is it possible to become financially independent after freshman year of undergrad?

Paying for College
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<p>if I do get accepted into one of the many colleges I applied to, I would like to sever all communications and ties with my parents</p>

<p>ie: never see them again, never call them, etc.</p>

<p>however, because I will (and must) rely on financial aid to attend college, it may turn out to be the case that I will continue to rely on them for their financial information and tax returns</p>

<p>as uncooperative as they are now, things can and probably will worsen up to a point where my requests for their compliances will result in nothing but absolute refusals</p>

<p>I wonder, is it possible that, through some combination of extraordinary circumstances that may present themselves while I'm in college, that I will be no longer dependent on them?</p>

<p>legally financially independent, if you will?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

2

<p>It is highly unlikely you will be able to be financially independent from your parents for FA purposes. Generally you have to be 24 to be considered independent (though there are alternative ways such as beeing a veteran of the armed forces, having a dependent of your own that you provide >50% support for, being married etc etc). Dependency over rides by schools are usually made in very extreme situations. Unwillingness to provide data is not one of them, nor is being financially self supporting. If it were that easy everyone would do it. As you currently live with and are supported by your parents you are unlikely to meeet the criteria for an over ride.</p>

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<p>ok, what about next year?
this time next year, I will not be financially supported by my parents
I will have not have lived with them for about 8 months</p>

<p>what are some of the ‘extreme’ situations that you mentioned?</p>

<p>marriage doesnt sound too bad :smiley:
but I would like to find out about how else I may qualify for financial independence</p>

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<p>I’m confused, will they be helping you pay for school?</p>

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<p>Extreme cases at my school usually involve police reports, restraining orders, and/or letters from mental health professionals. Being self-supporting is not sufficient to be considered independent for federal aid purposes.
[Dependency</a> Status Worksheet - Worksheet - Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/FOTWWebApp/fotw1011/WorksheetServlet?locale=en_US&wstype=WSDEP]Dependency”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/FOTWWebApp/fotw1011/WorksheetServlet?locale=en_US&wstype=WSDEP)</p>

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<p>no they will not be paying for my tuition</p>

<p>in addition to being financially unable to, they have also proclaimed that they wouldnt even if they could</p>

<p>fools</p>

<p>anyways, the dependency worksheet is somewhat incomplete; on the fafsa corrections, there are several other categories that, as I interpret them, would enable me to claim financial independence if I can answer “yes” to one, only one, and any one of them?</p>

<p>At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?: not sure if i can, but if i can, i will</p>

<p>-Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011? </p>

<p>-Are you married as of the day you submitted your FAFSA?</p>

<p>-Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2011?</p>

<p>hmmmmm, will be tough to fulfill those 3, but then again, this is more concerned wtih July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012</p>

<p>also, who can I claim as a dependent?
a friend, girlfriend, a cousin perhaps?</p>

<p>sorry for being ignorant</p>

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<p>Not going to work. It just does not work this way.</p>

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<p>which way?
the financial dependency determining questions do not serve a purpose?</p>

<p>it seems that the broad and general definition of being dependent of your parents is that you are supported by them, or you receive benefits from them in some way.</p>

<p>as neither would be the case a year from now, why wouldnt I be allowed to claim financial independence, especially when I can answer yes to one of the dependency questions?</p>

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<p>Being a dependent for IRS purposes is not that same as federal student aid purposes. Which question can you answer “yes” to?</p>

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<p>none so far but as events pan out, (and remember, this is for my 2011-2012 school yea so I may have some time) I may be able to answer yes to one or more of the questions i listed in the post where I pasted questions from the FAFSA</p>

<p>of course, my answer to “do you have any dependents other than children or spouse” depends on whom I can actually claim; if a girlfriend is eligible, then I’ll jump right on that.</p>

<p>but that sounds wayyy too easy lol</p>

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<p>“Do you have any dependents other than children or spouse” means, are you providing more than 50% of support for another person? </p>

