<p>You say tuition is $15K per semester but if you only take 3 classes it will be 5K?? That makes no sense at all. I know for the state I live in and the school I go to, I pay the tuition amount and can take no credits (so no classes) or up to the full load (which can be up to 30 credits if I want to kill myself) and still pay the same amount. It’s really only community colleges or some state colleges that will allow you to pay per credit, and if it’s that situation…why couldn’t you go to a CC or state at home and save the out of state tuition fee??</p>
<p>Sorry about your situation, and I can understand you want to keep certain things private, but your original post confuses me…</p>
<p>The only advise I have is to fill out the FAFSA anyways, apply for SCHOLARSHIPS and GRANTS. Maybe throw a fundraiser? Otherwise, it’s work, work, work for you.</p>
<p>ROTC is for young men and women that want to serve their country as officers. It is NOT a way to pay for college. Kids that join ROTC to pay for college inevitably drop out of the program and then have no way to pay fit college. </p>
<p>I really wish people would stop suggesting ROTC as a way to finance school.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden has already addressed the fallacy of “join the military or ROTC” - so that leaves the rest . . .</p>
<p>No, going to court won’t help. One generally can’t force the parent of an adult child to pay that adult child’s tuition . . . or room and board . . . or anything else.</p>
<p>No, she can’t get herself “declared emancipated” just 'cause mom & pop don’t want to pay for school.</p>
<p>And perhaps going into debt isn’t “the worst thing to happen” . . . but it also ain’t never gonna happen because a college student without a cosignor isn’t going to be able to get a loan anyway!</p>
<p>Op is 20 years old. Emancipation is for minors. For all we know she may even live in a state that does not emancipate/or does not recognize emancipation of minors.</p>
<p>There is no law that says that parents or step parents must pay for college costs or continue to pay for college costs. The OP is over the age of 18…emancipation is for those UNDER 18 with good cause (and not being willing to pay college tuition would not be a good reason). Going to court is not going to help the OP at all.</p>
<p>OP, I have a proposal you may not have considered to present to your parents. This is how a family I know handled a similar situation and it worked out beautifully. Their DD is now a proud college graduate working full time in a job that she loves. </p>
<p>This particular young lady failed literally every class during the first semester at STATE U and her parents brought her home. They had been paying her tuition, room and board and all expenses. Their revised deal was this: Each semester, she had to first earn the money to pay for tuition. When grades came in, they reimbursed her as follows:</p>
<p>A = 100% reimbursement plus cost of book
B = 90% reimbursement and she pays for the book herself.
C = 80% reimbursement
D or F = no reimbursement</p>
<p>Each time she got her reimbursement, it funded the following semester. Her first three semesters she attended community college and she finished her remaining two years at STATE U. Understandably, the greater costs of a private college may require you to adapt the plan accordingly.</p>
<p>OP, I have faith that you will figure this out and come out stronger than you ever imagined.</p>
Not at all true. There are plenty of colleges that will allow you to pay for a single class. Whether they will allow you to do so, and still be a marticulating student may be another issue. Yes, there are some schools that require you to be full time - and most of them won’t let you take 30 credits for the same price as “full” time which is often 12-18 credit. Many will charge per credit for anything over a “full load.”</p>
<p>Any school that deals with federal aid, and allows those students to take less than a full load (generally semester hours or the equivalent), should be reducing the federal aid based on the load.</p>
<p>The problem with the idea of $5,000 vs $15,000 is that the school probably thought she was asking about 3 credits, not 3 classes. She’s at a private school, so $5,000 is probably about right for 3 credits and falls in line with the cost of full time study.</p>
<p>But if natural father died and had told daughter he would pay for her college and now step father controls family moneys, he can be forced. There are multiple California Court rulings that you can google. But, as I said, see a lawyer.</p>
<p>None of those circumstances appears to be present here. And “see a lawyer” is not the solution when a college-aged kid screws up and mom (or dad) says, “That’s it - you’re on your own now!” Withholding tuition money as a form of discipline is not at all unreasonable . . . and no court is going to tell the parents they’re not within their rights to do so.</p>
<p>Pea…I have also been reading this thread with much interest and agree with many of the responses. Your words about a “forced independence” rings so true as I experienced this many years ago myself. One thing that I don’t believe was raised (and I realize may not be appropriate or relevant) is whether the OP has any special needs/issues that would make an immediate and forced independence more difficult for her. I realize she has been living away at school, yet I know numerous students doing the same who have erred due to (and not an excuse but rather an explanation) issues – ADHD, depression. One has been expelled and another is on probation. One returned home and another is floundering somewhere in between. This could well make moving out in a matter of weeks and being fully independent impossible. If not, the issue of a forced independence does indeed make you stronger albeit fragile short-term.</p>
<p>well, my parents did not pay for me to attend college. i do not think you need to take a year off. not sure where you live, if you are in california attend a community college and then transfer to a UC. take out loans to pay the tuition and work at an easy job, if you can find one. if you live with your parents, you have FREE RENT, that helps a lot. in any event, just take out loans this year and get perfect grades and perhaps next year, or next semester they will pitch in. anyway, free rent and maybe free food at home, is still a HUGE contribution. and will also help you complete your education. i do not agree with their choice, but i still think you can just move ahead and stay in school. good luck. you should be able to borrow enough money to cover the tuition, and you can (hopefully) ride your bike to school, sleep at home, and eat at home.</p>
<p>oh, and FORGET about seeing a lawyer. that is absurd. lawyers are not going to help you and just suck up money that you can use to pay for school. regardless, deal with your own family problems and don’t try to muscle your way around your family with legal jargon. that is immature. time to grow up from the sounds of things. good luck.</p>