<p>I’m wondering if the family is claiming extended family members as dependents? Sometimes you can do that, sometimes you can’t.</p>
<p>To the OP…in one post you mention that you live 1-1 1/2 hours away from Lehigh and wonder if commuting is an option. I would like to respond to this.</p>
<p>No…it’s not. First, your Lehigh will reduce your cost of attendance to reflect that you live at home. If your cost of attendance is less, your aid will also be reduced. Lehigh has given you a package that covers more than their direct billed costs for student who lives ON campus (I’m including your parent contribution when I say this). </p>
<p>Second…commuting that distance daily will cost you in both time AND money. Gas prices are soaring right now and owning a car would be an expensive option. </p>
<p>Third, it’s not like you live two blocks away…you live an hour or more away. That’s too far for a college commute, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Again, I’d like to reiterate what others have said. You need to discuss this with your parents. You need to find out if they are able to pay the $1192 per YEAR parent contribution. You need to find out how much money YOU have in the bank in their accounts and if that is able to be used for college purposes. And lastly, you need to figure out if it is possible to separate your parents’ accounts from your own.</p>
<p>One more thought…you mention a number of dependents in one of your posts. Are all of these younger siblings? If not, you also need to consider that they might NOT be considered dependents for future years thus affecting your financial aid in years to come. College is four years, not one.</p>