<p>I live with my grandparents - my grandpa does not work, and my grandma was let go from her job just last month. I have no contact with either of my parents and they do not have guardianship of me. I currently file as an independent student for my FAFSA, but i do not receive enough aid by doing this. I was allowed to file as an independent, because I was a ward of the state when my grandparents were getting custody of me. I had heard that one of my friends (who also lives with her grandparents, but has contact with both of her parents and regularly sees them) gets to go to school for basically free. I was wondering if there was a way that I could file my FAFSA differently to get more money next school year.</p>
<p>Unless you have very high income or assets for a student, you should be looking at a very low EFC filing as an independent. In this case, I would suppose the reason you are not getting sufficient financial help is due to the generosity of your school, not your FAFSA filing.</p>
<p>What is your EFC, your state of residence, the school you are attending, and your ACT/SAT scores?</p>