Has anyone allowed their child to be legally emancipated in order to gain more aid/scholarship money?
If it was that easy LOL…
@lwhitt72 - This is a good topic to address in the Financial Aid Forum. @kelsmom is a college financial aid officer, and probably can explain the pitfalls of legal emancipation.
How much can your family afford to pay? Have you run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the colleges/universities currently on your child’s list? Does your child have the grades and test scores to qualify for significant merit-based aid?
Schools have figured that trick out long ago. Most schools have means testing for any emancipated student under 22. The student must prove they are financially supporting themselves. So they would need to live separately from their family. They would need to have a job which pays all their bills (rent, food, transportation). Even then it can be denied.