Running out of State Grant question

[DevFrye]

@sybbie719 At my community college I am seen as a dependent.

Like you mentioned, it was determined not by the college, but the government as a dependent, because I am under the age of 24 (long list of requirements to be seen legally independent). They do not care if my parents don’t pay a single penny and/or help with college - heck I don’t even live with them. However, they did say I could fill out a form to request to be considered independent but had mentioned I would receive less as I work.

Everyone knows college is expensive, which is why I am trying to determine the best solution - to finish college and rack up more debt or find a job, work and “hope” I finish later.

[mommdc]

Go to CA after you get your degree. It is very difficult to get residency there, especially since cost of living is expensive in CA.

NY is implementing a new program that offers free tuition to SUNY or CUNY for NY residents, but I believe it requires the student to stay in NY for a time after graduation.

I don’t know the specifics about AZ residency or state aid.

[mommdc]

Rules for NY:
https://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=402

B. Proof of Domicile

Proof of a New York State domicile is demonstrated by documents that support an applicant’s contention that his or her permanent home is located in New York State. For unemancipated students, the campus shall review documents pertaining to at least three of the following factors relevant to the determination of a New York State domicile by the parent or legal guardian, including but not limited to:

1.    duration of the student’s physical presence in New York State;



2.    state of residency of the student's family (i.e., parents, spouse or children);



3.    New York State voter registration;



4.    New York State driver's license or non-driver identification card;



5.    New York State motor vehicle registration;



6.    proof of ownership of New York State real property;



7.    residential lease for property in New York State;



8.    New York State income tax returns; and



9.    New York State bank accounts.

An applicant need not submit all of the above documentation in order to demonstrate a New York State domicile; however, the campus should examine the totality of the circumstances in each individual case.

D. Emancipation of a Student

A student whose parents or legal guardian reside out-of-state may claim to be emancipated in order to qualify for in-state tuition. A student claiming emancipation must present evidence of both emancipation and a New York State domicile in order to be designated a New York State resident for tuition purposes. Proof of emancipation must include documentation demonstrating the student’s financial independence. Emancipation does not occur automatically when a student reaches 18 years of age. Students under the age of 21 must provide evidence of one year of independent living in order to be considered emancipated.

Factors relevant to the determination of financial independence include, but are not limited to, the following:

1.    employment on a full- or part-time basis within New York State;



2.    sources and extent of financial support from parents or guardians;



3.    sources and extent of other income;



4.    parents’ federal and state income tax forms which do not claim the student as a dependent (if the student continues to receive financial support, the student shall not be considered emancipated);



5.    student’s place of residence during the summer or other academic term recess;



6.    student’s status as financially independent for purposes of federal and/or state financial assistance;



7.    independent filing by the student of federal or state income tax return; and



8.    student’s assets and liabilities.

Emancipated students are totally responsible for paying all of their educational costs. The amount of income claimed by the student must equal or exceed educational expenses, including those expenses associated with living in non-University housing. The term income includes any financial aid received as an independent student. The students should not have any joint or custodial accounts with their parents or legal guardians and any income claimed must be accompanied by source documentation (tax returns, Form 1099, Form W-2, bank statements, trust documents, etc.).

[mommdc]

AZ rules:
http://registrar.arizona.edu/personal-information/requirements-resident-status

The general rule is that in order to obtain resident status for tuition purposes, a student must establish his or her domicile in Arizona at least one year immediately prior to the last day of regular registration for the semester in which the student proposes to attend the university. Arizona domicile occurs when a financially independent person is physically present in Arizona with the intention of making Arizona his or her permanent home.

[aunt_bea]

California will be prohibitively expensive mainly because the state does not provide ANY financial aid to OOS students. They can’t afford to fund OOS. You will be transferring for educational purposes with an OOS transcript.
Fee’s at the UC’s will be $60K per year. The CSU’s will be $40K per year.

It’s next to impossible to get in-state residency.

[mom2collegekids]

Calif grants will not be available for you. Cal Grants are for Calif high school grads or for students whose parents lived in Calif during those years.

@sybbie719 can tell you if moving to NY will make you eligible for TAP.

AZ aid is for AZ high school grads.

[sybbie719]

No, moving to NY will not it will not make him Eligible for TAP.
As a dependent student, if neither or his parents are NYS residents and physically residing in the state, he cannot receive TAP.

