Remember, OP is 18.
Talking to SB can also help ensure smooth FA in subsequent years. But you need to tackle their expectations, not just see this as a NY vs TX choice.
It can sound like a lot of balls to juggle, but is really ‘one step at a time.’ You get an idea of various details and options, confirm. then can make decisions.
Should Stony Brook give op a dependency override (which would not be a stretch given his/her situation), op will keep NYS residency. as long as he stays at stony brook. Getting in-state residency at another SUNY or CUNY would be on a case by case basis and would be a little more challenging
As stated if OP has a 0 EFC, s/he would get full tap/full pell (or excelsior scholarship if tap and pell does not cover tuition) and loans. Op may need to work summers/on campus to fill the the gap. Op would probably also be eligible for the additional 4k in loans.
@sybbie719 sorry for the late response, life has been pretty hectic lately. So if I get a dependency override, I will be able to “live in Texas” while still maintaining NYS residency?
@sybbie719 I can stay with my family in Texas during breaks and stuff, but I cannot really rely on being able to have a place to stay in New York as my dad will not be able to pay for the place we have now. (He hasn’t worked in the last 20 years and doesn’t intend to, sadly)
My dad currently moves around from Canada to Barbados with making minimal stops in New York. (He has various other women and children… it’s complicated.)
My aid package at Stony is looking fairly decent so far, I’m still working with them to get everything adjusted to my current situation. I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I can’t attend a school in Texas without paying full price (unless I take a year off- which I have heard is not a very good idea). At this point I’m just trying to be able to live there on breaks and such and still attend school in NY (atleast for the time being until I can possibly transfer to a private school). In so many words I’m trying to make Texas my home. Is this possible at all?
Once you get to Stony Brook, talk to the exchange office there about doing a year at a uni in Texas as part of your Stony Brook degree. Stony Brook is part of the national student exchange program. You’d normally pay your NY State Stony Brook tuition, and be able to attend one of the listed schools in TX for up to a year:
http://www.nse.org/exchange/memcam.asp
In addition, you’re welcome to do things like internships over the summers in Texas. This gives you even more productive time in TX, as you pay the lower, in-state rate on tuition in NY, but start to set up a life for yourself in TX. Then, when you graduate Stony Brook, you move to TX.
If you do decide to transfer to a school in TX, then even if you did take a gap year, you still wouldn’t qualify for the in-state rate on tuition at public unis in TX. The thing is, if you’re under age 25, it’s about where your parents live as much as it is about where you live, and your father doesn’t live in TX. So even if you move there, take a gap year, get a job, etc., you still won’t get in-state tuition.
That said, if you do decide to transfer to a school in TX, apply both to public and privates. See where you get in. See what aid each offers you. Calculate what you’ll need in loans for each. Then decide where you’ll go, or if perhaps you’ll even stay in NY. While it is the case that publics in TX will make you pay the out of state rate, that doesn’t mean they still won’t be cheaper than the privates in TX. You won’t really know until you apply and etc. So apply to both types of schools, should the time come.
@RoaringMice if I were to complete one semester at Stony Brook, take a gap year off and live in Texas with my aunt, work and file independently for my taxes, my dad would still be in the picture? I’m 18 I think that as long as I’m a tax independent I should be fine?
The difficulty for you is that you know where your dad is. Even though you will be independent for taxes, you will be his dependent for financial aid, and you will need his data for the FAFSA until you are 24. If he truly has no income or other financial means, you will face challenges every year because your FAFSA will probably be flagged for verification.
Have you started classes at Stony Brook? Can you get a meeting with the head of financial aid? Your situation is uncommon. You need to speak with people who can advise you.
@happymomof1 hmm… I see. Is a dependency override a possibility?
I start classes tomorrow so I’ll see what can be done about it!