<p>What happens if your parents disown you so you have no money for college? Like I have to pay for college and no co signer will be available because they won't help me with anything?</p>
<p>What do I do when they ask for income and how do I pay for college</p>
<p>How old are you? </p>
<p>If you’re under 24yo, in general, your parents refusal to pay for college or fill out financial aid forms means you have to work to earn your way through. Most people in that circumstance start at a community college. Another option would be to join the military. You could also investigate the service academies; I don’t think you need your parents to participate in those applications.</p>
<p>My parents paid for nothing. I worked my way through college (UCLA). You could get student loans, no? Are you in college now or applying? I went to college many years ago, so I admit I know little about how things work now…</p>
<p>If they literally disowned you, and refuse to support you in any way, shape, or form, then you can emancipate yourself, then get better financial aid, too.</p>
<p>Are your parents low-income? If they are, then you may be eligible for federal grant aid. They would have to help you complete a form with information about their income and assets (the FAFSA federal aid form), but that doesn’t obligate them to give you any money, pay any bills, or co-sign any loans. It’s just informational.</p>
<p>Even if they are not low-income, and you are not eligible for grant aid, you would qualify for a Stafford (federal) loan – no co-signer needed, and it’s in your name, not your parents – of about $5500/yr if you could file the FAFSA with your parents, and your, income and assets info. That would be enough for a community college, tuition and books most likely. Would your parents allow you to live at home while attending a community college?</p>
<p>And, no, BillyMc is not correct. You can’t be considered independent of your parents for FAFSA purposes just because they refuse to support you after high school.</p>
<p>BillyMc gives wrong info. If that were the case, who would’t claim to be disowned? In most cases, as stated above, you will work your way through, colleges expect a parental contribution whether or not they’re willing.</p>
<p>
Emancipation is a legal procedure in which a dependent frees themself from their parents, by showing just cause that their parents have failed to meet their needs. That’s why I asked if the OP was actually disowned, with their parents not supporting them at all (no food, shelter, etc), or if it was just college. If the former, emancipation could rightfully be granted, and then colleges don’t consider parental income.</p>
<p>BillyMc, Emancipation does not in and of itself make a student independent for financial aid purposes. What the student would like to be is <em>independent</em> for financial aid purposes; that means his parents info will not be considered or required in determining financial aid. There are specific rules as to what constitutes independent and that’s why I asked the student’s age. Here are a list of reasons:</p>
<p>[FinAid</a> | Calculators | Dependency Status](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Dependency Overrides - Finaid)</p>
<p>There are also cases in which the financial aid administrator can use professional judgement. One example is if the student is pregnant. I have seen cases where the financial aid officer used an override in cases of abuse and neglect-- but they were all students who were completely on their own, had been for some time and were working. </p>
<p>Here’s some info on emancipation if you’re interested: </p>
<p>[FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Ward of the Court](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Ward of the Court - Finaid)</p>
<p>Neither incarceration nor emancipation of the student is sufficient on its own to make the student independent. </p>
<p>Emancipation occurs when the child is no longer under the legal authority and control of another. This can occur when the child reaches the age of majority, marries, enters military service, is fully self-supporting or by court order. An emancipated child is legally an adult. Since a child who reaches the age of majority can still be considered a dependent for financial aid purposes (and self-supporting is insufficient grounds for independent student status ever since the Bright-Line test was abolished in 1992), emancipation by court order is no different. The Higher Education Act specifies who is considered a dependent for financial aid purposes, and does not include an exception for emancipation. (Emancipation is defined by state law, and as such cannot overrule Federal law.) So even though an emancipated child no longer receives financial support from his or her parents, the parents are still obligated to complete the FAFSA form. However, the circumstances that lead a court to grant an emancipation petition might themselves be sufficient grounds for a dependency override. (Note that some states (e.g., Colorado) may allow emancipation as an alternative to age requirements for eligibility for in-state tuition. So emancipation can have an impact on state aid, but not on federal aid.)</p>
<p>A student is now allowed to file FAFSA without parental information to gain eligibility for unsubsidized Stafford loans. But that is unlikely to cover much of your actual need, since Staffords are capped at $5500 for freshmen, $6500 sophomore, $7500 junior/senior.</p>
<p>You didn’t post much specific info so I took a look at your other recent thread…looks like you’re a rising senior with a 2290 SAT and 3.5ish gpa (unweighted?), class rank around 27%. Do you have any idea what your FAFSA EFC would be or can you make an educated guess at income/asset figures and run them through the online calculators?<br>
You instate schools might be your best option - and luckily FL has some good ones - especially if you qualify for Bright Futures.</p>
<p>You sound like a good kid and ,whatever the current problem is with your folks, I would try to make amends…not only for the help you’ll need with the college stuff, but because it’s such an important relationship. Barring any physical abuse, give it some time for tempers to cool and meanwhile find work or some other meaningful thing to do with your summer that will keep you occupied and away from the house for decent chunks of time. If you are truly disowned, I would urge you to let your HS know that you are living on your own and take whatever steps are necessary to document that…it would go a long way toward determining your status as an independent student and eligibilty for financial aid.</p>