With the new initiative I expect the eligibility for residency and in-state tuition to become more stringent for the plain and simple fact that the state will not want young people from other states to come to NYS for the purpose of free tuition.

Because he would also be coming to NY for the purpose of attending school, he would probably be ineligible for Excelsior scholarship.

Part of the requirements are that you have to file the FAFSA. As an independent student, making 10k or more will make you ineligible for state aid.

If you are eligible for state aid, that would kick in first.

@Eligibility for NYS aid

NEW YORK STATE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Age: Under 22 As Of June 30, 2017
The student must meet the basic criterion for independent status plus one of the following special conditions:

The student’s parents are deceased or are totally and permanently disabled or have been declared incompetent by judicial action.

The student is a ward of the court. This does not include incarcerated students.
The student is receiving public assistance under his/her own name. This does not include food stamps or unemployment insurance.

The student has been rendered financially independent due to the involuntary dissolution of his/her family resulting in the relinquishment of his/her parents responsibility and control.

If the student answers all the independent questions on the TAP application “no”, and is under the age of 22 he/she must document that one of these special conditions has been met. HESC will send the student a Financial Independence Supplement when they receive and process the student’s TAP application. This form is sent automatically.

Waiver Of Special Conditions:
The student does not have to meet the special conditions if he/she:

Was married on or before December 31, 2016
Is enrolled as a graduate student in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Received TAP as an independent student in the prior award year (2016-2017).

Age: 22 To 34

Students are not automatically considered to be independent for the purposes of the TAP program until they are 35 years old. In the meantime, they must meet all of the following conditions to be considered independent.

The Student:

Did not and will not live in the parents home or a building owned or leased by the parents in 2016, 2017 or 2018, even if he/she paid rent.
Is not or will not be listed as a dependent of the parent on the 2016 or 2017 tax return.
Did not and will not receive more than $750 in financial assistance (loans, gifts, etc.) from either or both parents in 2016, 2017 or 2018.
If the student answers yes to any of the questions on the TAP application, and is under the age of 35, he/she must provide parent financial information to be considered for TAP.

Age: 35 +
Student is automatically independent.

Student Eligibility – The City University of New York

[sybbie719]

@CUNY

PART II – PROCEDURES TO BE USED IN MAKING DETERMINATIONS OF ELIGIBILITY FOR RESIDENT TUITION STATUS

The City University Residency Form
In all cases where a determination needs to be made as to whether a student is eligible for resident tuition, the student must complete The City University Residency Form.

**Part A of the Form needs to be completed by all students;

Part B of the Form needs to be completed by undocumented or out-of-status students who are seeking resident tuition based on high school attendance/graduation or having received a GED or TASC in New York; and

Part C needs to be completed by students who are seeking to be classified as New York State (or New York City) residents. Once the student has completed the CUNY Residency Form and submitted all required documentation, residency shall be determined based upon information submitted by the student.**

The CUNY Residency Form and any other forms referred to in this section are the only forms that have been approved for the purpose of documenting a student’s residency status. No other forms may be used by the colleges without the prior approval of the Office of the General Counsel. Any changes to residency requirements will be formally communicated to the colleges through memoranda issued by any of the following offices: Budget and Finance, General Counsel, and Enrollment Management.

Circumstances Requiring Review Of Residency Status

Colleges are only required to review the residencies of students flagged by UAPC as questionable, or where the college admits a student without prior UAPC review. However, a college’s registrar, admissions officer or either of their designees may, upon review of a student’s admissions application or other available data, determine that a student who has not been flagged does not qualify for the University’s resident tuition rate. If any of the conditions below exist, the student’s residency is otherwise questionable, or a student requests that the College review the residency determination, the student must complete The City University Residency Form and a determination will be made as to whether the student is qualified for the resident rate:

**The student’s records indicate that the last high school or college attended was outside the City (community colleges only) or State of New York (except if the student’s transcript from the out-of-state institution indicates a New York City/State address or the student has maintained the same address as in high school); or

For dependent students, both of the student’s parents, or legal guardians reside outside the City (community colleges only) or State of New York; or**

Records relating to the student (either community or senior college) indicate that he/she has lived at a State of New York address for less than twelve months preceding the first day of classes or for community college students residing at a City of New York address for less than six months; or

**The last residency determination which had been made with respect to the student resulted in his/her classification as a non-resident (a non-resident student does not qualify automatically as a resident student simply because he/she has been attending a New York college for the previous twelve months); or

A college official determines that there is reason to believe that the student may not be a resident of the State or City of New York; or**

The student is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident (resident alien).

