I cannot afford college on my own. A: Unfortunately, the federal government views paying for college as the responsibility of the parents, even though thousands of students have the same experience that you have described. You can only qualify as an independent student on the FAFSA if you are at least 24 years of age, married, on active duty in the U.
Armed Forces, financially supporting dependent children, an orphan both parents deceased , a ward of the court, or an emancipated minor. You could also talk to the parent that you are currently in contact with to at least provide their financial information. Explain to them that including their financial information on the FAFSA in no way obligates them to pay for college.
It simply allows you to qualify for financial aid. After completing the FAFSA, you can also talk with your financial aid office at your college about a financial aid appeal. Through this process, you can provide documentation that supports the fact that you need further assistance to pay for college. A financial aid appeal may allow the college to grant you more financial aid.
If you do not receive more financial aid, it may be time to consider attending a community college that is either free or low-cost, until you can achieve independent status by turning At that point, you can continue your education at your first choice college with the help of financial assistance from the federal government. My parents claim me as a Dependent on their taxes; however, they do not pay for any of my schooling.
Is there a way I can qualify for more financial aid, besides the unsubsidized student loan? DoNotPay has the answer! To qualify for financial aid as an independent student, you need to meet certain criteria.
You will be considered a financially independent student for financial aid purposes if you:. If you had been receiving aid as a dependent student but your status changed, you can skip the information about your parents the next time you apply. Yes, independent students get more financial aid.
They will have greater financial need and better financial aid eligibility. You can review the average amount that undergraduate students get in financial aid in the table below:. While independent students don't need their parents' info, dependent ones do, and it can make it difficult if your mother or father refuses to provide the necessary data. Students can be granted a dependent override, which means that the college will change their status from dependent to independent.
The only federal student aid possibility that will be left is the Direct Unsubsidized Loan if the advisor allows it. Explain your situation to the administrator, and they will help you figure out how to go about it and what type of aid might still be available to you. If your financial aid request gets accepted, you will receive an outline of your eligibility and the granted amount.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be considered an independent student. But if you answer no to all of them, you will be considered a dependent. This is true regardless of whether you are claimed on your parent's tax return or whether you actually have close contact with your family or receive any support from them. Your school's financial aid office will verify the information you provided and your eligibility for loans, so you'll need to be prepared to show you meet the criteria for independence.
Regardless of your dependency status, you should aim to submit your FAFSA as early as possible when it becomes available in October of each year, as some sources of aid are limited. You can also explore financial options for paying for college outside of federal student aid if you don't qualify for enough to cover your degree. Private student loans can supplement your federal aid and Juno can help you get the best possible rates by getting you together with a large group of other students and negotiating with lenders on your behalf.
Juno can help you to find a student loan or refinance a loan at the most competitive possible rate. We get groups of buyers together and negotiate on their behalf with lenders to save them money on private student loans and private student loan refinance loans.
Join Juno today to find out more about your options for affordable private student loans to help fund your degree. Christy Rakoczy Bieber is a full-time personal finance and legal writer. Christy was previously a college teacher with experience writing textbooks and serving as a subject matter expert. The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition prices can be drastically high.
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