<p>I'm between a rock and a hard place.
Just so you know where I'm coming from, my parents really dislike each other. Dad kicked mom off of his health insurance, and now she may have cancer. She needs surgery, which may run into the tens of thousands of dollars; under these circumstances she's unlikely to help me.
Dad is making things even more difficult because I'm spending time with my mom and he disapproves. Neither one of them has gone to college, and don't realize how important their support is.</p>
<p>They filed taxes separately despite being married. I got no need-based grants/scholarships due to this, where I could have gotten them if they were to stop bickering and just file jointly. In fact, my college has only offered me a federal loan for $3500.</p>
<p>I've been trying to talk to them about paying for college for 2 years straight and they waved me off because they didn't want to hear it. Now I have a month before my school asks me for the money, and they aren't doing anything at all. I tried bringing up loans to my dad today and the only thing he said to me was,
"But what if you default?"
NO help whatsoever! I'm responsible and save money, but I don't have much at all. I don't have a car, so my work options are limited.</p>
<p>My parents have excellent credit but won't cosign, so I can't get a loan override for bad credit. I'm still a dependent.</p>
<p>Can anyone please tell me what to do in this situation? I'm stressed out and don't know what to do.</p>
<p>What school is this for? What is your EFC and your COA? It sounds like you may have to reconsider your school choice.</p>
<p>The school is Georgia Southern University.
EFC is 9292; COA is $21,504.</p>
<p>I think that all you can do is to go to a community college that you can pay for with a loan that you take out yourself and by working and living at home. You can’t make your parents pay for your education. Obviously, your mother can not pay for your education, and it seems your dad is refusing.</p>
<p>All you can do is to help yourself by finding a college that you can afford. That probably means your attending your local community college for 2 years and then transferring to an in state public university, and taking out the loans and working to pay for it.</p>
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<p>Your need based computed EFC would not have been much different if your parents had filed a joint return. Their INCOMES are what primarily drives the EFC…not the type of return the parents file. The only impact this would have is that the amount of tax paid by joint filers is different. BUT truthfully, it’s unlikely your EFC would have changed enough to make a substantial difference if your parents filed jointly. And related…there are other families where the parents file separate returns for one reason or another. You are not the only student who has married parents filing separate returns.</p>
<p>The maximum Stafford loan for freshmen is $5500…so you should ask them about that loan.</p>
<p>Your school does not guarantee to meet the full need of accepted students. In other words, they don’t guarantee to meet the difference between the cost of attendance and EFC.</p>
<p>Your EFC would not put you in the running for federally funded grants like the Pell…your EFC is too high.</p>
<p>Are there any state grants to which you are entitled?</p>
<p>Chronos, </p>
<p>I am sorry for your situation. Unfortunately, getting emancipated from your parents is difficult to do and so you will have to work your way through this financial mess.</p>
<p>It seems that attending an affordable community college for a year or two is your best option. You’ll be able to save money, make good grades and hopefully buy time to get some merit scholarships. </p>
<p>I would take the summer to look online on Fastweb for scholarships for college students. You’ve got a compelling story and that, coupled with sincere essays, will get at least a few thousand dollars in scholarships.</p>
<p>During this next school year, concentrate on getting good grades. If you work hard enough, you might be able to transfer to a school with that meets 100% financial aid.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Are you going to GA Southern from out of state? Or did you not qualify for the Hope?</p>
<p>In either case, I would really recommend community college for two years and then transferring to a 4 year school.</p>
<p>I agree with the community college idea. In fact there are some terrific transfer scholarships out there- some schools will practically offer automatic great financial aid packages for being in Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year school honors society. If you get really involved there, with other organizations at school, and really keep up with your academics you could be looking at great scholarship opportunities. </p>
<p>You could also look at cheaper public universities and see what they offer.</p>