On the day you filed the FAFSA, with which parent did you live with the most for the 365 days prior? If you had lived with neither, and you had an issue that day in being a dependent at all, you should not have filed as such. You filed using your father’s info which he had to have given you, without a thought about these things. Then you got your EFC, and it became problematic and you are looking for a way retrospectively to change the situation. That is unlikely to fly.
That maybe you did not know that you had any choice about filing as an independent student even as you were sitting there THAT Day You filed FAFSA, having supported self completely and totally, fearing becoming homeless if YOU can’t pay your own bills, might be viewed as an accidental and automatic pick of using your father’s info.
Do understand that the fact that your parents won’t/can’t pay for you, that you can’t do it Is not a valid reason and is directly addressed in the guidelines. Doesn’t matter. You want exception made by Fin aid advisor because you have been totally self sufficient to point of edge of homelessness. That is a possible reason.
Do read the rules on being an Independent Student for FAFSA very carefully.
She WASN’T independent for FAFSA purposes on the day she filed. She’s under 24, not married or supporting a child, a military vet, etc. She is correct that, if she hasn’t lived with either parent in the prior 365 days, and neither parent has provided more aid to her, she is to use the parent with the higher income, which she did. She can ask for an override, but to do that you have to fill out the FAFSA with the information as it is on filing day. If she made a mistake and her mother DID provide aid to her or she DID live with the mother one day more than the father, then that is a correction to FAFSA and she should correct it and use the mother’s information.
It seems this student did everything correctly and honestly, using her father’s info. Sometimes it is just unfair or unlucky how the FAFSA rules work.
OP, I’m pretty sure you would qualify for instate tuition at Wyoming because your mother has been a resident for a while. The main campus is in Laramie but there are satellite campuses around the state (it is all one system) and there are many online courses. If you finish your entire year at your current school and transfer as a senior, you may have to go extra semesters to complete core or major requirements (and the required History of Wyoming class - required by the Wyoming Constitution for every student!). I’m sure it is not your first choice, but may be an option if nothing else works. Or for grad school!
Your discussion with the FA office sounds hopeful, that they want to work with you. Also that you are trying for the RA position and another job. I think you can make it work.
If your parents are separated or divorced, the custodial parent is responsible for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The custodial parent for federal student aid purposes is the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months.
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If you did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided you with the most financial support during the past twelve months should fill out the FAFSA. This is probably the parent who claimed you as a dependent on their tax return. If you have not received any support from either parent during the past 12 months, use the most recent calendar year for which you received some support from a parent. These rules are based on section 475(f)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 1087oo(f)(1)).
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However, in some cases a tie-breaker is needed, such as when the divorce was recent or when there are an even number of days in the year (e.g., a leap year). In such circumstances it is based on whichever parent provided more support. If that is not definitive, then the financial aid administrator at the college will make the decision, and this will usually be based on whichever parent has the greater income.
Oh, I agree that she picked the correct parent. However if she is/was getting no support from parents and in danger of being homeless, she can request special circumstances. Perhaps she did not know she had that option to make that request even though she was in those circumstances. It’s going to be up to the Fin aid officer.
@thumper1 : Regarding your post above #9: Your question directed to me should have been directed to @privatebanker as I have not, until this response, commented in this thread.
@thumper1 Let me rephrase: my PLAN is to take summer classes.
The tuition for summer classes is also about $1,000 cheaper than for Fall/Spring, and
I have yet to fill out the FAFSA for the summer. I have some money leftover from Financial Aid this year and was going to put that aside so I can at least go part-time over the summer and graduate faster.
You need a plan to finish this semester, and then the last two semesters (equivalent to your senior year). Go meet with your advisor and with the financial aid office and get some ideas about how to make this happen.
Your best plan may well be to stay at your current university, but transition to a part-time schedule so that you can work more to cover more of your expenses. Transferring to another place as a senior is tricky. You would need to find a place that accepted all of your freshman-through-junior-year credits, and that applied them toward your degree.
Texas State tuition and fees is ~$10,600k. The federal student loan for seniors is $7500, so you need $3100 to cover tuition for the year, but only ~$1500 will be due in Aug/Sept. The other half will be due in January. Housing is a big expense. If you can’t live with your dad and you’ve been paying your housing expenses with financial aid that you’ll no longer eligible for then you don’t have many options.
Your best bet might be to work full-time to pay the rent and take classes as you can afford them. You may have to look for cheaper housing. Sharing an apartment with other students, if you don’t already, may help.
If you do intend to take classes part-time you’ll have to indicate that on your FAFSA. Part-time students get smaller Pell Grant a than full-time students. @kelsmom will know if it affects the amount of the federal student loan you can take.
pell grants are now available for the summer, and most schools have summer as part of the prior FA year; If you have a pell grant for the 2019-2020 school year (now) you should qualify for the summer Pell too.
The bad news is if summer is part of the 19-20 year, so are the loans and you’ll have maxed out for the year.
I was trying to articulate an idea based on me guesstimating the student to be 21 or older.
Not dependent on either parent.
Not a member of either household and “no room at the inn”.
Also with mom so far away and not part of the support or housing, my thought was to perhaps approach the school as though the student is fully responsible for her self.
People younger than her have been able to make the case. And perhaps the school would be supportive in finding a way to allow her the financial aid to finish.
All those are good points, @privatebanker, but FAFSA just doesn’t care if you are 21 and self supporting, independent for tax purposes, no room at home, etc. A state can even give you instate tuition like Utah and Missouri do, but the FAFSA definitions do not change.
I was thinking more in terms of appealing to the school and less of fafsa approach but not sure how it all would work.
Just reaching for straws. Sounds unfair that she would t be able to finish the last semester or two at a state directional with the mitigating circumstances.
Imo, OP needs to put first things first. Unfortunately, that’s the living situation. It should be cheap digs, whether you have a roomate or find a situation where others have space for you.
Then, how long will your current income cover that? Can you work more hours or add work, in order to live?
After that, you view the college options. Of course, we want you to finish. But first you need to be on your feet.
I’m confused whether OP truly can say she spent more time with (or recieved more $ support from) Mom. That would change the EFC basis from Mr Dad, with his increased income and spouse’s in the mix. What’s that story, OP?