<p>Can students, whose guardian does not work, still apply for the FAFSA or school grant?</p>
<p>This is considering the fact that the guardian is unable to find a job rather than unwilling to find one.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes you can apply for aid. </p>
<p>Now when you say ‘guardian’ do you mean parent? FAFSA requires parent information. If your ‘guardian’ is your parent or adoptive parent then their information is required.</p>
<p>If by guardian you mean parent, then the lack of a job is all the more reason to apply for financial aid … because I imagine aid is necessary.</p>
<p>If by guardian you mean legal guardian, then you do not use any income information from that person. If the guardianship is legal - sanctioned by a court - the student is automatically independent & files the FAFSA using only student information.</p>
<p>^ A legal guardian is NOT considered a parent for FAFSA, Only parent income is considered, so it doesn’t matter whether a guardian is employed or not. Kids with non-parent guardians are considered independent students, even if their guardian is a foster parent or relative.</p>
<p>Yes and no. If the guardianship is legal, the student is independent. However, if the guardianship is NOT legal, the student is still dependent & must use the PARENT info. If this is impossible, the student must request a dependency override from his/her college’s financial aid office. This is not automatically granted in every case. Each requested if evaluated on its own merits using the government guidelines.</p>
<p>If you have a foster parent then I believe you are a ward of the state and therefore independent.
The Legal Guardian issue was just changed for this year - If you have a court appointed legal guardian then you are considered an independent student. Hopefully, any high school student living with a guardian has gone to court and made it legal.</p>
<p>To the OP - if you live with a parent who is not working, then yes, you certainly may apply for financial aid.</p>
<p>If a student was in foster care at any time after the age of 13 (doesn’t matter for how long), he is automatically independent.</p>