<p>Making a very long story short, the courts transferred my custody from my parents to my sister. I'm a bit lost as to what that means on a financial aid application, and my ED school (RIT) has their financial aid app due on Jan. 6. I have no clue whether a custody transfer counts like an adoption or guardianship or what, and my Guardian, Guardian Ad Litem, DHHS worker, and fin aid office each gave me a different answer. The best I got was my fin aid office saying me and my custodian(?) had to write a letter and send a copy of the court document proving the decision, but what do I want to include in the letter? And when I file do I do so with my custodian as my mother, a family member, or do I file as independent? And on the fafsa do I file as independent or in guardianship?
Lots of questions but I'm very lost.</p>
<p>If the courts have made your sister your legal guardian before age 18, then you are an independent for FA purposes. </p>
<p>Your custodian is your sister. It looks like the school just wants to see that there was a valid reason to have your parents lose custody of you and that it wasn’t done for financial aid shenanigans. </p>
<p>If your parents lost custody of you because of irresponsible, dangerous, and/or illegal behavior, there there should be a paper trail that indicates that…so the school may want to see copies.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, I have a complete copy of the court decision, complete with details and no censor pen. Do I have to send them the whole document or do I send them the front, back, and decision page? I’m just worried about sending the whole entire packet because I’m not sure I’m allowed because the document involves my siblings who are all minors.</p>
<p>I hope your family situation is stable now. </p>
<p>Call the school on Tuesday and ask them what to do about the documentation. They will tell you exactly what you need to send them. </p>
<p>When filing the FAFSA, you will be filing as an independent student. There is a question about being in guardianship that you will answer Yes to. Only your financial information will be required on the FAFSA. If your schools require the CSS Profile, they might want additional financial information. Ask them what to do.</p>
<p>And good luck to you.</p>
<p>I’m just worried about sending the whole entire packet because I’m not sure I’m allowed because the document involves my siblings who are all minors.</p>
<p>You can ask if you can make a copy and then “black out” the names of the minor children if you’re concerned about their privacy issues. Is that your concern?</p>
<p>I reviewed guardianship documents in a financial aid office. You can black out your sibling’s names - those are not relevant, so they can be removed. Keep the name of the sibling who is your guardian, of course. When you complete your FAFSA, you check the “guardianship” box & will not be asked for any parent info. You will very likely be asked by each college to fill out a guardianship form - check with each school after the FAFSA is filed. You will send the form with a copy of the guardianship papers. It’s not too difficult - you will be just fine!</p>