<p>I would appreciate this forums expertise tremendously on an issue.</p>
<p>I grew up and went to high school in State A (with only my father parenting.) I went to college in state B and got in-state tuition in State B because my mother lives there (although she lives entirely off SSI and is mentally ill, unfit to look after me.) My father handled all FAFSA/ and establishing residency then. He's now deceased</p>
<p>I am currently requesting dependency override on FAFSA claiming my only living parent is unfit to look after me (I know override is a longshot- no choice here.) My sibling said it's a felony to now request FAFSA dependency override claiming that my mom is unable to support me because, as he says, I was her "dependent" those first three semesters for in-state tuition.</p>
<p>I'll note that I took two years off and established residency myself when I re-enrolled in Spring '11, so am no longer connected with my mother for residency.</p>
<p>Can you give me feedback on the legality of what I'm doing? Or whether what my father did was legal (getting in-state through a mother who didn't support me in any way.)</p>
<p>If I left out any pertinent details please let me know, I'll respond promptly.</p>
<p>You do not actually request the DO on the FAFSA. You complete it without parent information, but you must petition each school for a DO … and you may get it at one school but not at another. DO is a professional judgment, and each school makes its own determination based on its institutional procedures and the information you will supply. </p>
<p>Contact the school(s) to find out what you will need to do to apply for a professional judgment review for a DO.</p>
<p>As for the residency, each state/school handles this in its own way. What happened in past years will not be relevant, although the current year could be an issue if your school decided you should be charged as a non-resident. I have seen schools charge the increased tuition to non-residents if they find out during the school year that the residency was incorrect.</p>
<p>Talk to an aid officer at your school. He/she can help you figure things out.</p>
<p>Kelsmom: I have been working with the financial aid officer at the one and only university involved. Current in-state tuition will be a non-issue because I was undoubtedly a resident with ample documentation. The main concern is that they don’t take issue with the in-state I got through my mother (I don’t know if my father had to stretch the truth in any way to claim residency for me under my mother?)</p>
<p>Each institution sets its own policy about residency, and is free to change and reinterpret it. It is entirely possible for the residency requirement to be something like “one parent has been living here for the past 12 months” without needing any evidence of that parent’s income, or financial support of the student in question.</p>
<p>Since you are concerned about this, ask at your U and find out how the policy was defined when you enrolled.</p>
<p>Jelkins, why is it that you are trying to get a dependency override? If your mom earns only SSI, your EFC will most likely be 0. Are you unable to get her cooperation in providing the info you need for the FAFSA?</p>