So my parents won't pay...

Paying for College
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<p>(FYI, when I was a student, my then-boyfriend's family decided to stop paying for his college one fall. We asked them to please stop claiming him as a tax dependent, and they wouldn't, so we got married at the end of December, thus making him an insta-independent student for the whole year, and enabling him to get financial aid without them. They have since closed that loophole, which is probably a good thing, as it's a rather silly reason to get married.)</p>

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<p>TrinSF -- the loophole still exists. Married students are considered independent regardless of age. You are correct, though -- silly reason to get married.</p>

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<p>I think the original post illustrates the importance of parents and children having the discussion of the costs of the colleges the student is applying to and the options available them. This discussion should take place before the applications are sent out. I think part of the OP issue was what he perceived as the "last minute" nature of his parents reluctance to pay his tuition.</p>

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I'm merely pointing out that there is a "group" of students - i.e., the children of rich parents who won't pay - who seem to be left out of the FA equation. They need some sort of aid in order to have comparable choices to the "needy" and the lucky rich kids.

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<p>Perhaps some meaningful educational tax credit --large amount, generation skipping portability--will work in these cases.</p>

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<p>hsmom: No, the rules have changed som. Back in 1984, being married automatically granted independent student status retroactive to the beginning of the calendar year. Now, you have to be married when you apply for it to count.</p>

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<p>Well...you have several options:
1. Join the military and once you are discharged you are considered an independent student.
2. Get married and move out of state.
3. Have a baby and become the sole provider for that dependent child. That will make you an independent student.
4. Work until you are 24 when you will be an independent student for finaid purposes, and go to college then.</p>

<p>Truthfully it sounds like your mom will support your college dreams if you are willing to be a bit cooperative with her rules. To be honest, you sound a bit whiny saying that you won't do this. As a parent, we didn't hang money over our kids' heads...but we DID and still DO expect them to have some respect for our wishes...especially when they are here (both are college students now btw). You say that your mom has given you many things...and you listed them. Do you have any idea how fortunate you are to have experienced the things your family has provided? </p>

<p>Here is what is sounds like you want to say to a finaid department: "I want to come to your private college/OOS public U. My parents are wealthy but they do not want to pay my way. Oh my mom would have, but I just didn't want to abide by her rules while I was a senior in high school. Please will you give me financial aid?" Read that...does that make any kind of sense?</p>

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<p>trinsf -- ok, I get you! it isn't retroactive anymore.</p>

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<p>hsmomstef: In retrospect, my wedding pictures are sort of funny. We basically announced we were going to get married if they didn't remove us from their tax returns, and they said no, so we set a date. Our parents met at a really awkward dinner, and I think at that point, both sets of parents both thought we were just making this up. Two weeks later (less than a month after the ultimatum) we were married, December 22. In the wedding pictures, all the parents look like they're in <em>shock</em>, especially his parents, who were sure we wouldn't do it.</p>

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<p>I guess it's hard to be a "rich kid" with parent who don't want to pay, but it's sort of hard to stomach people saying that it's somehow just as unfair as being a poor kid, or that it's somehow unfair that children at the other end of the financial spectrum get money and rich kids don't. </p>

<p>My children spent most of their life with parents making less than 20K a year, sometimes far less. There are tons of things they've done without, for years. Just something as simple as being able to spend $5.00 on fast food when they went out with friends has usually been out of the question, because I can't afford to give them spending money like that. They have lived much of their lives worried about things like if I would be able to afford a school trip, or even hiding expenses from me so that I wouldn't feel bad about trying to pay for them. And even now, when they ask me for money for a movie or to go out with friends, my response is usually, "Sorry, I'm saving everything I have for your college expenses." And you know, even then, they have lived with much more than a lot of EFC 0 students -- smart, college educated parents, books, support for their education, all that. So, they consider themselves to be lucky to have had what they had. </p>

<p>But even with all of that, I don't think that they're somehow "unfairly" lucky to get financial aid. I bet there are tons of times they've wished they just had the rich parents, instead.</p>

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<p>Trin,</p>

<p>It depends on the school. Typically, if the student marries or has a child prior to starting their courses, the school will adjust the FAFSA and change the marital status to married.</p>