If the grandparents are legal guardians…and did not adopt this child…the student would be independent for financial,aid purposes. The incime and assets of her grandparents will not be considered in the FAFSA formula ans most Profile school formulas.
But really…all this would mean is that this student would likely get the maximum Pell of bout $5800 per year, and an additional $4000 per year in Direct Loans.
I would urge you and them to read through the links in this thread:
There is a lot of information on scholarships and lower cost schools. This young lady sounds like a strong student. She could be a contender for decent merit aid someplace.
@CourtneyThurston maybe you can give this family info about Questbridge and Gates Scholarships. Perhaps those are options too.
Unless she gets something like Gates or Questbridge, the best scholarships and aid would come direct,y from the colleges. The student needs to target schools where she has a strong likelihood of getting accepted…ans where the school has generous merit and/or need based aid.