Long story short: My mother is went into bankruptcy the year before I went to college, dad was generally absent, and I grew up with grandparents – grandfather retired when grandma passed from cancer when I was 17 but they never had legal custody.
This was a long time ago now, but when I turned 18 and tried to go to college my father refused to provide his tax information so I could complete the FAFSA. I got into a great school and actually started classes, but had to leave because of this.
Wasn’t asking for a co-signatory from him, wasn’t asking for help. Just asked for required information, and he still refused. Regardless of obtaining my bachelors degree after years of part-time school secondary to full-time work, I’m admittedly writing this still angry 15 years later for -I believe- preventing me from attending college.
But, so I know and so I can help others in the future if the situation arises (I work in a mental health field), is there a way around this or some other action I could have taken? I had no support, and was borderline psychotic with grief over my grandmother, after high school and had to figure absolutely everything out on my own. But I still bear a lot of hate, and I’m curious if it’s justified or if I missed a pathway.
Posted by ajjn2193
3 Comments
Once a person turns 24 yrs of age, FAFSA would consider them as an independent student, which means you do not need to report parent income or assets.
I found this information on the Federal Student Aid website: [https://studentaid.gov/help/parent-unwilling-provide-information](https://studentaid.gov/help/parent-unwilling-provide-information)
It looks like direct unsubsidized loans are an option in this situation but it’s up to the school’s financial aid officer to make the final call on eligibility. Private loans are also an option if there’s a cosigner other than the absent parent, although these types of loans should usually be avoided as they can be predatory.
Another option is to get married, since married students are considered financially independent from their parents. The spouse’s income would be considered in addition to the student’s income on the FAFSA. Obviously this isn’t a smart option for most people but it makes sense in some circumstances. I know someone who did this and they are still happily married years later.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I would be angry about it, too.
Edited to add: Some colleges do not require FAFSA for merit-based scholarships, so depending on the school, that could be an option too.
It’s not clear to me that your parents were together. If they were, you could have gotten the income info from your mom. It they weren’t, assuming you lived with mom, you could have just used her income. Her bankruptcy would not be affected by your aid.