Financial Aid for college

[Emmamama 2]

Hi guys,

We're not getting settled in Chicago. My husband arrived about 2 weeks ago and we've been busy busy since than. He and I will both be going to school in Sept. 2010. I know that he is not allowed to get welfare or any other gov assistance. However is he allowed to fill out a FAFSA form and apply for financial aid/scholarships? Does anyone know or have any experience with this??

THANKS!!

PS YAY he got his SSN!!

[ca_babe 129]

http://www.nafsa.org/students.sec/financial_aid_for_undergraduate/

Information for Permanent Residents: Citizenship Status

U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, and refugees and asylees qualify for federal financial aid in the form of loans, grants, or work-study opportunities. There are a few additional categories that may qualify as well. As a general rule, students in a nonimmigrant category are not eligible for such aid. The U.S. Department of Education publishes a handbook with information for financial aid professionals; chapter 2 (366KB ) addresses eligibility for international students and includes fairly detailed descriptions of the statuses that do and do not qualify for federal financial aid. If you are a permanent resident, you can apply for federal financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As a permanent resident, you may qualify for federal and state government aid, including the Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, PLUS Loan, Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, or Federal Work-Study. The FAFSA form also helps colleges and universities determine whether a student qualifies for institutional aid.

[Ontarkie 13,915]

My oldest was approved for financial aid, they just need all your ID, and with him also the selective service forms to prove he registered.

[Harsh_77 716]

yes you can apply for financial aid. The one of the requirement documents for this would be your previous year's tax return. Since you just moved I a guess you would not have a tax return filed in US, check with your school what other document they can use.

If you are eligible for the aide or not is decided on number of ppl in your household, how many are going to school and your household income.

[fozzie 41]

yes you can apply for financial aid. The one of the requirement documents for this would be your previous year's tax return. Since you just moved I a guess you would not have a tax return filed in US, check with your school what other document they can use.

If you are eligible for the aide or not is decided on number of ppl in your household, how many are going to school and your household income.

The school only needs to see the tax returns if your FAFSA is selected for verification. If you did not file taxes because you did not have any income last year (which if you moved here recently then you won't) they will have you fill out a student non-filer form. Simple.

The eligibility citeria for federal financial aid programs are:

• Be a degree seeking student
• Be a US Citizen or eligible non citizen (i.e a LPR, assylee etc)
• Maintain academic progress
• Not be in default on prior federal educational loans
• or owe a refund on a prior federal grant
• Register with selective service

The last point is important if you are under the age of 26 when you first entered the US (not the point when you gained residency).

[Emmamama 2]

Ok cool...yeah we didn't file taxes--neither of us--on the basis of low income. When I filed for FAFSA I had to fill out a form like you guys said and just explain why I had such low income. (Living in Argentina..exchange rate from pesos to dollars!) We're heading to his school right now and see what's what.

Thanks for all the good info guys!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

For FAFSA, the applicant has to provide his parents' tax returns as even the parents' income is taken into the equation. Since he's living away from his parents and with you, his wife, he'll need your tax returns. Since you did not file and can't document your income, you and he will need your parents' tax returns for your applications.

Sounds crazy? You bet.

I assume your parents were co-sponsors for his affidavit of support, right?

Edited July 21, 2010 by Just Bob

[tokyo.lovers 6]

yeah i was wondering about that.

it would be hard to show tax returns for a new immigrant since they don't have us tax returns...

[fozzie 41]

For FAFSA, the applicant has to provide his parents' tax returns as even the parents' income is taken into the equation. Since he's living away from his parents and with you, his wife, he'll need your tax returns. Since you did not file and can't document your income, you and he will need your parents' tax returns for your applications.

Sounds crazy? You bet.

I assume your parents were co-sponsors for his affidavit of support, right?

Not accurate. You only have to use the parents income taxes if you are filing as a dependant student. If you are married you are an independant student and therefore parents income is irrelevant. When you start to fill out the FAFSA is asks you several questions to determine if you are dependant or independant, one of which is are you married.

Even then you do not have to 'provide' your tax returns unless specifically asked to by the financial aid office at your college (and they should only ask if you were selected for verification which is a randon process).

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

I've just gone through this with our 21 year-old, adult daughter, who's a college student. She has a part-time job, but doesn't make enough to support herself entirely. For FAFSA that's enough to see her as a dependent, and in fact we claim her as such on our tax return.

