Hello everyone,
I am 21 years old, living on my own, and I want to go to school.
Problem is, my way of getting there are limited. Since my FAFSA goes off of my parents income, I do not get a lot of aid. I get 5500 to be exact and that’s it. My credit is also too young to get a loan out myself and no one can cosign for me either because they don’t want to or they can’t because of their own credit.
Is there anything I can do or do I have to wait til I am 24 and no longer a “dependent” of my parents to see if I can get better financial aid offers?
Thank you for your time and advice.
What are your stats? Are you applying as a freshman or transfer? Most schools award significant merit and need based aid from their own funds, especially if you are applying as a freshman.
Sounds like you are in school already since you have an amount of aid that you are getting. You don’t say what kind of student you are, what type of school you want and why your parents aren’t contributing. Financial Aid is based on family income because that is the cultural norm in our society. If there is a reason that they are not paying, you can appeal to your college. But if you have chosen to leave your parents, the bottom line is that you are stuck with their income on your FAFSA and CSS profile.
You can live at home, start commuting to a CC. Work while you’re in school to cover the costs.
you can also get a job at a school that provides some tuition assistance.