| Your parents buying a house has no impact at all on independent vs dependent financial aid filing. NONE.
From your post #5 "I was thinking about filing as independent when I graduate from college...trying to get a master's degree...is that independent?"
As stated above...when you are working on your masters degree you WILL be an independent. One of the criteria is that you have earned your bachelor's degree. So...if that is your question, the answer is yes...you usually are independent for finaid purposes as a grad student. BUT you also need to understand that financial aid for grad students is VERY different than for undergrad. There are no Pell Grants or the like. Most grad school financial aid comes in the form of assistantships, fellowships and scholarships...which are base on your merit for the program in which you are accepted. Other than that...it's loans. |