When determining how much financial support a student is entitled to, the parents' income will be taken into consideration. The way I understand it, these two don't make enough money as they are both students, so the money must be coming from somewhere. FAFSA wants to know from where, and they want it in writing, black on white, in form of a tax return.

Why?

Imagine our daughter would claim she lives on her own, yet only makes a few hundred dollars a month. I would not claim her as a dependent, and she would be entitled to a truckload of cash, and so would tens of thousands of other students.

Only once a student lives on their own, and makes enough money to support themselves, FAFSA releases the bite on the parents or legal guardian.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Just Bob

[fozzie 41]

I've just gone through this with our 21 year-old, adult daughter, who's a college student. She has a part-time job, but doesn't make enough to support herself entirely. For FAFSA that's enough to see her as a dependent, and in fact we claim her as such on our tax return.

When determining how much financial support a student is entitled to, the parents' income will be taken into consideration. The way I understand it, these two don't make enough money as they are both students, so the money must be coming from somewhere. FAFSA wants to know from where, and they want it in writing, black on white, in form of a tax return.

Why?

Imagine our daughter would claim she lives on her own, yet only makes a few hundred dollars a month. I would not claim her as a dependent, and she would be entitled to a truckload of cash, and so would tens of thousands of other students.

Only once a student lives on their own, and makes enough money to support themselves, FAFSA releases the bite on the parents or legal guardian.

Ok Just Bob. The OP is asking about her husbands ability to file for Financial Aid therefore as he is married he is independant. Your daughter is 21, not married, not got kids, not an immancipated minor, not in foster care, not in a PhD or Masters program, not in the military therefore she is dependant. You could be 22 years old and single, earning 80k per year and living by yourself but you would still be dependant and require parents income on the FAFSA because you are not 24 years old or meet the other criteria for independant status. Governments rules not mine. Your idea of independant and the governments definition are not the same. Most people are surprised to learn they are dependant when they support themselves but thats the way the cookie crumbles.

You are correct in that FAFSA wants to know, not the school. It is a major compliance issue for schools to keep copies of everybodies tax return. The FAFSA process is done online at home but only a random selection are pulled for 'verification' of the data they input. These individuals will then have to provide the tax document (or this could be citizenship documents or any number of other items other than taxes) to the schools financial aid office. They attest that the info is accurate and the financial aid goes through. You may have been selected but not every one is, in fact schools are required to select at least 30% for verification although some take this as high as 70% (the % is set by the school but it is still a random process to which students are selected).

Good luck to your daughter in her studies.

[fozzie 41]

1. Financial Need:

Financial Need is based on the following formula:

Cost of Education (Direct and Indirect Costs)

– Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

= Financial Need

Direct Costs: Tuition, fees, books and supplies.

Indirect Costs: Transportation, personal expenses and room and board.

EFC: Expected Family Contribution is determined by a federally defined formula using information you provide on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To best determine your eligibility, it is important that you inform Student Finance of recent changes to your family’s financial situation (loss of job or income, change in marital status, death of a family member, etc.)

in writing with as much detail as possible.

2. Eligibility for Federal Programs:

In order to qualify for federal financial assistance, you must:

• Enroll as a degree-seeking student.
• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Make satisfactory academic progress.
• Not be in default on a federal educational loan.
• Not owe a refund on a federal educational grant.
• Register with Selective Service (if you are a male born on or after January 1, 1960, over 18 years of age and not currently in the armed forces).

3. Dependency Status:

The federal government has established how dependency status is determined for federal financial aid purposes. If a student is considered a dependent, his or her parents’ income and asset information must be

included on the FAFSA. This information will be used in addition to the student’s income and asset information to determine the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The following questions will determine if you are an

independent or dependent student.

Yes | No

• Were you born before January 1, 1987?
• As of today, are you married?
• At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2011?
• When you were age 13 or older, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent/ward of the court?
• As of today, are you an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2010, were you an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or at risk of being homeless?

If you answered YES to ANY of these questions, you are independent and do not need to include your parents’ financial information.

If you answered NO to ALL of these questions, you are dependent and must include your parents’ financial information, too.

[Daria8885 1]

Ok so ya....the husband will be eligible but will he AFTER receiving said aid be considered a public charge and will that money granted to him by the government have to be paid back before becoming a citizen?

[Messybrownhair 251]

Don't you need to have a GC to be considered for FAFSA?

I am only asking because my school said I could not apply for it this year since my GC came late, way after the FAFSA period.. Can I still apply for it now?? I already have my GC..

[Ban Hammer 12,836]

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