Students Are Expected To Be Aware Of Their Tuition Status And The Applicable Resident Tuition Rules.

Students requesting resident status for tuition purposes are expected to be aware of the requirements necessary to qualify for State residency (for both senior and community college students) and City residency (for community college students) set forth in Part I of this Residency section of the Tuition and Fee Manual. Students are also expected to be aware of the resident and non-resident tuition rates, which are available on the CUNY web site, among other places, so that they know if they are being charged the correct tuition rate and quickly address any residency issues.

Guidelines For Completing Part C Of The City University Residency Form

The procedures described herein must be followed when completing The City University Residency Form (Part C). Required forms of proof and other relevant documentation must accompany this form so an accurate residency determination may be rendered. The “intent to remain a resident” portion of the form must be completed prior to a residency determination. Under no circumstances will this form be considered unless all applicable questions have been answered.

http://www2.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/university-tuition-fee-manual/iv-residency

.

[sybbie719]

Part II

@CUNY

Required Documentation, Which Must Accompany The Residency Form (Part C)

The student must submit two of items “a” through “n” (Note: All items must document residency for the 12 month period immediately preceding the first day of classes. Documents in the same category covering the first and last months of the previous twelve month period are acceptable provided that they show the student living at the same address.)

Items “a” through “n” are as follows:

a. Lease, deed or rent registration form (used for rent stabilized apartments) signed by the landlord, which is either a public or private agency, and the student or parent of the student with the same surname,

b. Letter showing eligibility or disbursement of Social Security or New York City Public Assistance with the student’s New York address covering the 12-month period immediately preceding the first day of classes and including the student’s name,

c. Copies of the most recent complete Federal and New York State tax returns and the corresponding W-2 form. Responses to Federal form 4506 and New York State form 4506 requesting Federal and State tax information is acceptable if the Federal and State governments acknowledge that the party in question has in fact filed a tax return from the address noted,

d. A valid New York State driver’s license or a “non-driver license” issued by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles with the student’s name, showing the date of issuance at least one year prior to the first day of classes,

e. IDNYC New York City municipal identification card, showing the date of issuance at least one year prior to the first day of classes,

f. Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy with the student’s name listed as insured,

g. Automobile registration with the student’s name listed,

h. Automobile insurance certificate with the student’s name listed as insured,

i. Voter registration certificate or card with the student’s name,

j. Bills for telephone, utility, cable TV or other home services, in the student’s name, or other evidence of telephone, utility, cable TV or other home services provided to the student covering a period of 12 months,

k. Monthly bank or credit card statements, with the student’s name, covering a period of 12 months (dollar amounts may be blocked out),

l. Attendance as a juror in New York State with the student’s name,

m. Housing lease signed by the landlord (who is an individual and is not a public or private agency) and the student. If the student’s name does not appear on the lease, the “Alternate Lease Statement” may be substituted. The “Alternate Lease Statement” must be completed and notarized by both the person whose name appears on the lease/contract and the student. The person whose name appears on the lease/contract must also submit proof (i.e., lease, telephone, utility, or similar type bills) of residency at his/her current address for the previous 12 months,

n. Postmarked mail addressed to a student at a New York address at least 12 months immediately preceding the first day of classes (a P.O Box is not acceptable)

In addition to the items indicated above, the college may at its discretion consider additional documentation from a student if it believes that an accurate residency determination may be rendered through the additional documentation.

Students Under The Age Of 18

If the student has a legal guardian other than his/her parents, or his/her parents are separated or divorced, a copy of the legal guardianship papers or court order indicating legal custodianship must be submitted.

Intent To Continue Residing In The City, State And County

Assessing one’s intent to permanently reside in New York is a difficult task. In each case, the totality of circumstances will be reviewed. It must be stressed that the burden of proof as to a change of domicile rests with the student asserting it. Where the evidence is equal on both sides of the issue, the determination of domicile should be made in favor of the prior domicile, inasmuch as there is a presumption that an established (prior) domicile continues.

Appeal Process

Time Frame for College Review

The colleges should make every effort to complete all residency determinations by the first day of classes. If a student has submitted the required documentation and a decision has not been made by the college by the first day of classes, the college should defer the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition until the determination is made. If resident tuition is denied and the student subsequently files an appeal under the procedures described further below, the student is responsible for paying out-of-state tuition while the appeal is pending.

