Not eligible for grants - Page 2

mom2collegekids · 11-10-2012, 12:09 PM

Why did he put that he's in Legal Guardianship? That's not right. He got an auto 0 from that and I don't think he should have gotten that.

kelsmom · 11-10-2012, 12:27 PM

He wouldn't have gotten auto 0 (independent students only get that formula if they have dependents other than a spouse), but it made him automatically independent ... and he shouldn't have been. Shame on the school, because they should have had a system in place to verify all students who claim guardianship. This is a VERY common mistake ... I say mistake, because students (and even parents!) are unsure what "guardianship" is. Your brother got aid based solely on his income and assets. He should not have, but the year is over & it is water under the bridge. But this also means that your EFC was correct.

thumper1 · 11-10-2012, 02:09 PM

OP what does the 2012-2013 FAFSA look like? THAT is the one for the current year.

swimcatsmom · 11-10-2012, 02:24 PM

The OP's brother is not in school anymore. Sounds like the OP's FAFSA was correct and the brother's was done incorrectly leading to the brother getting the Pell when he was not entitled to it. The OP's current EFC is 13,000 which is well out of range of Pell eligibility (and likely nothing to do with his earnings from work).

mom2collegekids · 11-10-2012, 05:09 PM

He wouldn't have gotten auto 0 (independent students only get that formula if they have dependents other than a spouse), but it made him automatically independent ..

Right...I meant to type auto independent, but I mistyped.

Yes, it sounds like the brother may have gotten aid that he shouldn't have gotten.

Now, this year, with only one in college, the families income and the student's savings seem to have gotten him a $13k EFC.

Still, a $13k EFC seems high for a $50k income. Does the family have a lot in savings/assets? What is the family size?

Since the brother is now in the military, does that mean that household size has shrunk by one?

lynacc · 11-10-2012, 06:35 PM

My parents also have other assets which might add up to about $60K. My bro got that grant for only that semester though because he left for the service right after school. He's going to file fafsa again in spring. But I won't cause I already did. I have one question for u guys though. Is there any way that my efc could go down? Maybe like moving out living on my own? Would that help? I really have no idea. I really hope to receive some sort of grant in fall next year when I transfer to a 4 year university.

Sent from my Nexus One using CC

thumper1 · 11-10-2012, 07:14 PM

Moving out and living on your own will not matter for financial aid purposes. You will still be considered a dependent student for financial aid and will be required to use your parents' information on your FAFSA.

kelsmom · 11-10-2012, 07:14 PM

You need to double-check all of your figures. I just did a quick EFC calculation, using $50k income and $60k assets for parents - $6k income and $2k assets for student. I got an EFC of $3765 (your EFC may not be the same, due to other factors - for example, I guessed on things like state of residence, age of older parent, taxes paid, untaxed income). However, even with my guesses, that is a far cry from an EFC of 13,000.

No, you cannot be considered independent, even if you move out on your own. Your brother will be, though, if he is honorably discharged ... military duty makes one independent even before age 24.

lynacc · 11-10-2012, 11:29 PM

@kelsmom, my income was more than 6k but not more than 10k. It was my savings that was 6k but I still have no idea why my efc has been so high.

So I hope this is the last question, what critiria do I need to meet to make me an independent? Even though I live with my parents but they don't pay for my tuition. My university doesn't offer a whole bunch of transfer scholarships so its so slim to get a spot.

Sent from my Nexus One using CC

thumper1 · 11-11-2012, 09:05 AM

To be considered independent for financial aid purposes you need to be able to honestly be one of the following:

Over age 24; married; supporting a dependent child; an orphan; a ward of the state; in guardianship (someone OTHER than your parents have been your legal guardians prior to age 18), a veteran of the armed forces.

If you are none of the above, you will be dependent for financial aid purposes. These are the questions that appear ON the FAFSA form. Unless you can honestly say yes to one of them, you are dependent for financial aid purposes.

mom2collegekids · 11-11-2012, 09:59 AM

Will your brother be "active duty military" when he goes to college next fall? If so, I'm not sure if you can count him in your family or as a sibling going to college.

It still sounds like you made a mistake somewhere on your FAFSA.

happymomof1 · 11-11-2012, 10:33 AM

http://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/a...aGuide1314.pdf

Here is the PDF of the FAFSA formula for 2013-2014. Print it out, and work through it carefully on paper. This way you will see what factors contribute to your EFC, and you will be more likely to catch any mistakes.

lynacc · 11-11-2012, 11:59 AM

No my bro wont be on active duty. Anw, thank u guys so much for all the feedback even though idk why my efc has been so damn high. I truly appreciate it. I woulndt be able to find the mistake without this.

Sent from my Nexus One using CC