independent and absolving their parents of their financial obligation to contribute/pay for their child’s education.
While you are now independent on the FAFSA, if you are now married they will request the income and assets from your spouse and your parents on the CSS profile.
If your parents refuse to submit any information, than you will receive no aid other than the federal aid that you may be entitled to. Since the bulk of your aid would be in the form of institutional aid, then your school may no longer be a financially feasible option for you.
Yes you will file the FAFSA as an independent for the Federal portion of aid which will get you a Pell grant if you are entitled to it by the income of you and your spouse combined, plus a student loan at the independent student rate.
But when the college gives it’s own money out, it takes the position that if you started out as a dependent then you must continue to submit parent info and your aid will continue to be based on that–that was their budget for you when they admitted you. So yes there will be an issue if you don’t submit CSS with parent info and that is likely you won’t get any aid. (I don’t think they want to count on all the students marrying each other to get out of paying tuition.)
It seems you need to start looking for affordable transfer schools, likely schools that are FAFSA only, like state schools if you and your spouse can’t finance the current tuition.
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If my parents refuse to submit this information will there be any issues?
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Yes, there will be a big issue…no aid other than tiny federal aid.
How was your tuition being paid before?
As Sybbie mentions, many CSS schools do this so that students don’t suddenly “get married” just to get independent status. With marriage and divorce/annulments rather easy to get, schools have figured out that a student could get a marriage license, turn that in, get an annulment, not tell the school about THAT, and use that marriage license for the next four years.
Do you know if the CSS Profile will ask for both of our parents’ info? Will I have to include my spouse’s parents’ assets, in addition to my own parents?
“They said it is University policy to continue to obtain my parent’s income tax returns and asset information, all four years of college.”
It looks like it is your University’s policy to consider you a dependent student for all four years because you were dependent when you first enrolled. So, you will need to contact them and find out what information they need from your parents.
I’m guessing this student got married after she initially applied for financial aid.
@tiramisu22 does your college meet full need for all accepted students? If not, this married/independent status might not make a speck of difference in terms of institutional need based aid.
You would need to amend your initial fafsa to reflect a change in marital status, if you filed earlier. I’m not sure this is a field you can even change on the fafsa.
For federally funded aid, all this independent for financial aid status will guarantee you is any portion of the Pell grant to which you are entitled…as well as $4000 in additional Direct Loans.
BUT you need to include your spouse’s income and assets on the fafsa.
The school is likely questioning your married status since that was not the case when you applied initially for aid.
Call the school to clarify that you are now married.
I have submitted the marriage license to my University. Upon receiving this, they gave me permission to update my FAFSA, which I have already done.
My college meets 100% of need for all accepted students.
Even the Pell Grant will be of assistance to me. I just hope my university factors in my new financial situation. I realize they have to include my parents each year, I just desperately hope they do not count them as a large percentage of my eligibility.
As I stated previously when it comes to institutional aid, the school decides who is dependent and independent when it comes to them giving out their own money. Most schools that meet 100% demonstrated need by using their own institutional funds have similar policies in place.
for example:
USC states the following:
So basically if you were an unmarried dependent student when you were admitted to your college, you will remain a dependent student throughout your time at your college. It is highly unlikely that your school is going to make you independent for their own institutional aid.
Would you mind sharing the college in question? What about your spouse? Are they in the same predicament as you as far as financing school?
Unfortunately, I do not think you should hope for or count on any institutional aid. Their policies seem to be written just to exclude this type of aid.
My college is Claremont McKenna and my spouse will be attending Bowdoin. He is in a similar situation, but his parents are helping him with $25k over four years.
You are going to CM and your spouse is going to Bowdoin? For all four years?
You need to contact CM to get their policy on this issue in terms of institutional need based aid.
Your husband will need to complete the fafsa with both your and his financial information. Bowdoin requires the Profile. He will need to complete that as well…and he needs to contact Bowdoin to find out their policies regarding institutional aid.
For your husband, if his parents are paying money on his behalf…that $25,000 a year…this amount might need to be listed on both of your Profile forms and your FAFSA forms next year.
School has already told OP that even though she is married, she is still a dependent student for institutional aid. I believe that her husband may have the same outcome.
Marriage is stressful under the best circumstances. It seems that the 2 of you have now added some additional stressors by not only attending expensive schools on opposite sides of the country, but by attending schools that it seems like your parents either can’t afford or are unwilling to pay for now that you are married because they are viewing you as independent adults (when you take on adult situations, you gotta have adult money)
Are your in-laws are helping your husband with 25k over 4 years ($6750/year X4 ) or 25k per year (25k x 4 = 100k)
If your in-laws are only providing 25k over 4 years, then both of you may be attending schools that are not financially feasible.
I think the issue is to deal with the here any now; the two of you are married and neither one of you have a financially feasible option. What is your plan for attending school in the fall? Will the 2 of you have to take a gap year and look at schools locally that will be affordable. Your best bet now is to look at FAFSA only schools where you can be candidates for substantial merit $$
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My college is Claremont McKenna and my spouse will be attending Bowdoin. He is in a similar situation, but his parents are helping him with $25k over four years.
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??
When did you decide to marry? Why did you decide to marry now, at 18, when you’ll be living on opposite coasts?
No wonder schools have to put these restrictions in place.
Do you realize that it appears that you got married at such a young age because you wanted independent status for FA?
It would be one thing if one of you were in the military and that spouse was being shipped out, but typically 18 year olds starting college on opposite coasts do not get married. Newlyweds typically WANT to live together.
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hey said it is University policy to continue to obtain my parent's income tax returns and asset information, all four years of college. In which case I will definitely not be able to afford to attend; my parents are not aiding me.
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This really sounds like a marriage of convenience. Your parents wouldn’t pay so you both came up with this idea of getting married…thinking you’d get a ton of aid.