<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>