<p>I'm not sure this is the correct place to post for help on these topics but after searching the internet for many hours, I figured I'd have the best shot on a forum such as this. I've been in a long distance relationship for a few years, myself living in Ohio, and her living in PA. The plan was for her to move here, and she can't let herself move without at least trying to go back and finish college. She attended for less than a year at a very young age, got messed up with bad influences, and dropped out in less than a year. She wants to go back and finish and get her 4 year bachelors in a computer major. She got her debt squared away and applied for several schools and aid and grants and what not, she's been accepted back to the school she left after writing an essay and got the aid, just waiting on grants. So my questions;</p>
<p>If she moves from PA to Ohio now, will she really lose all financial help for going back to school?</p>
<p>Will she ever be able to get about the same about of aid from the state of Ohio after living here long enough? How long?</p>
<p>I know this isn't very detailed, I'm very tired and very stressed because if she ends up going back, she's talking about ending the relationship because she wont have time for it between working full time and going to school. I mentioned moving to her while she goes and was told I wouldn't be able to stay with her because if she wasn't independent she would lose aid. Is this true? Is there really no way? Please help :/ I'll answer any and all questions.</p>
<p>“because she wont have time for it between working full time and going to school. I mentioned moving to her while she goes and was told I wouldn’t be able to stay with her because if she wasn’t independent she would lose aid. Is this true? Is there really no way? Please help I’ll answer any and all questions.”</p>
<p>No, that’s not true. Her aid is based on her being single and under 24, and her parents’ income. Her aid wouldn’t change if she had a boyfriend living with her. Makes no difference.</p>
<p>Is any of the aid coming from the PA state government, or is it all from the college/university and the feds (FAFSA)?</p>
<p>Is she classified as an independent student for financial aid purposes yet?</p>
<p>The rules/polices for any aid from PA should be right on the state dept of education website. Likewise the information about any aid of that sort that is available from OH. If you can’t find the answers to your questions there, it’s perfectly OK to pick up the phone and call.</p>
<p>But here is the real question: If she won’t have time for a relationship with you while working and studying in PA, what makes you think she’d have time for one if she moved to OH? She’d still need to work and study. Take a deep breath, step back, and look at this relationship. It may be over.</p>
<p>She’s 27, and the aid is coming from the PA govt I believe. She intends to try to go to school full time while working full time. And as a long distance relationship, we rely pretty heavily on visits and what not. She’s afraid that working and going to school and studying, she wont have time to come out or vise versa, and claims that I deserve somebody that can be here for me. I just don’t want to lose her after all of this time because she goes back to school. I’m assuming there’s gotta be a way. She said if I lived with her, she would no longer be considered independent and lose part of that aid. I have a buddy willing to move up there with me but I was just hoping there was another way or that if she moved to Ohio now, she wouldn’t be screwed out of the aid that she’d need to go back to college. She also said if she moved she’d have to wait a year for residency and then money would be the issue. Blah :(</p>
<p>She said if I lived with her, she would no longer be considered independent and lose part of that aid. I</p>
<p>She’s wrong. Even married students are still “independent”. Her situation is even better because since you’re not married, she doesn’t claim your income. </p>
<p>That said, if her aid comes from the state of PA, then she has to live there. But, you living with her won’t change her FA status. </p>
<p>couples who aren’t married, who live together and are over age 24 are independent, and only list their own income…not the income of their SOs.</p>
<p>However, all of her words may just be “red herrings”. The truth may be that she wants to break up so she’s making up these reasons why you can’t live with her. If that’s the case, then you have to accept that she’s gently breaking up with you.</p>
<p>She said that to her understanding, the school dictates how much she gets for room and board, and that she has to supply the paperwork to them to show how much she has to pay and that if my name was on the lease, they’d give her less for room in board and she’s afraid that if something happens between us or I can’t hold a job and pay my half, she’ll get screwed. She said she thinks that she’ll get the money twice a year, and they’ll determine the amount once a year.</p>
<p>I do not believe that, based upon what clavical has posted on an anonymous internet chat board, we can portend the impending demise of his relationship. Although, this is a conversation that the two of them need to have… sometimes relationships run their course. Long distance relationships are particularly problematic (I know… I have been in a successful one for far longer than either of us would like. There are challenges, and particularly when you are young, they can sometimes be insurmountable.) </p>
