Comments on: Dependent or Not Dependent: Why I Hate the FAFSA

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:21:06 +0000

Here’s a FAFSA nighmare for you. My husband and I both lost our jobs last fall (for the second time in three years). He just secured a new job, making $24,000 (half of what he used to make). I am still unemployed but do not get unemployment benefits because I was considered an independent contractor by the company I worked for (even though I do not have a business). Our savings are depleted because of the last layoff, so to avoid losing our house (which had lost considerable equity and is in a city where the housing market is extremely depressed), we cashed out our retirement plans and paid it off. We had to cash out extra to pay the taxes and penalties. We then moved in with my elderly, disabled father and turned the house into a rental. The $1,000 a month we receive in rent supplements my husband’s low salary and enables us to get by. Still, according to FAFSA, we are wealthy people because we cashed out the IRA (even though it all went to pay off the house and the IRS) and we will always be considered wealthy because we now have an asset (the rental). This is our only house and we hope to move back into it some day, but renting it out was the only way we could keep from losing it. Our daughter is a teaching major at an in-state college. She will be a senior next year and works two work study jobs to pay room and board. Because of FAFSA, she will lose both these jobs at the end of this semester, along with her Pell grant and one of her (need-based) scholarships. We have another kid at home (who ironically, qualifies for free lunches at his high school) and we are less than 10 years from retirement. Fair? I think not.

By: KD

KD — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:56:02 +0000

The FAFSA really needs to be updated to match changing families in America. I started college when I was 17. I don’t dispute the fact that I was indeed a minor and a dependent at all. However, I lived with my maternal grandmother (who made minimum wage at a hospital) from the time I was an infant. She always signed all of my necessary legal paperwork growing up (doctor/hospital visits, permission slips, etc.) and even claimed me as a dependent on her taxes EVERY SINGLE YEAR. However, because she did not legally adopt me I could not use her on my FAFSA. The FAFSA only allows your natural mother and father – no exceptions. My mother had no problem filling out a FAFSA, however my father did. They were divorced and he did not want my mother to know how much money he made so he refused to do it. So I was unable to obtain any type of financial aid for college. I imagine there are a lot of other people who have met this same situation and similar situations.

By: Allie

Allie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:06:14 +0000

Wow…you should have put down that you support your child 50%. That is common sense. And no, its NOT cheating the sytem. It would have made you independent.

In fact, I have 2 children and am an UNMARRIED STAY AT HOME MOM LIVING WITH MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER.

My school told me to “put down that I contribute more than 50% to my children.” In fact, they said, because we were living together and sharing expenses, we BOTH contributed “half because we lived together and had shared income”….REGARDLESS of what we made together.

No offense, but MAYBE instead of complaining about how much the FAFSA sucks, YOU should have contacted an aid advisor. It’s the common sense thing to do when you aren’t sure. Bc you just screwed yourself out of a free 4 year education.

By: Alex H.

Alex H. — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:46:04 +0000

My apologies, I believe I missed the checkbox for notification the first time I submitted that.

By: Alex H.

Alex H. — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:44:50 +0000

I am 20 years old and started going to college when I was 19. I came from a very abusive family and spent a period of time in the psychward; when I reported the abuse occurring to my sister and I my stepfather and mother took me to a hospital and told them that I was hallucinating all of the incidents. Since I was a minor, I was “treated” for schizophrenia and did not have the situation cleared until I was 18 and able to show some local psychiatrists paper records of their police reports and violent history. I have lived alone for 2 years with no assistance. Since I am 20, have not served in the military, don’t have a child, and am not married, I have to file by my parents’ information. Since I don’t have access to this, I essentially can’t file at all. I am not considered for any assistance, because even though I have no parental support I am still considered a “dependent”. I currently work 2 restaurant jobs at 70-80 hours a week while attending Mansfield OSU/NCSC in Ohio.

By: Beltramo

Beltramo — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:02:47 +0000

Without nitpicking through every point (and you do have some valid ones) – I can only say that when you say “Got rich parents that refuse to pay for your schooling at all? The FAFSA doesn’t care” – I really have to wonder if you think that whatever limited resources are available should go to children of the wealthy, whose parents just refuse to pay for their educations. Do you think that a system that would reward that with aid has any likelihood of being abused?

-I too am at the mercy of FAFSA. My father is the only one who works two jobs (has his own small struggling business) and cannot afford to pay for my college. However, it is what FAFSA or the IRS considers as “well off” so basically if your parents are dirt poor, no job then you’ll have it made when applying for financial aid.