<p>If you answer “yes”, your school is going to question it. They’ll ask who you’re providing support for. They’ll also ask how you’re earning the money to provide the support: you’ll need to show proof of income (i.e. tax returns and W2 forms) that’s high enough to support not only yourself, but another person.</p>

<p>If it sounds too easy, it is. And believe me, your school administrators will already have seen examples of every possible way people try to claim independence. It’s not wise to enter into any kind of relationship or financial arrangement with another person solely for the purpose of independence on the FAFSA.</p>

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<p>A gf will not work. A wife would, but it could also backfire if she makes any money or has any assets. You can’t study for an advanced degree until you have an undergrad one, so that also won’t work. The system is designed to make it hard to be independent, or everyone would claim to be.</p>

<p>It sounds like you’re in a good situation if your parent’s don’t have the money to contribute. This will give you a low EFC and make college low cost if you’re qualified for schools that meet need. If this is the case, see if you can keep the peace long enough to just get them to fill out aid forms for three more years. It will be worth it.</p>

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<p>

Unless you are planning to get your bachelors in 1 year then no you will not be able to do this. All these are more advanced education levels that come after a bachelors degree. Also once you are doing any of these advanced programs you are ineligible for any federal grant aid. Grants such as the Pell are for undergrad only. </p>

<p>To be able to claim that you are providing more than 50% of a dependent’s support you would have to have enough income for the school to be able to believe you are able to provide >50% of someone elses support, as well as your own support. This would mean providing a home for them, food, etc etc. And that they are not earning enough to where they are providing >50% of their own support. FA officers are not stupid and they will want to verify your information, especially if it is unbelievable. If you had that sort of income it would increase your EFC.</p>

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<p>yikes
swimcat, this is kinda off topic but how would one obtain financial assistance for those advanced degrees? if the fafsa mentions it, then the fafsa must still have some kind of relevance when the time for an advanced degree comes?</p>

<p>and yea, i guess my parents’ low income would provide a low EFC; however, peace is hard to maintain; it is falling apart, even now.</p>

<p>also, can you imagine what it’ll be like if I didnt speak to them but once a year: after a one year excommunication period, I call up and say “hey mom, can you give me your tax forms?”</p>

<p>that’ll be ridiculous</p>

<p>callous grudges aside, i know that it is the intent of my parents to sell the house immediately after my high school graduation (they are trying to do it right now)</p>

<p>so their contact information may not be consistent</p>

<p>They also plan to move back to their native country once they do not have to maintain legal oversight of me, so this time next year(or even september of this year,)
my parents could very well be out of the country</p>

<p>and I would assume, no longer subject to federal tax returns?</p>

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<p>

Loans…</p>

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<p>

If they are green card holders or citizens they are still required to do federal tax returns. And even if they are living out of the country you are still their dependent for FA purposes and have to provide their financial information.</p>

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<p>Frankly the worse case scenario is you have to drop out of whatever college you end up being able to afford for your freshman year and start working, potentially take some night classes and wait until you are 24 to finish college. We do know kids who have done this for various reasons. Hate to be a downer, but ***** happens.</p>

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<p>u gotta be kidding me!
i have no possible avenues of becoming independent short of the deaths of my parents?</p>

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<p>Same rules apply for all students. My son dropped out for a couple of years, worked full time, had his own place, and paid all his own bills. He was still our dependent when he went back to college as he was not yet 24…</p>

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<p>There are kids on these forums that are “going it alone.” It takes ingenuity and perseverance and a certain amount of humbleness and understanding about the options but it can be done. I think we’re just pointing out that there isn’t an “easy” route if you do not have the support of your parents. Declaring independence in the absence of of certain established markers is not usual. Students that do go that route have to do much more than check a box on FAFSA. They sometimes have to obtain court documents, police documents, information from their high schools, clergy, and various other reliable sources, whatever will support their particular life story. Your most reliable route, of course, is to navigate some sort of peaceful, supportive relationship at the very least with your custodial parent so you could attend a FAFSA only college/uni.</p>