<p>Hi there-</p>
<p>Quick Question. Basically my parents are unwilling to pay for much, if any (most likely) of my tuition. What are the rules for declaring independent status? </p>
<p>Any replies are most appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>to be declared independent you must meet one of these requirements:</p>
<p>-- age 24 or older
-- married
-- responsible for a dependent (usually a child of your own) and paying more than 1/2 of their support
-- served in the armed forces
-- orphan or ward of the court
-- pursuing a graduate degree.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fafsa.com/independent.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.fafsa.com/independent.htm</a></p>
<p>Just because your parents won't pay doesn't make you independent.</p>
<p>You have only a few choices -- talk with your parents and do whatever it takes for them to pay, work full-time and attend school part-time (local school or community college), find a college that will grant you some merit aid, wait until you are 24, look for an ROTC scholarship.</p>
<p>I always thought a grad student was considered independent, but as my DD begins researching grad schools. we are learnign that some schools do ask about your parents residency in determining tuition. I have not yet learned about the finaid, but it may be the same!</p>
<p>somemom, I do not know what to tell you about that. I figure that is why they have those parent plus loans for grad students, now. </p>
<p>burmell: have you spoken with a guidance counselor, a teacher you trust, or a Priest or Rabbi (or whatever the case may be)? You have to try to find guidance for your situation in a personalised fashion. Then you have to sit down with your parents and maybe bring the person you seek guidance from along for the ride. I mean, worse case scenario, you can go to Community College for two years and transfer. But, you should try your best to seek guidance in person from a real person:)</p>
<p>good luck, y'all.</p>
<p>Somemom--those rules are for federal aid (of which there's not much for grad school, anyway). Schools can set their own rules for their own aid, and do.</p>
<p>Would a school give independent status to student who's parents are able, but unwilling to pay for their child's education?</p>
<p>descant -- no, just because your parents won't pay doesn't make you independent. You need to be looking at merit aid or other types of scholarships.</p>
<p>descant, weigh all of your options. Try to work with your parents and figure something out. Speak with your guidance counselor for sure. </p>
<p>And, do not pin your hopes on this, but..</p>
<p>Some schools do actually have institutional wide rulings on things like independent status. They really do. I work part time at one that does, but there is a lot of things at play with that...</p>
<p>For example, if one has a deadbeat dad and a drug addled mother and is being raised by a granny who is on SSI, then they could be declared an independent early if the school has a rule in place which allows those with special circumstances (like that) to be declared an independent early. </p>
<p>However, the odds are slim that a school would be like :"Well, heck, your parents do not wish to take out a Parent Plus loan? Boy howdy, let me help you be declared an independent early."</p>
<p>However...</p>
<p>If your parents really do not want to pay for your schooling, you really and truly have to try and speak with them and maybe try really hard to find someone (like a guidance counselor or someone at your place of worship) who would be willing to mediate the situation and try and help you.</p>
<p>Hi all--</p>
<p>I'm going through the process of filing for independent status right now. Since this post was started 2 years ago, I'm sure you figured out some way to pay for college, but basically you can apply for independent status through your university (which differs depending on the university, so you should call your financial aid office to find out) and if the university considers you to have extenuating circumstances, you will be declared an independent. However, it is very difficult to achieve this status and you will often be turned down unless you can prove that you were physically or sexually abused. Even emotional abuse is not necessarily enough.</p>
<p>I would love to hear from someone who has successfully gone through this process.</p>
<p>merlin, the PLUS loan for graduates is not a parent PLUS loan. In fact, it does not ask for any parental information at all.</p>
<p>Grad student financial aid is VERY different from undergrad. Plus loans are for the student, not the parent (student is usually considered independent). Also, re: residency...that is completely different than financial aid. For example, DS is a graduate student and is a dependent, and his permanent address is in this state. For in state tuition purposes, he is considered a resident of this state. For financial aid, he is considered an independent student. Still...even though his EFC is 0, that does not translate into the same aid as that for undergrads with an EFC of 0.</p>
<p>I thought you had to be emancipated to apply as an independant</p>
<p>Still...even though his EFC is 0, that does not translate into the same aid as that for undergrads with an EFC of 0.>></p>
<p>For DD, an EFC of 0 just meant she was able to borrow the entire COA - no merit aid, no federal, state or school grants, no work study. She ended up with an assistantship, so tuition is covered at least.</p>
<p>Even emancipation does not ensure independence. And Cap brings up a very important point. Just because you get that EFC down so low does not necessarily mean you are going to get a lot of money, and being independent does not always mean more funds. Oddly enough a lot of grad students find that they do better as a dependent, and time marriages accordingly.</p>
