urgent question

[mandixon 9]

hello dear friends,

my friend's fiancee is planning to file a petition for him and she is worried about her financial situation if she gets married while still a student.the question is; will the marriage affect any grants/loans/parents' financial support that she is getting as a single person?

thank you very much in advance

[MDSMIF 0]

hello dear friends,

my friend's fiancee is planning to file a petition for him and she is worried about her financial situation if she gets married while still a student.the question is; will the marriage affect any grants/loans/parents' financial support that she is getting as a single person?

thank you very much in advance

Yes it will be affected. The affect will come mostly when he gets a job. Then you have to use his income when applying, not like now. Just so you know, there PROBABLY will not be an increase in financial aid and they will look at your case with magnifying glass (sometimes) if you claim he has no income. Wish them luck.

Edited January 3, 2007 by MDSMIF

[mandixon 9]

i feel like i need to explain the case more.my friend is still in Morocco and his fiancee is wondering if she gonna lose the financial support she is getting from gov/bank/parents (as grants or loans or whatever) if she gets married.pliz MDSMIF would you explain your answer more!!!???? thank you very much in advance.

[MDSMIF 0]

i feel like i need to explain the case more.my friend is still in Morocco and his fiancee is wondering if she gonna lose the financial support she is getting from gov/bank/parents (as grants or loans or whatever) if she gets married.pliz MDSMIF would you explain your answer more!!!???? thank you very much in advance.

No problem.

She will not LOSE anything until he starts working. BUT it is better she talk to the financial aid counselor now. I have not worked in finacial aid in a few years and maybe my advice is a little outdated.

Just to let you know. They will not make take any money away because she is married. They will, however, ask her for more documents if he has no income. For example, I have a friend that is married. He was receiving financial support. They wanted him to prove how he supported his family with so little income. He needed to show his lease, his car payment, why his parents were not helping him, and few other things. But he received the same money he received before he was married.

Ask me if you have any other questions.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I would say that losing college financial aid is the least of your friend's problems. If she is a student, how is she going to prove she can support your friend in America. It looks to me like her parents are going to be the responsible ones and therefore will need to show adequate income or assets.

I do agree that the financial aid situation will be affected, but that will depend upon what kind of job your friend can get and how soon everything gets done. Generally the financial aid reports are due in February of each year so 2007 isn't likely to be impacted, but 2008 will.

[edsperfect 25]

I would say that losing college financial aid is the least of your friend's problems. If she is a student, how is she going to prove she can support your friend in America. It looks to me like her parents are going to be the responsible ones and therefore will need to show adequate income or assets.

I do agree that the financial aid situation will be affected, but that will depend upon what kind of job your friend can get and how soon everything gets done. Generally the financial aid reports are due in February of each year so 2007 isn't likely to be impacted, but 2008 will.

This is right on. If a student she will not meet the 125% of poverty level necessary and any petition will not beapproed without sufficient sponsors

[gwenneh 7]

Her financial aid situation will change when filing her FAFSA form; she will have to declare her spouse's income on here and it will count towards the total figure calculated as household income. Since colleges use a ratio of household income to tuition in order to calculate the financial aid package, any income he makes will significantly affect her eligibility for grants. Loans, however, are generally not affected by this figure, as they are not need-based; things like the PELL grant and other government or school specific grants WILL be affected as they are need based.

I used to work in financial aid while I was going through University, so if you need more clarification feel free to ask.

[JanaknJanet 0]

While she is currently still single.. part of the question needed to ask is ..

Is she still considered dependant on her parent.. ie under the age of 24.

If she is under 24. by becoming married it changes her status to married household of two ..and will then use her income and that of her husband. If she is over the age of 24 or a mommie.. or a emacipated adult.. or ward of the court if under age 24... then she is considered independant of her parents income.

Many times this can work to her favor. Unless the man she is planning on marrying .. has a large sum of money, which would need to be declared. But if he has not filed taxes in USA .. I am not sure how they would count his income unless they just use his assets such as bank account. Simply could be answered by yes setting up a informal information meeting with a financial aid counslor at the university where she attends.

Best part would be for her to file NOW effective Jan 1 2007 she was able to file her fasfa. It would be granted based on her status of application. All funding is based on her status and income of prior year.

Let her know that sometimes being married.. with little income.. it works to her favor..

As far as marrying and needing to use her income.. . Im sure she is prepared to find a co-sponsor for the petitition. Being a broke college student sometimes opens many more doors .. and being a married broke college student is even better.

This is said based on my own experiences and knowlege of working 5 years in the financial aid office... plus 8 years of my own graduate school experience.. .. ( I returned to school while i was a single parent of 2 when i was 32) My daughter benefited by my being in university when she applied for university...she was gifted for almost her 4 yr as about 80 % grant. scholarship.. thank god.. i couldnt have afforded her schooling any other way...

Now she is 26.. and returned to University to finish her Masters.. but is now married.. .Last year before she married. they used her single information.. this year.. they will use her married income... looks like a bit more loans.. but.. she is in grad school so there is less grants anyhow..

Best of luck ... tell her if she is concerned.. not to hesitate to talk to the financial aid office. .. that is why they are there.. but .. remember begining of the term.. they will be stressing so she may need to wait a week or so into the term to pick the brains of the staff...