<p>Mom2K said: </p>
<p>"Even married students are still “independent”. Her situation is even better because since you’re not married, she doesn’t claim your income.</p>
<p>That said, if her aid comes from the state of PA, then she has to live there. But, you living with her won’t change her FA status.</p>
<p>couples who aren’t married, who live together and are over age 24 are independent, and only list their own income…not the income of their SOs."</p>
<p>This is correct… your significant other may be saying these things as a way to end the relationship… she may simply not understand the specifics of FA at her university. Talk to her candidly about the issues with FA and with the long distance relationship. Regardless of the outcome it is better for the two of you to make some difficult decisions now, rather than waiting until one of you moves.</p>
<p>*I do not believe that, based upon what clavical has posted on an anonymous internet chat board, we can portend the impending demise of his relationship. *</p>
<p>Kat, i think some of us think that the girl wants the relationship to end is because if she wanted it, she wouldn’t be throwing out all of these roadblocks; instead, she’d be figuring out how it could work.</p>
<p>The room and board portion of COA isn’t based on what any lease is. It’s an amount pre-determined by the university. I’m wondering why she even has to show them her lease. That’s unusual. It may not be even true, but she’s saying it as an “excuse.”</p>
<p>and the aid is coming from the PA govt I believe</p>
<p>The state of PA gives sooo little aid, I doubt that’s the source of her FA. She probably gets Pell, maybe some SEOG, some loans and maybe a small PA grant. Most, if not all, of those sources do not ever see a student’s lease.</p>
<p>What school is she attending? Is it a Penn St satellite?</p>
<p>If she is getting in state tuition in PA and any PA state aid, if she leaves PA, she loses it. IN addition, she would have to wait a year to claim residency in Ohio. She would also have to demonstrate financial independency, to which the school may ask how does she support herself. </p>
<p>While the 2 of you may live together and only her income is needed on the FAFSA, she would also have to report any monies you give her toward rent, food, utilities on the FAFSA, which can affect her financial aid.</p>
<p>While the 2 of you may live together and only her income is needed on the FAFSA, she would also have to report any monies you give her toward rent, food, utilities on the FAFSA, which can affect her financial aid.</p>
<p>I dont’ see how that works. There are students sharing apts, and sharing utilities, they aren’t including each other’s portions on their FAFSAs. It would make more sense if you only have to report if someone is paying for you (paying your share of the rent, paying for your food, etc).</p>
<p>Sybbie…unless I’m reading that wrong, she wouldn’t be claiming the amount that the BF pays for his OWN half of the rent. It looks like she’d only report if he is paying for some of her portion of the rent.</p>
<p>If someone is paying rent, utility bills, etc., for you </p>
<p>He’s not paying “for her”…he’s paying for himself.</p>
<p>When I was in college, I shared an apt with another gal. I wouldn’t have included her half of the rent as some kind of income. She wasn’t paying “for me.”</p>
<p>You must report cash support as untaxed income. Thus, if a friend or relative gives you grocery money, it must be reported as untaxed income in Question 44(j) If the friend or relative pays your electric bill or part of your rent, you must also report those payments.</p>
<p>These are all dealing with money going to support the student. these aren’t dealing with another person giving the student money to pick up groceries that HE will be eating, etc.</p>
<p>^^^ agreed this would be a “roommate situation” for financial aid purposes, unless the SO or family member was paying the student’s share of food and rent as well…</p>
<p>I don’t get the lease thing unless she’s living in university housing… but she may not realize the way it works.</p>
<p>Otherwise, the simple fact is it sounds like it would be harder for her to leave the state than for you to go there. Is there a way for you to go to for a ‘trial run’ (the summer or part of the summer) before you uproot your life? </p>
<p>Oh, and to answer your question: Would she ever get aid/ instate tuition from Ohio? Yes, she could move there and eventually qualify as a resident for instate tuition. I do not know what aid Oh gives instate residents. You can find the rules for instate tuition on each school’s website (and they can vary between different public colleges in the same state) but a very typical rule is that a person has to have been there at least 12 months, file taxes in the state, etc. I know of at least one OH school that, on its website, will give a student immediate residency for tuition purposes if they accept a ft job there and go to school parttime-- however, I don’t know if that person would still have to wait longer for any kind of state financial aid. Really, if she is accepted somewhere in PA and can finish up, she may be better off just finishing there.</p>
I’ll answer any and all questions.”</p>