what are the requirements for being independent when it comesis labeled as a independent person for FAFSA?
476531
Straight from the FAFSA website...\n\nYou are INDEPENDENT if...\n\nBorn before 1/1/83\nWorking on a masters or graduate level degree\nHave children that receive over half of their support from you\nBoth your parents are deceased OR, until the age of 18, you were a ward of the court\nVeteran of the US Armed Forces
375167
set up a meeting with the advisors in the financial aid office of your school. you will have to declare emancipation from your parents. that means they will not be able to declare you for income tax purposes in the future but you will qualify for far more aid than you would under their income. \ni'm pretty sure that load in default will continue to haunt you anyway. you need to notify that loan company that you are still attending classes so they can defer the loan while you are still studying. don't stop until you get someone to listen to your story.
299528
Not only your FAFSA, but there are thousands of scholarships for the taken.  All you need is a little www.college-scholarships.com , www.scholarships.com , www.findtuition.com , www.collegescholarships.com\n\nDO NOT sign in for scholarships that are "guaranteed" or that ask for money.  They are many funny scholarships out there.\n\nForgot to mention the work/study program on the college of your choice.
874823
well, you may have to get a job in the meantime.  Just have your mother file out a tax form, or estimate the adjusted gross and wages and plug on the fafsa and indicate have not filed. hopefully, you will not be eligible for pell.  good luck
1119162
Financial Aid is almost always affected by a student's suspended status (You do mean suspended as opposed to "probation," right?).  In order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid, a student must maintain "Satisfactory Academic Progress" (SAP) as determined by his/her school's SAP policy. At most schools, this means that you need either \n\n(a) pass a a certain percentage of your classes, \n(b) pass a certain number of classes, \n(c) maintain a certain GPA or\n(d) a combination of 1 or more of the above\n\nSince you were already suspended (instead of being placed on probation), you should have been (or will soon be) notified of the affect that this action has on your financial aid. Quite simply, if you aren't in school, you can't receive financial aid.  But when you come back to school, if you do well enough to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, you will once again be able to obtain federal aid (and probably anything else, too). \n\nKeep in mind that, for suspended students, regaining "good standing" usually entails attending school for a little while (e.g. a semester) *without* the assistance of financial aid.  You need that first semester to prove that you have made SAP.\n\nSo, to "get yourself back on track," you will need to focus on your academics above all else.  Now that you understand *why* you did poorly, you have a chance to improve. Sometimes taking a break is good, but don't stay away too long.  As soon as you are able, petition to return from suspension. Only once you bring your grades up can the financial aid issues be resolved. \n\nWhile you are out of school, you can complete the FAFSA (just so your school has it on file), but don't expect to get any federal or state aid until your school tells you "yes, you have made satisfactory academic progress."  By all means, apply for outside scholarships for the semester that you plan to return. Check their eligibility criteria to see if the awards are need-based or merit-based and whether the organization will require SAP (some do).\n\n---------------------------\n\nAll that said, many schools will also have procedures in place for you to appeal a financial aid suspension/probationary status. In general, in a letter appealing a financial aid probation/suspension, you would probably want to explain why you failed your class and what you plan to do to remedy this situation. If there were personal issues that contributed to your less-than-ideal performance, mention these (if you are comfortable doing so).
976887
You can get your school to declare you as an independent, but it requires more forms. It's kind of hard. I'm sort of in the same situation as you. I'm in touch with my parents, but get no monetary support from them. I couldn't get declared as an independent because I do have contact with them. It's worth a shot though. Just go talk to your financial aid office at the school, and they can explain it in detail. They're pretty helpful if you just take the first step and ask for some help.
