<p>My mother is not paying for any of my school feels. However I am still listed as an dependent under her when she fills out her tax forms...so my question is Had she not listed me as a dependent on her tax form, could i receive more aid/lower EFC?</p>
<p>No. Being independent for tax purposes is completely different from being independent for the FAFSA. To be independent for financial aid purposes you need to be 24, married, in the military or have already earned a bachelor’s degree. It doesn’t matter whether your parent claims you as a dependent on her taxes or not.</p>
<p>^was afraid of that answer
my mom makes enough to the point i won’t receive much pell and get very little TAP</p>
<p>after assistance from fin aid(pell/tap/loans)…i’m left to pay off the remaining balance on my own…it’s so depressing studying while thinking how i’ll pay off my school balance</p>
<p>Can you go to a public that you can commute to?</p>
<p>Are you taking out a federal student loan?</p>
<p>in state school…500 miles away from home…so i reside in the dorm
i study better away from home</p>
<p>Have you considered applying for a RA position for next year? I believe most, if not all, of the SUNYs offer free room and a stipend to their RAs.</p>
<p>With an RA position, I heard it ‘messes’ with one’s financial aid and work study</p>
<p>I’ll go without a meal plan…and once my lease is up…hopefully find a place off campus that’s less than $400 a month</p>
<p>Well, if you aren’t getting much in the way of aid (other than loans) to begin with, what is going to be messed up?</p>
<p>I didn’t go to a SUNY but when I was an RA, the money we got paid didn’t mess with our financial aid much. The stipend might mess with work-study simply because the RA stipend is likely more than most work-study jobs, but as far as covering tuition and fees went, it didn’t.</p>
<p>She should at least pay $4,000 of your tuition so she can claim the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit. If she is claiming that credit and not paying any of your school fees and not supporting you at all, well, that is just not right…</p>