<p>How many of you have heard of something like this? What is your opinion on it?</p>
<p>Being in the business for 28 years, I would never recommend this, but it's a legal strategy that does work. 'Nuf said.</p>
<p>Could I ask why you think it's not a good idea? I'm just very curious about this. Never heard anything of the sorts.</p>
<p>Don't use Columbia GS as a guide because it is specifically a school for non traditional students (in fact you can not apply to GS straight out of high school). </p>
<p>Your financial aid has to be filed during your senior year based on your income for the previous year. Unless you are applying as an independent student freshman year, at most schools if you start out as a dependent student, you finish as a dependent student (regardless of whether or not you get married, have kids etc) so for the majority of students attending college this would not work. The process is not as cut and dried as the article is making it seem to be. Even if you were married you would have to show how you eat and support your self (as monies/ gifts from your parents and in-laws would still count toward your EFC).</p>
<p>Either "Leo" is a friend of my daughter's, or there are at least two male GS students who have done the same thing... so it may be very common. I certainly understand the motivation -- my son returned to college at another (public) university last year at age 23, after a 3-year hiatus in which he had been totally self-supporting, but the arbitrary FAFSA standards rendered him totally ineligible for financial aid simply because of his age.. The irony is that a year later, having reached his 24th birthday, he is now eligible for Pell Grants and a large amount of university grant aid --essentially his senior year is free -- but he pretty much had to exhaust all his savings to pay for junior year. </p>
<p>Historically, economic considerations were always a driving force behind marriage -- the notion of romantic love is really a quite recent invention. So it seems to me a very logical choice, given the fact that if it weren't for this marriage, the kid is treated according to a more unrealistic fiction as to his assets and income. Also -- I'd just note that the marriage is NOT "fictitious" if they are legally married, no matter what their living arrangements or level of emotional involvement. </p>
<p>But as Sybbie noted, this tactic will not work at all colleges. It probably is not something that anyone should consider as a ruse, but for young adults who are in fact financially independent from their families, it may be the best way to pay for college. Personally, I'd rather see reforms in the financial aid system -- a kid who can document full time employment after high school and is no longer being claimed as a dependent on the parent's return or living at home ought to be able to prove independent status. If I were writing the rules I'd put a 2-year time frame on it -- that is, the FAFSA form would ask whether the student had lived with either parent or been claimed as a dependent for the 2 previous tax years, and if the answer was no then the presumption would be that the kid is independent.</p>
<p>So something like that wouldn't be possible for a freshman undergrad?</p>
<p>Sybbie--I work with a lot of students at the school I am at including helping them fill out FAFSA. If they get married, their Federal Aid status changes to "independent" even if they were originally dependent.</p>
<p>I'm assuming schools have to honor that.</p>
<p>Once a student is independent, they DO NOT look at the parent's financial status...correct?</p>
<p>I know this is true of FAFSA only schools, not sure whether it would also be true of CSS/Profile schools.</p>
<p>You could probably run the scenario on a Profile calculator to find out.</p>
<p>This is a really stupid question. What is the difference between FAFSA and CSS/Profile schools. I have only heard of FAFSA. Where do you find out what type of school they are? Thank-you!</p>
<p>Dartmouth is very specific.</p>
<p>they state on page 8:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Independent Students
“How can I be declared independent?”</p>
<p>It isn’t easy.</p>
<p>In most cases, if you enter as a dependent student, you will graduate as a dependent student.</p>
<p>(Remember: the sources of Dartmouth’s scholarship funds are tuition income, the Alumni Fund, and other gifts to the College. In short, some of the money comes from other parents. Each time the College treats a student as “self-supporting,” we are in effect asking someone else’s parents to assume the financial responsibility normally expected of that student’s parents.)</p>
<p>Only in rare cases in which students can meet all federal tests for independence and/or have extreme extenuating circumstances will they be considered independent for Dartmouth scholarship eligibility. </p>
<p>All of these cases are reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
Only in rare cases in which students can meet all federal tests for independence and/or have extreme extenuating circumstances will they be considered independent for Dartmouth scholarship eligibility.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Right--in this case, the student, being married, meets the Federal test for independence--at least as far as federal money, they really have no choice.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Only in rare cases in which students can meet all federal tests for independence and/or have extreme extenuating circumstances will they be considered *independent for Dartmouth scholarship eligibility. *
