Engaged: how do I fill out FAFSA

sybbie719
Sun, 15 May 2016 13:40:09 +0000

, I won’t be currently married. But a week after I graduate high school, I will be getting married and will attend college in the fall. When I fill out my FAFSA forms, will I check “married” and just put my fiance’s earnings, or will I put single and put my mother’s?

As others have stated, you will file based on your status the day you file the fafsa/. For the school year 2017-18, the FAFSA opens on October 1, you will be approximately 1 month into senior year so you will file unmarried and the income/assets of your custodial parents will be used. If you are talking about USC in California, you will also need to file the CSS profile for institutional aid. This will also be available in October.

While in subsequent years, you may be independent for federal aid, you will never be independent for institutional aid ad USC (california) as they state the following:

USC:

Undergraduates who meet certain conditions may be considered independent for the purposes of receiving federal and state aid (such as the Cal Grant, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans). For complete details, please review the application instructions for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To be considered independent for the purposes of receiving university financial aid, undergraduates must meet one of the following conditions:

You are at least 26 years of age before January 1 of the year you were admitted to USC.

At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you are married.

At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you during the award year and the summer preceding the award year.

You are an orphan or ward/dependent of the court.

You are a veteran with at least one year of full-time active duty service for purposes other than training.

If parent information is required when you are admitted to USC, you will be required to submit parent information throughout your enrollment at USC, regardless of your age, marital status, or other changes in circumstances (excluding the death of both parents).

http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa/undergraduates/admitted/special-circumstances.html#/5

From a financial aid standpoint, you may be better served a single person, especially since you have a low income parent (who will have more income protection than you and your intended spouse). In addition any monies paid on the behalf of you and your husband by your mom or in-laws would have to be included in your financial aid.

Unless there is is another reason for you to marry that does not involve financial aid, I would suggest waiting until you finish college.

You would be better served remaining single to a wide array of schools where you could get merit money and schools with really generous financial aid /no loan policies based on just you mom’s income.You should also look into Questbridge