<p>My parents and I are long past the point of compromise. They feel as since my sister went to FIU and bright futures paid for it, I can just do the same. But if you saw my resume you would see that I worked for so much more than to go to UF which is the best case scenario for bright futures</p>
<p>And just to put it in perspective these were my dads exact words… December 16(my18 birthday) my responsibility as a father ends so figure things out in advance( get a job to pay for your stuff)</p>
<p>*They feel as since my sister went to FIU and bright futures paid for it, I can just do the same. But if you saw my resume you would see that I worked for so much more than to go to UF which is the best case scenario for bright futures *</p>
<p>*Class Ranking: 257 out of 924
Cumulative GPA: 3.4
Academic Core GPA: 3.6842
Weighted Cumul. GPA: 4.22</p>
<p>Those are my grades coming into senior year.</p>
<p>Let me address something. I got a 2290 on my SAT.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>You may be able to get some great scholarships somewhere. Keep that option open. </p>
<p>Is that a single-sitting SAT?</p>
<p>What was your PSAT score?</p>
<p>You say that your parents think that going to FIU is “good enough.” Well, that doesn’t sound like they’ve “disowned you.” That just sounds like they don’t want to contribute towards college? Are your parents immigrants? Did they go to college?</p>
<p>Your stats are very good, but don’t be ridiculous and think that you’re too smart for UFlorida. Many of us here have children with stats similar or better than yours and they have thrived and have been challenged academically at public state schools.</p>
<p>You can’t look at a large public school’s mid 50 range to determine what kind of students you would be around. Large public schools offer a very wide range of majors to accommodate all kinds of kids. </p>
<p>However, within the tougher majors and tougher classes the stat ranges are quite high. My sons are Math and Chem E majors. Do you really think that their classmates are a bunch of modest/low scoring dummies?</p>
<p>And, if a school offers an honors program, that can also offer opportunities to be around more kids with strong stats. </p>
<p>I don’t know what you plan on majoring in, but if its something like engineering, chem, bio, physics, math, etc, you will be around kids like you. Now if you were to major in a lesser demanding major, then things might be different. </p>
<p>I’ve seen your list of schools. You have schools like Berkeley down. What??? You’re OOS for Berkeley. The cost is $50k. They won’t give you a dime. </p>
<p>If your parents aren’t going to give you any money, then don’t be stubborn and not use a good strategy for finding schools that will pay for your education.</p>
<p>Yes, you can feed your ego and apply to some/many top, awesome schools, but what are you going to do next spring when you don’t get the aid you need and the schools expect your parents to pay a chunk? </p>
<p>So…please…Come up with a multi-step strategy…</p>
<p>1) Apply to a couple of dream/reach schools to see what happens…Cornell, etc (forget about NYU - they give lousy aid)</p>
<p>2) Apply to some top schools that give big scholarships for stats (Vandy, USC, etc)</p>
<p>3) Apply to some mid-tiers that will give you ASSURED big money for stats. Pick some with honors programs so that you can have your experience with other smart kids. These can be your financial safeties if you are CERTAIN that you will be awarded big scholarships for your stats. </p>
<p>4) Apply to 2-3 Florida state schools for Bright Futures and possible scholarship money (UF, UCF, FSU, FIU). FIU would be a financial safety.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your career plans are, but if they include law - med - business - grad school, then your financial situation for undergrad will be important. You want to minimize debt for undergrad because prof school costs sooo much money and often involves big debt. </p>
<p>Let me tell you about my son’s orthopedic surgeon who is considered to be a “wonder boy” in our county. He’s from Florida. He went to Duke for medical school and he went to the Mayo Clinic for his specialty training. Guess where he went to undergrad? FIU</p>
<p>Listen I appreciate your help but dot talk me down. They say my sister because she went to FIU where bright futures was 100%.</p>
<p>My major would be accounting/ marketing or advertising</p>
<p>You know? Going for the MBA/CPA combo</p>
<p>And ya I’m looking at honors programs at schools where I can get money. Any recommendations?</p>
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<p>Not likely. Other posters have already explained.</p>
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<p>Is THIS the reason for the “being disowned”? Is it that you want to go somewhere to college that is not funded by Bright Futures and your parents are saying they won’t pay? If so, you might want to reconsider your “options”. Bright Futures is a terrific opportunity to leave undergrad school without debt. For many families, that is a dealbreaker. If it is for your family, either you need to consider the many schools that honor Bright Futures OR you need to figure out a way to pay for college yourself.</p>
<p>Personally if we had the option of Bright Futures in this state, our kids would have gone instate. Grad school then could have been at the school of their dream or choice.</p>
<p>Re: schools out of Florida…look at U of South Carolina. You might be competitive for the McNair Scholarship which is a full ride award. Your SAT scores are in the competitive range, but I have to tell you…your class rank and GPA are not on par with those SAT scores. Nevertheless…for U of South Carolina, you would need to complete their honors college/scholarship application by hmmmm maybe Dec 1 (you’ll need to check). And start early as it’s a very challenging application form. If you are selected as a McNair finalist, you are invited to an all expenses paid interview weekend at the school.</p>
<p>*My major would be accounting/ marketing or advertising</p>
<p>You know? Going for the MBA/CPA combo*</p>
<p>OK…then you have some good options. 
