Wednesday, January 14, 2015

What are Your Options When Your Parents Refuse to File the FAFSA?

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What are Your Options When Your Parents Refuse to File the FAFSA?

I am hoping you can help me with my FAFSA issue. I am 16 and a

senior this year in high school, so I plan on attending a university

in the fall. However, my dream college is a private university and is

extremely expensive. My parents refuse to help pay a dime towards

furthering my education — they believe college isn't necessary

and that I can get by without it. I begrudgingly accepted this, but

asked if they would give me their tax information so I can fill out

the FAFSA. They now won't even let me look at their tax information

and refuse to fill out the FAFSA because they don't want the

government seeing their assets and what not and don't want an

audit. This was extremely upsetting for me, as the scholarship I want

to apply for requires a completed FAFSA, and a FAFSA is required for a

work-study job on campus. I have pretty much no money for college

myself, just $1,000 in my personal account but that is all I have. I'm

not sure how much we make — my mom doesn't have a job and my dad is a

printer and owner of our family business, which is enough to make ends

meet, but we are definitely middle class. I am willing to take out

loans, but I can't pay my entire education on loans. The FAFSA

considers me to be a dependent student. Is there any way I can receive

federal aid while still being a dependent student and not filling in

my parents information?

— M. D.


As President Barack Obama said, "In a global economy where the most

valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no

longer just a pathway to opportunity — it is a prerequisite."

There are more jobs available for college graduates than for people

with just a high school diploma. Unemployment is lower for college

graduates and salaries are higher.


But your goal of enrolling in the film school at one of the most

expensive private colleges in the US is unrealistic. This college

charges $37,500 a year in tuition alone. Even with student aid you

would have to borrow excessively in order to attend this college and

you will have difficulty repaying that debt as a starving artist. You

should consider pursuing a more practical field of study instead, one

that will help you pay your bills after you graduate, and enroll in a

less expensive college. You might be able to minor or double-major in

film.


The US Department of Education does not currently share FAFSA

application data with the IRS. Discuss your situation with a

financial aid administrator at the college; sometimes they can help

address your parent's concerns about the privacy of the information

provided on the FAFSA.


However, it is possible that your parents may not have filed their

federal income tax returns. (Self employment combined with excessive

concern about triggering an audit increases the likelihood of tax

evasion or tax fraud.) If they haven't paid their taxes, you won't be

eligible for federal student aid until they do.


The Higher Education Act of 1965 allows a student whose parents refuse

to complete the FAFSA and who have terminated all financial support to

obtain unsubsidized Stafford loans of $5,500 to $7,500 a year,

depending on the year in school. That is just a drop in the bucket

compared with college costs at an expensive private college.


If your parents do not change their minds about completing the FAFSA

and helping you pay for college, there are only two practical

options. One is to enroll at a low cost community college. You might

be able to obtain a part-time job to pay for the college costs. The

other is to wait until you turn age 24 to go to college, when you will

automatically be considered independent.


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