<p>I recently came out of the closet to my father, and he responded by telling me to pack my things and move. I graduated from high school last year (1920 SAT, 3.0/3.8wGPA if relevant), and the first semester of my schooling has already been paid for by my father due to the savings bonds he purchased in my infancy for this purpose. Needless to say, I am on my own; I wasn’t planning on even going to college this term, and I haven’t filed any financial aid yet. How long of a track record do I need to qualify as independent? Is it even possible? The relationship was not abusive, and he never hurt me, but nevertheless I’m paying my own bills and living life as an independent. I’m transferring to UNCG next year, god willing, so information on how to make this happen would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>[Independent</a> Students](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc03k.htm]Independent”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc03k.htm)</p>
<p>I think it’s new this year that a dependent student can get an unsubsidized Stafford loan without providing parent info. </p>
<p>You can remind your father that filling out financial aid forms doesn’t obligate him to pay… the FAFSA determines how much federal aid one is eligible for.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can qualify for independent status. Many parents won’t pay for various reasons. I know straight kids whose parents won’t pay because they’re living with a boyfriend or girlfriend or for some other reason the parents don’t agree with. So, I don’t think the argument that dad won’t pay because you’re gay is going to make a difference. </p>
<p>You may have to wait until you’re 24 to get independent status. Is there a state school that you can commute to? Where is your mom?</p>
<p>Being kicked out of the house is one reason a dependency override can be granted. You have to work directly with the school’s financial aid office to try to make it happen. </p>
<p>Have a look at these:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.kidscounsel.org/dependency%20override.pdf[/url]”>http://www.kidscounsel.org/dependency%20override.pdf</a>
[FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Dependency Overrides](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Dependency Overrides - Finaid)</p>
<p>Vossron, does age play into that decision? If the student is over 18 vs. under?</p>
<p>I don’t think being told that you have to move out after you’re 18 counts as being “kicked out” according to FA rules. I think that’s for those who are under 18. But, maybe someone here knows. </p>
<p>Heck…we could all kick our kids out once they go to college and give them independent status.</p>
<p>ED, the regs don’t seem to answer that specific question, and I sure don’t know, but the decision rests with the school. To go instantaneously from dependent and supported to abandoned and destitute seems significant. In any case, documentation by others of abuse (whatever the form) is required.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>The OP says that there’s no abuse.</p>
<p>I’m not sure exactly what went on. In seems odd in this day and age for a student to be kicked out of the house just for saying he’s gay. I wonder if there’s more to it than that? For instance, the dad may have said that the student couldn’t live at home and have a boyfriend spending the night or something like that. But, those sort of rules exist for many straight kids as well.</p>
<p>That’s not odd, M2CK. It happens all the time. I have a few friends whose parents have kicked them out of the house once they came out, and there are many fully operational homeless shelters and group homes that cater to LGBT adolescents who get kicked out of their homes by parents simply because they are LGBT.</p>
<p>Being kicked out of the house is defined as abuse at [FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Dependency Overrides](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Dependency Overrides - Finaid).</p>
<p>I would not grant a dependency override simply because a student was kicked out of the house. However, if that same student had no place to live because he was kicked out of the house … I might consider that student at risk of homelessness. There are many factors to be considered in cases like the OP’s. My suggestion is to file a dependency override request, providing as much detailed info & supporting documentation as possible for the aid officer to review. </p>
<p>I have dealt with students kicked out by their parents for various reasons. Sometimes it results in an override, other times it does not. One student ended up getting unsub loans as a result; that can be an option in certain cases (requires parents signing statement indicating that they do not and will not provide ANY assistance to their child).</p>
<p>Difficult situations should be discussed with the school’s financial aid office.</p>
<p>It says “kicking children” out of the house is a “sign” of abuse. That suggests minors and it’s only a sign of abuse. </p>
<p>It doesn’t say kicking adult children out of the house. Any parent can tell an adult child to live elsewhere…that in and of itself is not abuse.</p>
<p>That is very true. Each situation must be weighed on its own merits. There is NO GUARANTEE that ANYONE will receive a dependency override, EVER. The federal regulations are very, very specific in stating that each case must be decided on its own merits, within the guidelines that are provided. There are specific situations for which a school cannot approve a dependency override, but there are NO situations for which a school MUST approve a dependency override. Each student, each situation, each school, even each aid administrator will vary. It’s the nature of the beast.</p>