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, but for most private schools federal aid is just a small drop in the bucket. I don't think schools have to deem you independent when it comes to disbursing their money (which is the lion's share of need based institutional FA)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Historically, economic considerations were always a driving force behind marriage -- the notion of romantic love is really a quite recent invention. So it seems to me a very logical choice, given the fact that if it weren't for this marriage, the kid is treated according to a more unrealistic fiction as to his assets and income. Also -- I'd just note that the marriage is NOT "fictitious" if they are legally married, no matter what their living arrangements or level of emotional involvement.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>tell me about it... i ain't mad at the kid..i'm in the same situation and i'm considering doing the same thing..</p>
<p>Sybbie--that's what I'm wondering about. The statement seems to say that the only way to change your dependency status would be if you fit one of the federal categories; it doesn't say for fed money only, so I'm not sure which way it should be read.</p>
<p>From Finaid.org</p>
<p>
[quote]
Dependency Status
The requirements for a student to be considered independent are rather strict. Only two are reasonably under the student's control and those are </p>
<p>getting married before submitting the FAFSA </p>
<p>delaying college until age 24 </p>
<p>Either of these will qualify the student as independent for the awarding of federal funds. For the awarding of institutional funds, many schools adopt a stricter stance and require evidence that the student is strictly self-supporting. A student who lives at home with his or her parents (even if he or she pays rent) and doesn't earn a modest income probably won't qualify. </p>
<p>If a student gets married after filing the FAFSA, it will have no effect on the current year's need analysis. You can't change your dependency status mid-year by getting married. A mid-year change in marital status will affect dependency status only in subsequent years. </p>
<p>Independent student status does not always lead to an increase in eligibility for financial aid. Although it does mean that the parents' finances are not considered by the need analysis process, a student who gets married will have to include the financial information for his or her spouse. </p>
<p>
[/quote]
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
</p>
<p>The only criterion listed above which is under the student's control is marriage. However, students who are contemplating married should be aware of the following: </p>
<p>What counts is the student's marital status as of the date he or she submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If the student gets married after that date, he or she will not be considered independent until the subsequent year. Federal law specifically prohibits schools from changing a student's marital status mid-year. </p>
<p>Changing the student's status to independent through marriage might not increase eligibility for financial aid. A married student is no longer required to provide financial information for his/her parents. Instead, the married student must provide financial information for his/her spouse. If the spouse is wealthier than the student's parents, this may result in a decrease in financial aid eligibility.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In the end it is the college using their professional judgement on how they are disbursing their money To me, in a nutshell this means, although you are independent for federal funds, the school can still chose not to give you institutional aid because you got married. I suspect they will still want to know how you are supporting yourself and a spouse (and maybe even who was supporting you before the marriage).</p>
<p>Well, it looks pretty clear from what you cited that it is standard that in subsequent years after the marriage, they will no longer include parents income. I can't see anywhere up there about professional judgment.</p>
<p>(Doesn't mean I think students should do so to try to get more money, but that they will, in fact, according to everything you have posted, become independent, which will mean their spouse's income, not their parents' will be included.) This has actually caused problems for my students, since spousal income is weighed more heavily than parental, and their parents often make very, very little money. They often lose aid if they marry.</p>
<p>Colleges don't care how you support yourself--they just want to know the incomes of the relevant family members: self and parent or spouse.</p>
<p>So if you were a senior in high school and got married that year, would qualify for independence? What if you divorced?</p>
<p>You'd qualify if you hadn't filled out FAFSA yet. If you had, you can't change your dependency status till the next year.</p>
<p>I don't think that divorce would place you back in the dependency category, but I am not certain.</p>
<p>Before you make any definite plans, please be sure you know all the costs of such a plan, including monetary and, if only for FA reasons, ethical.</p>
<p>In addition to the ethical reasons consider the possibility that in future you may be limiting your choices.</p>
<p>The prospective mate may consider the fact that if you can marry for money, you can also leave for money. If you can fake marriage for money, you can also fake love for money.</p>
<p>Gosh what is happening to the moral compass of this generation.</p>