<p>I’ve got a somewhat weird situation going on with financial aid. My parents are separated, and I live with my mom, who works three part-time jobs, and my brother, who works a full-time job. Since they are not legally divorced, my dad mails a check of what he can afford to send every month. It usually amounts to about $200-300. That’s how things worked for a long time. </p>
<p>Then, my mom and dad could not afford the mortgage on our house anymore, so they transfered it to my brother. My brother owns it now, and my mom and I live there. Will this be taken into consideration with financial aid packages from private schools? My brother refuses to pay any of my college tuition, as he’s still paying off his loans. I’d like to apply to a lot of private schools, but I’m afraid that my brother, who makes about 30k a year, owning the house will completely ruin my chances of aid and force me into a state school. </p>
<p>How does it all work?</p>
<p>You need to go to your public library and check out some books on financial aid for college. Ask the reference librarian for help with this. At home, you can read everything that is at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and take your parents’ income and run it through the FAFSA calculator. You will need information from your parents’ federal tax returns.</p>
<p>I don’t think that your brother owning the house will be a problem for you, as the people expected to help pay for your education are your parents, not your siblings.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>A good idea about the library. I liked “Paying for College Without Going Broke.” I know there’s a section in the book about relatives who do pay something for your education, but I’m not sure it addresses your exact situation. My guess is that it will make no difference that your brother is letting you live at the house he owns - in other words, it should be a plus for financial aid purposes because the asset value will not be attributed to your parents. This sounds like a complicated situation also because of separated but not divorced parents. Good luck with your research.</p>