597038
It doesn't have to be a legal separation (or divorce) for you to qualify for Federal Student Aid -- see the link below. The Dept of Ed recognizes that these processes take time.  When you file the FAFSA, it will ask what your marital status is; select "divorced/separated" and put the date that you became separated.  \n\nYour school may ask you for proof that you are no longer "together."  Unfortunately, there are some applicants out there who are married but claim to be divorced to "maximize" their eligibility.  As such, your school has the right to ask for proof of almost anything on your FAFSA.  Usually, to satisfy this requirement, you can submit documentation that you live separately, pay separate bills, etc. If you still live together, you will probably have to file as "married" and therefore will be required to include your spouse's income/asset information on your FAFSA. There are a few exceptions to this rule (again, it's all explained in the following link).
1061397
It varies depending on the type of aid, the source of that aid, and the school you attend.\n\nFEDERAL AID:\nIt is your school's responsibility to determine your eligibility for Federal student aid such as Pell, Stafford, Perkins, SEOG, FWS, ACG, and SMART.  Once they do this, they must contact in some documentable way you to tell you what it is.  Some schools do this via mail (i.e. post, letter) and want you to "accept" or "reject" their offers before disbursing anything.  Other schools employ what is referred to as a "passive" award letter, where they assume you want the aid unless you tell them you don't.  Schools do not *have* to send letters -- they might direct you to a website where you can view your aid and complete the requisite forms... The only way to know which method your school uses is to give them a call. Note: if you filed a FAFSA and a few months ago and you still haven't heard from them, you should probably give them a call to see if something is missing in your file. \n\nSTATE AID:\nMost state financial aid agencies will notify you of your eligibility after you file a FAFSA.  However, even in these case, your school almost always have the final say regarding your eligibility (the state agencies rely on Financial Aid to confirm the some additional information that they can't know otherwise).  These state awards will probably also appear on your financial aid award letter and you may need to "accept" or "reject" them too.\n\nINSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS:\nSame as "federal" (above) -- if you are eligible, the school will tell you.  In most cases, it will probably be assumed that you will accept this type of aid, so the school may not require you to do much...  \n\nPRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS:\nWhile most schools require you to tell them about any scholarships you get, that is usually the extent of their involvement. (Sometimes the private scholarship org may require the school to complete a form or confirm your enrollment.) Scholarship organizations are often on different "notification" schedules than schools, so it can sometimes be quite a while before you find out if you got their scholarship/fellowship/grant.
1172329
For most traditional students, FAFSA considers you a dependent student.  This means that they consider both your parent's income, even if they are divorced or estranged.  If combined your parents make more than $75,000 a year, you would not be eligible for the Pell Grant.  One thing you could do is to tell your financial aid office about your situation and see if they would adjust your EFC.  \n\nSecondly, there are plently of scholarships abound for children of veterans.  However, this tends to vary by state, so once again, it is best that you talk to your financial aid counselor about this.\n\nIf you are looking for a part-time job, some have tuition reimbursement.  UPS and Fed-Ex offer similiar programs.  Being a package handler is not the best of jobs, but they do pay for up to $10,000 a year in tuition.
837950
Eligible Noncitizen You must be one of the following to receive federal student aid: \nU.S. citizen\n\nU.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain’s Island)\n\nU.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card) \nIf you’re not in one of these categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service) showing one of the following designations: \n“Refugee”\n\n“Asylum Granted”\n\n“Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending”\n\n“Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980) \n \n\nSo, your boyfriend IS eligible for financial aid.  To apply for the Pell Grant and all other financial aid he will have to fill out the FAFSA after he recieves his tax returns in January.  Remeber the earlier you fill it out the better of a chance you will have to get as much money as you can.  It is need based, but if you wait a long time to fill it out you might get less than what you would have gotten just because the funds might not be there.\n\nI hope this helps you!
