I applied for financial aid using the FASFA but I didn’t receive any aid because my parents make too much and their “expected contribution” would cover my college expenses. I’ve been having some issues with them lately and although they have money set aside for my college, I don’t know if they will be giving it to me because of our difference in opinion. They are willing to jeopardize my education (after agreeing to pay for it) because of how serious my boyfriend and I are. It’s gotten to the point where I’m contemplating taking college into my own hands so they can’t control me any more. They hold their checkbooks over my head to get me to comply with their rules.
Their rules are very harsh and demanding of me. I’m 18, but I live in their house. I recently admitted to having sex with my serious boyfriend and they went ballistic. I now have a tracking device on my phone and I’m not allowed at his house. They forbid me to get on the pill and basically told me don’t have sex because I will get pregnant and everything will be ruined. I’m a good student, I love my boyfriend and I’m very responsible. These rules seem harsh to me and I don’t like it. I’ve offered to pay for my phone plan but they won’t take the tracker off.
So my only option to really get them off my rear end is to completely distance myself from them and become financially independent of them. Am I eligible to file as independent on the FASFA and then get federal financial aid? I think this would help my scholarship capabilities.
As it stands, no. As long as they can claim you as a dependent on their taxes, you are not considered separate for the purposes of financial aid. As I understand it, you have to live on your own (i.e. be paying for your own place) and have been financially independent for at least a year. I might have the details wrong and there may be more to it, I am far less than an expert on this and others will fill in the blanks. But I know enough to know that you are not at all in a position to file for financial aid without having your parents possible contribution considered, regardless of their actual position on paying.
The only way a student can be considered independent for financial aid is if he meets one of the criteria for independence. Being self-supporting is not among the criteria.
Another way to be considered independent is to file a petition with the school to be considered for a dependency override (and to have that petition approved). There are federal guidelines that regulate dependency overrides. I wanted to mention this because sometimes there are deeper issues at play. If it’s just parents being parents … you know, setting rules that the student doesn’t like … it won’t warrant an override.
Tax declaring status has NO bearing at all on financial aid independent status.
In the vast majority of cases, undergrad students under the age of 24 are dependent for financial aid purposes…even if they are totally self supporting.
The questions for independent status per FAFSA are clear…you have to be one of the following : over age 24, a veteran, married, supporting a dependent child of your own, be a ward of the state at some time, be in guardianship (not with your parents), be homeless (this has to be well documented).
Simply living on your own, and paying all your own bills will NOT make you independent for financial,aid purposes. Same with your parents NOT declaring you on their taxes. Not relevant for independent status for financial,aid purposes.
Your parents aren’t jeopardizing your education, you are. The FAFSA is used to determine whether or not students qualify for a Pell grant and the maximum Pell grant is only ~$5k/year, so even if you could be classified as an independent it wouldn’t help you much. If you want to be financially independent get a job, pay for your own apartment, transportation, food, and utilities, and take classes as you can afford them. You’ll still be considered a dependent for college financial aid purposes, so don’t count on getting much aid from colleges.
They are paying for college so you probably need to follow their rules. Maybe they are freaking out because your boyfriend is a lot older or is not going to college.
At age 18, you are free to walk out of your parents home and live your own life. You are legally an adult. Your parents can not make you do anything.
You can get a job and figure out how to pay for a place to live, utilities, food, car, auto and health insurance, cable, cell phone, clothing, and whatever else your heart desires.
But, if you expect your parents to pay for your education and living expenses, then also expect them to set the rules.
Your choice. Boyfriend and a life of struggle or a college education and delayed personal gratification.
You can become financially independent by cutting off financial ties but that will not make you independent for financial aid purposes.
If you want to become financially independent (ie pay for college yourself), I’d start with not traveling to see him 5 hours each way (that’s expensive) and by not helping him with rent.
Your parents are forbidding you to go on the pill. Can you get the birth control implant? There are responsible ways that an 18 year old can get help without the parent’s approval.
@sk8tergrl483 Might I also suggest that you and your boyfriend (if he is under age 27) consider HPV shots? I get the impression (I might be wrong) that if your parents are against BC for a sexually active teenager, that they may not have taken you to get the HPV vaccination.
Get another phone that you pay for (not part of their plan)…leave the tracker phone at home…have your calls forwarded to your new phone. On the new phone, you can block the Caller ID of that phone.
Stop sharing so much info with parents. (We really don’t want to know all this stuff…lol)
You can’t pay your own way. You can’t borrow enough…only $5,500. And you won’t be independent .
Somewhere out there is a parent confiding in a friend,
“I don’t get it. We worked so hard- and were so thrifty in order to put away a college fund for our daughter who we love so much and who has so much potential. And she has fallen under the spell of some guy- who she thinks she’s in love with- and is more interested in spending time with him and sleeping with him, than she is in thinking long term about her life. Doesn’t she realize that the BF will be history within a few months, but her education lasts a lifetime? We have no interest in funding college for someone who doesn’t seem to take her education seriously. Why throw our money down the drain?”
OP- you think you’re in love. Terrific. That’s what it means to be a teenager with a BF- you are in love. Maybe it’s forever- statistically speaking, that is highly unlikely.
At any rate, why not have a conversation with your parents to peel back the onion and find out why they object to him? Do they see something you don’t- is he controlling, or needy, or sucking time away from other things you used to enjoy? Is he not supportive of your academic goals? Is he disrespectful to your parents?
Why not listen before you cut them off (which doesn’t make you financially independent anyway)???