How can i qualify for grants..

Paying for College
1

<p>Hello. I am 21 but i understand that you have to be 25 or older to not be required to put down your parents info …</p>

<p>the thing is … i dont live with my parents… they didnt claim me last year … and i dont speak to my parents…</p>

<p>someone told me there is a way around it … but you have to PROVE you dont have contact with your parents anymore by having 3 or 4 important people that have known you for awhile write letters to verify that you dont talk to your parents anymore…</p>

<p>i dont have good credit … i dont have a co signer … so what aremy options… are there ways around having to put your family’s info down … because even though they make too much money to qualify 2 years ago … they will not be helping me???</p>

2

<p>ok – you have a couple of hurdles to jump if you want to attend college, but it can be done.</p>

<p>Your biggest hurdle is going to be paying for college. Do some research on the best options as far as that goes. Many older students find that attending the local community college while working (and getting great grades) allows an easy transfer to the local university. That is usually the least expensive way to get the college degree. </p>

<p>Look at all the schools in your area and see if scholarships for transfers are offered, guarantee transfer hours, etc.</p>

<p>next – apply to colleges. If you are thinking of community college, they are most likely still accepting applications and you could start this fall (or even this summer). </p>

<p>to pay for college – whatever college you apply to (community college or university) make an appointment and talk to the financial aid counselor. explain the situation and ask for possibilities. The financial aid office has the ability to make a professional judgement and declare you independent. this isn’t easy and the process is set up to discourage you from doing this. </p>

<p>However, if you honestly have been supporting yourself for several years (working and paying taxes, paying your rent and food and utilities) and you have no contact with your parents, you can convince them you are independent. </p>

<p>Generally, you will need documentation to prove both state residency and financial independence. Make copies of:</p>

<p>your tax returns for the past three years, including schedules and W2’s</p>

<p>copies of driver’s license, voter registration card, car registration, copy of lease and copies of last 12 months of utility bills (you can ask the utility company for this).</p>

<p>proof of employment and rent payment – ask for a letter from you employer stating your starting date and pay. Ask for a letter from your landlord stating how long you have lived there and what you pay for rent</p>

<p>If you get or have gotten any public assistance, bring in that info.</p>

<p>Basically, you are trying to prove that you have supported yourself the past 2+ years. It is ok if you had to get food stamps, live with 3 roommates or work 3 part-time jobs. You are still doing it on your own. </p>

<p>Along with the documentation, write a letter explaining the situation with your parents and asking to be declared independent. Then – at the meeting with FA, ask what else is needed to help you be declared independent. Different offices will have different requirements – but keep in mind that the requirements are not something you can come up with at the last minute – they are looking for long-term proof of self-sufficiency.</p>

<p>What that means is that is you can’t show proof of paying rent and utilities for more than a few months, you don’t have proof of jobs for more than a few months, car registration is only a few months old – they will reject your request.</p>

<p>They may want letters attesting to your split with your parents and they may not – wait until they ask and then clarify who can write the letters.</p>

<p>The next hurdle will be to pay – the financial assistance you get will generally not cover everything. Your EFC will be effected by your income and assets. In addition, financial aid package generally don’t meet all your need and include loans and work-study. </p>

<p>sorry I seemed to ramble.</p>

3

<p>thank you!!!</p>

4

<p>FA Offices are forbidden by the Department of Education from doing a dependency override for reasons of self-sufficiency. It does not matter whether the dependent student makes three times as much as the parents, hasn’t lived in the home for 5 years or hasn’t spoken to the parents in 5 years. Dependency overrides have very strict regulations now…and most FAA’s will not violate the regs no matter how self-sufficient a person is.</p>

5

<p>Hi NikkiIL</p>

<p>the local community college I attended a year ago claims that they do declare students financially independent – they require all sorts of proof like what I listed – but they do declare students independent so they can get FA.</p>

<p>Are there certain circumstances where a student can be declared financially independent other than the ones FAFSA lists (that special circumstances part)? and if so – what are the guidelines?</p>

<p>We have a ton of kids that post on this forum that are just looking for a way to get FA because parents don’t want to pay – but we also have students post that are older (but not yet old enough) that are out of contact with their parents and have been supporting themselves. Good, solid information would be really helpful – both now and in the future.</p>

<p>What exactly are the regulations for dependency overrides?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

6

<p>Based on my training and clarification which has come down from the Department of Education, a dependency override is only allowed IF the student turns 24 before they start their degree but after they completed the FAFSA…or if there is documented proof that it is impossible to locate either of the parents…or if there is documented proof that contacting either of the parents would be dangerous for the student (i.e. physical or sexual abuse provable by court and police records.)</p>

<p>Some FAA’s are still performing dependency overrides based on self-sufficiency, despite the rulings from the Department. I call this practice “dangerous and costly” because as FAA’s we are subject to a $20,000 fine and/or prison time for knowingly processing incorrect information.</p>

<p>Here is a link to the "Dear Colleague Letter <a href=“http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0307.html[/url]”>http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0307.html&lt;/a&gt; " issued by the Department of Education regarding this issue. While some unusual situations might allow for a dependency override, self-sufficiency is clearly indicated in their letter as not qualifying.</p>