Since an MBA is in your future, then you need to keep your debt down for undergrad. That probably won’t be a problem since students can’t borrow much and your parents won’t help you borrow more. </p>
<p>Your borrowing limits are… $5500 for frosh year, $6500 for soph, $7500 each for jr & sr years. So, about $27k total. :)</p>
<p>When you say, “Don’t talk me down,” I’m not sure what you mean. I want to HELP you. No one wants you to be one of those kids who is very upset in the spring when he has a handful of acceptances to schools that aren’t affordable. At that point, it’s too late to apply to schools that would have worked.</p>
<p>I gave you a multi-step strategy that keeps your desire to apply to some top schools, but also won’t leave you empty-handed if the FA packages won’t work for you.</p>
<p>Applying to top schools takes a LOT of time, so it’s important to eliminate ones that we know won’t financially be do-able (Berkeley and NYU). Telling you that isn’t “talking you down.” Telling you that is to save you time, application money, and needless frustration.</p>
<p>You say that your dad says that after you turn 18 then you are on your own. Does that mean that he won’t help you fill out FAFSA and CSS Profile? If so, then can you see what I mean about needing to apply to schools with big scholarships that won’t need financial info? (some schools ask for FAFSA for scholarship consideration, so if your dad won’t do that, then avoid those schools.)</p>
<p>I don’t know what your parents’ income/assets are, but even if they agree to fill out the FA paperwork, if they have an EFC that they won’t pay for, then you’ll still be stuck. That’s because your FA package will likely already include student loans and you won’t be able to borrow more to cover their unpaid EFC. </p>
<p>What schools’ honors programs are you looking at? From that list, we can suggest others that will give you big merit.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html</a></p>
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<p>Don’t be so angry. No one is talking down to you and in fact are giving you advice. Something for you to think about. Be careful if this is how you respond to adults trying to give you options and talk to you, it might be the root of your issues with your parents. </p>
<p>Your career ideas are just fine, but do not dismiss right now the concept of getting out of undergrad debt free and setting your sights on an exceptional grad school. Put a good list together comprised of some reachy, wish schools along with your Flordia options and some others that might garner some merit money as Mom2 suggests and please don’t blow up your bridges in front of you.</p>
<p>*
2) Apply to some top schools that give big scholarships for stats (Vandy, USC, etc)*</p>
<p>I should have added that these ^^^ top schools’ scholarships are competitive, so no one can count on getting one. That’s the reason for #3.</p>
<p>* 3) Apply to some mid-tiers that will give you ASSURED big money for stats. Pick some with honors programs so that you can have your experience with other smart kids. These can be your financial safeties if you are CERTAIN that you will be awarded big scholarships for your stats. *</p>
<p>What was your PSAT? Are you a possible NMSF?</p>
<p>Mom2…wouldn’t this kiddo get sufficient scholarship money at Alabama?</p>
<p>Yes, he would. Bama has a strong Accounting program. </p>
<p>*U.S. News and World Report ranks the Culverhouse School of Accountancy 15th in the nation among public institutions, while Public Accounting Report ranks the School’s undergraduate program No. 15 *</p>
<p>At a minimum, he’d get full out-of-state tuition. That scholarship would increase as tuition increases. The scholarship is worth about $80k.</p>
<p>If he played his cards right, he could apply to the Computer-Based Honors Program ( a research honors program, not a comp sci program). If he got accepted to that, he probably could negotiate more money to put towards housing (which some CBHers have been able to do. I could help advise him with that). </p>
<p>Link to the B-school [The</a> Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration](<a href=“http://www.cba.ua.edu/]The”>http://www.cba.ua.edu/) </p>
<p>Link to School of Accountancy [Culverhouse</a> School of Accountancy](<a href=“http://www.cba.ua.edu/accounting]Culverhouse”>http://www.cba.ua.edu/accounting)</p>
<p>Of course, if he’s a NMF, he’d get the really big scholarship.</p>
<p>Question – would any of the University of Alabama’s merit aid require the FAFSA? The OP intimated that after he turns 18 his parents are no longer claiming responsibility over him. I’m not sure if this applies to filling out the FAFSA but if it does then any merit aid should hopefully not require that form.</p>