577655
There are three factors that determine your eligibility for Pell:\n1.  your enrollment status (full-time, part-time, etc.)\n2.  your Cost of Attendance (COA), and\n3.  your EFC\n\nIf you are full time and your COA is at least $4,050, you can receive Pell if your EFC is $3850 or lower.  However, Pell amounts are pro-rated, so a student with a $3,850 EFC will only get $400 (at most) in Pell (for the YEAR).  Not very much, huh?\n\nThat said, as you can see on the table below, Pell is very sensitive to EFC changes, so if there were any errors on your FAFSA, you will want to correct those ASAP.  If you don't feel that your EFC is accurate, you should speak to your school.  They may allow you to submit documentation of your financial hardship which they can then use to recalculate your eligibility for Federal Aid.
436239
you could consider yourself independent for financial aid purposes and get free money, I guess
1004091
Most important fill out your FASFA. Then talk to your counselor at school. They'll be able to tell you which ones you qualify for.
660809
Agree with above. FAFSA is the beginning of your financial aid process, you can't get even private aid without it.\n\nFill it out ASAP. Use your parents' tax returns (or your own if you are an independent student). The process takes a few days because of security (sending a PIN, etc).\n\nThe only disadvantage to filing it this late is that many schools may no longer have aid to give out. In this case, you'll have to rely on retail loans (ie, from a bank, credit union or other institution), which right now run about 10% or 11% interest. If you take out a loan under the Federal Aid programs, it is much cheaper because the government acts as guarantor in the event of default.
188060
Unable to afford College on your own.\nScholar achievements.\nCommitment to complete your education.\ninternship and employment opportunities.\nNetworking opportunities with partner representatives.
327884
First, there is away around it, but it helps if you first understand why it has to be done this way so you know how to approach what is known as a "dependency appeal."  \n\nUpwards of 17 million FAFSAs are filed every year.  There are so many students in the world with so many family situations that it is imperative that there be a standard.  Moreover, there are so many people trying to abuse the system that this standard has to be stricter than ever.  I am constantly faced with students who claim, "I am independent! I swear! I can't get my parents' information!"... and then when I tell them "no" they somehow, magically, find a way to get that tax return to me.... Abuse.\n\nIn short, the rules are that you can't be considered independent unless ...\n\n* you are 24 or older\n* you are married\n* you have dependents other than a spouse\n* you are a veteran of the US armed forces\n* you are an orphan or ward of the court\n* you are pursuing an advanced degree\n* you have a prior bachelor's degree\n\nHowever, we all know that there really are cases in which a seemingly dependent student is really independent.  There are provisions made in the Federal Student Aid regulations that allow for a school (not the feds) to make exceptions to a student's status (though the change can only be from dependent to independent -- never the other way around).  Most schools will make exceptions in cases of abuse or the death of the students' parents.  Many schools will also make exceptions if you can document that you truly are completely self-suffient. You will need to submit proof that...  \n\n* your parents don't claim you on their tax return\n* you pay for your own housing, food, utilities, etc.\n* you pay for your own health insurance\n* you pay for your own transportation (and, if you have a car, the car insurance)\n* you don't receive any other in-kind support\n\nIf you think you can submit this information, give your school a call and ask them what their specific policy is.  They should have one in place and you have every right to know what it is.\n\nRemember: if you submit fraudulent information your school can deny you aid and you may be subject to other penalties.  And remember that covering your tracks doesn't simply stop at your tax return: your school's financial aid office can request just about anything if it believes that it has received conflicting information.\n\nSo, why is your school so picky?  Well, because the federal government is very protective of their money.  Financial Aid offices are subject to annual audits.  If their auditors pull your file and notice that undocumented exceptions have been made, their ability to give financial aid (to anyone) can be seriously jeopardized.
647016
File for the FAFSA.  One of the questions asks if you are a ward of the court or an orphan.  This gives you the same status as a single parent which (at least in my experience working with students) gives you an EFC- expected family contribution- of 0.  While this doesn't guarantee you a full ride, it does put you in line for all the school scholarships, grants, and great loans (as opposed to crappy bank loans.)  Visit fafsa.ed.gov to apply.  Also, I recommend fastweb.com for scholarship searches.  Hope this helps.