Hello I am 18 years old, and my parents got into an argument with me today where they accused me of sleeping with a teacher, and my mom bit me. I only bring this up to show my situation, and how there are not many alternatives for me. They are cutting off my educational finances because my community college gpa is only 3.7 while i was dual enrolled throughout highschool.
To my main point, I cannot rely on them for finances anymore. I plan on continuing community college, which I may be able to afford out of my own pocket. Unfortunately, I will eventually have to transfer to a university, which has high tuition that I cannot afford without loans. I do not have much time to save up either, because I can transfer as early as spring 2027 semester because I did a lot in highschool. if i go to community college, and then transfer without financial support, what is my best bet with student loans and how do i manage that? I apologize, I have no clue what to do. i will have shelter and food paid for, as i move in with someone else thankfully.
Incoming college student, who is cut off from educational finances, how do i prepare to take out loans and what would be the best course of action to minimize loans?
byu/ewjnjrf inStudentLoans
Posted by ewjnjrf
5 Comments
Your parents are responsible for supporting you financially. If they refuse to do so, you are unfortunately SOL, unless a university will offer you nearly a full scholarship.
You will only be able to borrow a tiny fraction of what you will need from the federal government, and nothing at all from a private lender without a co-signer. Period.
So either patch things up with your parents, or plan on working for a few years before continuing your education.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get loans based on your own income at 18 without going through hoops. It is possible. Just more difficult. I’m sorry your parents aren’t acting more like adults. 3.7 is a really high GPA if it’s out of 4.0. Here’s some reading to get you started. Others may know more than I do. https://www.earnest.com/blog/emancipation-for-financial-aid
First question for you: are you somewhere safe now? I feel the need to say that being accused of sleeping with a teacher and having a parent *bite you* is not normal. If you are in an abusive household (which it sounds like it is both physically and financially abusive tbh, because most parents would be *ecstatic* about a 3.7 GPA for a dual enrolled student) then your safety is the top priority, and if you’re not currently on social service’s radar you likely need to talk to them. If there isn’t a police report filed for your mom biting you then you may want to report that assault. Do you have somewhere safe to live in the meantime?
The other reason why you may want to document it is that, for FAFSA purposes, you’re typically considered a dependent undergrad until you turn 24. The full criteria is here https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency and abuse definitely qualifies under the “unusual circumstances” outlined on https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info *if you can get it documented* and work with a guidance counselor to get into a safe environment
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this OP. Your parents sound terrible and you deserve better than this
If there’s any chance you think you could score very well (like a composite score of 33+) on the ACT, then it’s worth trying because some 4-year universities have some significant merit-based scholarships for students that score that well. Since you’re planning to continue community college, those counselors should have resources to share with you to prepare for those type of tests (or re-taking if you’ve tried them before).
Since your current GPA is 3.7, I would think choosing a university based on all their available merit-based scholarships would be the way to go, though admittedly the ones tied to expensive test scores are the hardest since your finances are so tight.
Document the physical abuse and seek emancipation.