<p>Since this old thread has come up again, I will share a bit of what we learned. DD in a non-professional school masters program qualified for $0EFC as an independent, this gave her a work study/finded RA for living expenses and loans for tuition. By midway through the 1st year she had earned a TA position which is better than as RA as she gets about 80% tuition remission and health benes. The stipend is about the same for RA & TA, so that should cover most of living expenses.</p>
<p>DD had an outside job one day a week earning about $400/mo for the first school year. This year she is only doing random extra side jobs, one at a time, as her schedule permits. She has to write her thesis. </p>
<p>I do not know if she is taking any loans this year, I hope not. I do know that I have in the back of my mind to pay off loans at the end of her education (I want her to experience the tough road herself and want to make sure I can afford it and see what her sisters do so I do not set a precedent I cannot continue) </p>
<p>DD is thinking to go on to a PhD, she was not ready to make that choice or that commitment when this masters opportunity came up. If you can know your mind and set yourself up to go right into PhD it could be more efficient and less costly, as I do not believe having a masters saves any time on a PhD, in her case it has been time well spent. She needed this time to make sure that is the path she wants and she did have partial funding first year and mostly funded year two, so that is great. Plus she is only an hour from our home and I think we are all enjoying reconnecting after her 4 years 1500 miles away at UG. I think she will choose her potential PhD matches much better now.</p>
<p>Maybe if she had begun in this field in the first place, she could have gone right to PhD, but it was just time needed to confirm the goal.</p>
<p>"I would love to hear from someone who has successfully gone through this process."</p>
<p>I know of a case, and nationwide, approximately 2% of undergraduate students become independent through such dependency overrides, so it's not extremely rare, but the requirements are strict, and generally require some form of abuse, but there are other more rare non-abuse cases as well. In all such cases, the individual college decides that it's inappropriate to expect the parents to contribute to college expenses.</p>
<p>It definitely happens. I work at an urban university with students from some very difficult circumstances. Some of these students are able to receive dependency overrides based on their circumstances. HOWEVER ... NO student would receive an override simply because his/her parents are unwilling to pay. That runs counter to the underlying assumption in federal financial aid: "The student and family, not the government, are primarily responsible for paying college costs. Federal aid is a supplement. Parents of dependent students are expected to contribute to college costs if financially able."</p>
<p>^agree with Kelsmom. Students at the private college (catering to mostly low income students) I work at sometimes get granted independent status after filling out extensive paperwork with our FA office. There are circumstances where this takes place; they aren't that the parents didn't want to pay. It was more like the parents weren't factually in the picture, and this was documentable. It's not easy, it can't be assumed as a strategy, but it does happen. An example might be a student who has immigrated here, but whose parents are back home in another country. The student is a permanent res and supporting him/herself. In such a situation, the parents' income (sometimes negligible and hard to quantify) is discounted and the student is considered independent (as he/she is.)</p>
<p>I hear stories of people that "just claimed" independency because their family assets, income...etc. were considered too much...</p>
<p>(talk about a catch 22..)</p>
<p>Anyways is this true at all? I see that the thread says you must be all that stuff........ and poor.. or w/e but why would that make sense--- because in that case you get so much FA already just by being dependent and "disadvantaged".....</p>
<p>Aren't we officailly considered independent by the state when we pay for more than 50 % of our own insurance??</p>
<p>i am a complete nubie---i obviously dont qualify for anything. (my dad is in real estate. : (</p>
<p>
[quote]
I hear stories of people that "just claimed" independency because their family assets, income...etc. were considered too much...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You cannot 'claim' independency for financial aid purposes. When you complete FAFSA you are asked a series of dependency questions. (are you over a certain age, are you married, are you a veteran etc, already have a bachelors degree). if you cannot legitimately answer yes to any of these questions you are a dependent for financial aid purposes. Even if you have left school and moved out on your own or a couple of years and have worked and supported yourself you are still a dependent for financial aid purposes until you turn 24 or meet one of the other criteria.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anyways is this true at all?
[/quote]
No</p>
<p>
[quote]
Aren't we officailly considered independent by the state when we pay for more than 50 % of our own insurance??
[/quote]
No</p>
<p>
[quote]
I see that the thread says you must be all that stuff........ and poor.. or w/e but why would that make sense--- because in that case you get so much FA already just by being dependent and "disadvantaged".....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What?</p>