-on another note. “working with your university’s financial aid office” is out of the question. Every time I approach them with any circumstance, they put the solution back on my parents. Applying for a student-parent plus loan is the only other solution they ever give me, which is impossible for my parents due to poor credit score & unwillingness to apply for another loan with their name on it….etc
It makes me sick every semester. My mom is a minority, but my dad is white so it doesn’t matter. This system is a broken joke and pretty much encourages parents to report the absolute bare minimum on their taxes and on the FAFSA.
-look at the housing market crash & the build up to that, I strongly believe this System will be looking at a similar future someday.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:18:41 +0000

What drives me crazy is my friends whose parents were poor and they are poor so they get the handout, then spend it one whatever and keep working their low-class jobs, not even thinking about college

By: Pamela Ausejo

Pamela Ausejo — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:30:01 +0000

Yea, that pretty much sucks. I am very sorry that you have that difficulty. I do remember when I was in my early 20′s I couldn’t get anything from fafsa at all. I also didn’t know that I could talk to my financial aid people. But yea maybe according to financial aid,they can’t help you because you are under 24 which is really lame. They need to update there rules on this because duh!! there are many displaced young adults wanting to get an education. Let me tell you though. that even if you are getting financial aid, you don’t get much. Meaning, I am getting a full pell and cal grant at the moment and always broke because I barely work. If I work more, my disbursement goes down. For this new 2012 year, FAll semester I will be getting half of what i got this year because I made just a little bit more$$ than last year. But Half!! I will have to do work study now. Fine, whatever it takes. So Vanna why don’t you just work your ass off and save that money for when you turn 24. Believe me that extra money will come in handy cuz financial aid doesn’t cover all of it. But let me warn you. It is possible even when you turn 24 that you won’t be eligible because you made too much money. If you make over 12,000 the year before (bec. they look at last years income tax) that is when your EFC number starts to go up BUT they will tell you what you are eligible for. For example I made 15,000 last year 2010, they said I am eligible for only 2880.00 total per semester but they will probably offer me a work study opportunity as well. so that will help too.
And try not to worry about your age in all this. I know its hard when all other kids your age are in school. You will still be plenty young if you start when you are 24. You could also study on your own in math and english so that you can get into higher classes when you enter. Your still young and it could be worse. Hang in there! I never went to school and I am alot older. I just can’t think about that now. I try to just have a better attitude cuz I just got to do my best with some things you can’t control. Are you eligible for the BOG waiver at all? That can help pay for the classes which can help bec. I think its now 26$ a unit now right? So that can save you $156 bucks if your taking 2,3 unit classes. Wishing you all the best.

By: Vanna

Vanna — Mon, 09 May 2011 08:34:23 +0000

I’m 22 years old and I have been living on my own since I was 18. I live with my boyfriend but because of the state of the economy (especially in the part of California I live in) have not been able to secure a job long enough to pay for my own schooling. I don’t have the money to move somewhere with better job opportunities. My parents refused to help pay for any of my college, not even at a community college. I did talk to the financial aid offices at both of the schools I wanted to attend. I actually had one of them tell me that it was impossible for me to get any sort of LOAN with out my parents information. The government automatically assumes that everyone is on good terms with their parents. My boyfriend doesn’t make enough money to support us both and pay for college. I don’t like the fafsa system. Also I think that it isn’t fair to tell people “just talk to the financial aid office and they can help you” because the fact is, where I live they wont help you and it is just not that simple. Of course people want to get a grant rather than a loan. Who wants to be up to their ears in debt? I am going to have to wait until I’m 24 to go to school and hopefully before then I will find some work and be able to save up just in case they find another reason to tell me- “sorry there is nothing you can do to get financial aid.” This is especially sad to me because I know people who are supported by there parents, are not living on their own and don’t have bills to pay and they get enough aid to continue college each year. I have attended two classes and still can’t pay off the amount for just those two classes.

By: Truth

Truth — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:10:18 +0000

I had to drop out of college because of the dependent fafsa bullshit…I live a home but i dont live there 4 free. i’ve been paying rent and 100% of all my expenses since the age of 17….even fucking groceries, food and common toiletries! But i’m a fucking DEPENDENT. dependent my ass. My mother and cunt of a step dad have ruined my college plans and halted my dreams. My step dad makes alone makes average of $80,000 to $100,000 per year. Since i’m under 24, i have to use their financial information and file as a dependent. I absolutely nothing because they make too much. FAFSA is useless to me…..I blame the Government & Parents. The government would rather finance abortions and spend money overseas instead of helping its citizens. I blame the irresponsibly parents of today that choose to not help their kids financially. They would rather pay for lavish cars and vacations than invest their children’s future. ITS SAD…..i would never do that to my children. NEVER!…But we will survive. Im 21 right now and i work 50 hrs a week. I’m taking two classes at a time because thats all i can afford….I shud have my associates in two years. I’ll be 23 by then..I’ll still have to wait another year to fill as an independent….I’m be 25 when i get my B.S. when most of my peers will be half way thru graduate school…I’m so far behind. THE GOVERNMENT WILL ALWAYS BE NOTORIOUS BUT I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MY PARENTS!….