The colleges will not review any residency determination unless the request for the review is made in writing, and all required documentation is submitted on or before the last day of finals in the semester for which resident tuition is being sought. The colleges will not make residency determinations retroactively and will not issue refunds to students even in cases where they would have qualified for the resident rate if they had submitted timely documentation.

The colleges should inform students of their determinations in writing.

Appeal Process

Any student who receives a negative residency determination must, at the same time, receive a copy of the University’s appeal procedures. If the student believes that he/she meets requirements for resident tuition, he or she may appeal by notifying the Registrar’s Office (or other designated college appeal office) within ten days of notification that he/she has been determined to be a non-resident. At that time, the student must submit a statement to the Registrar (or other designated official) indicating why he/she disagrees with the college’s decision.

Upon submission of an appeal, the student will be provided with a copy, stamped “received” and dated, or some other dated proof of the college’s receipt of the appeal. The Registrar (or other designated official) will submit the City University Residency Form, copies of all documentation provided by the student and any statement made by the student, along with the college’s determination and the reasons for the College’s determination, to the University’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, which will make a final determination regarding the student’s residency status.

IV. RESIDENCY – The City University of New York

[twoinanddone]

Why are you losing MN grants? Have you been in school too long? If so, that’s going to determine other aid you are eligible for too.

If you are independent, and working full time, and move to a state that allows a resident who isn’t a high school grad to qualify for aid, you might get something. However, some states have income requirements (low) and once you are independent and earning, you may no longer qualify.

I think instead of looking for a specific type of aid (state aid) look at overall what types of aid you might qualify for if you are a student in NY or in AZ. The schools might have some, the tuition might be lower, you may get federal Pell grants or SEOG. We don’t know enough about your situation to help you figure out a way to finish school. It sounds like you have an employer - any benefits?

[mom2collegekids]

It sounds like the student isn’t independent for FAFSA purposes, but think he should become independent since he has no help from family. But that’s not enough.

He’s almost old enough to become independent by age, so maybe MOVE, take a year off of school, work/save, and then continue in a state that has LOW instate rates.

[thumper1]

@DevFrye

Please explain why you need to leave MN? I can’t imagine you will fine a less costly cost of attendance in NY, CA or AZ. You will be considered an out of state student in those states if you move there.

In terms of establishing independence…I agree with the above posters. If there is somemcompellong reason to NOT finish your degree in Minnesota, then move to the new state, find a place to live, get a full time job, get a new driver’s license, register to vote…and then just wait until the year you turn 24 and you will be indepdentmfor financial aid purposes…and likely will have established residency. Do NOT take college classes during this time because each of these states clearly states that you can’t establish residency while attending college AND your primary purpose cannot be college. If you enroll in college immediately, no question, these schools will rightfully view it that you are there for educational purposes.

But really…why can’t you just finish your degree in Minnesota…and then move to wherever.

[sybbie719]

One of the conditions of the NYS Excelsior scholarship is that you have to be on track to graduate in 4 years. This past term OP attempted 12 credits and picked up none.

Over all he has earned 65 credits of the 109 attempted = less than 60% completion rate.

This means that he did not meet SAP which could be the reason for him not getting aid .

@HESC Excelsior Scholarship FAQs

Can I get an award if I’m a transfer student?

A student who transferred between colleges is eligible for an Excelsior Scholarship if they are on track to complete on time based on the number of credits accepted by their current college.

NYS Higher Education Services Corporation - The Excelsior Scholarship

[thumper1]

Ah! Thank you @sybbie719 .

But if he hasn’t met SAP at his current college…what makes him think he would meet it at a new school (he will need to do so to get aid)? Actually…what makes him think he would even be accepted as a transfer student?

[mommdc]

I mentioned that in post #9, he needs to find out about that.

I think the current term hasn’t ended, that’s why it says 12 attempted and 0 earned and no GPA listed.

So it’s possible that the completion rate will go up. But then I don’t know why he got aid this semester.

Unless he had lost Pell and only got the state grant.

[thumper1]

If he loses his aid in MN due to not meeting SAP, he won’t likely get aid anywhere else unless he meets THEIR SAP requirements.

And getting accepted as a transfer would certainly NOT be a slam dunk.