Student's Family/Financial Aid Issues?
I am a senior at a state university in Oklahoma. I still have a semester and 2 summer classes I need to take in order to graduate. I have a 3.8 GPA and have qualified for some scholarships. However, they do not cover everything. My parents make too much money for me to qualify for real financial aid and refuse to help me out in terms of school, books, housing, food. I do live on my own. I work part time, but that barely gets me by. I have over $10,000 of debt from my unsubsidized Stafford loans (the only real aid I apply for from Fafsa). I am trying to get a credit card to “buy” more time in between pay days, but my situation doesn’t look good. The only things my parents pay for is my car insurance and health insurance. Fafsa said my estimated family contribution for this year is $26,029. I get no grants or work study, and am only 21 so I am not technically an independent. The only reason my parents are not helping me only because I do not believe in their “Christian” values. I am a good kid. I don’t do drugs, I make good grades, I work hard. What can I do, if anything, to get them to pay? I have very little relationship with them and was wondering what kind (if any) legal action I could take to get them to contribute more to my education. I am trying to apply for grad school, but I need to be financially stable to do so. Or, what steps could I take to make Fafsa NOT base what I apply for off of THEIR taxes?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Parents don't have to pay anything toward your college expenses. The fact that they're paying your health insurance (which is considerable, btw) and your car insurance is a gift from them to you, not an obligation. So there is nothing you can do to compel them, legally, to take on more of your college expenses. Your parents are doing more for you than the parents of many students are doing. At least they're paying your health insurance and your car insurance.
I do not suggest the credit card. The interest rates on student loans should be lower than credit cards, making a student loan a better bargain. Go talk to financial aid to see if they can increase the amount you're getting in loans, to get you through until you graduate. $10k in debt is not excessive. I'm not overly worried about you graduating with a bit more debt than that.
Once you go to grad school, you'll automatically be considered independent for the purposes of financial aid, no matter how old you are. Until then, there is nothing you can do, in your circumstances, to get yourself considered independent for financial aid. But this isn't really going to help you, because there's less scholarship/grant money for masters degrees (and PhDs in certain, non-high-demand fields), so most people pay for grad school with loans. Be prepared.
You need to talk this out with your parents make a deal, ask them for a LOAN of what you need and tell them you will pay them back if needed make a date or time line you will have the money to them. The biggest mistake is charging things to a credit card. NEVER do that. If that doesn't work make a deal with them you said, Heath insurance and Car insurance is the only thing your parents pay for well tell them you will start taking on the responsibility of paying for that. If none of this works and you are at a desperate point, after taking my advice just take to there christian beliefs that may actually help you a lot. But take my word for it...DON'T "Buy more time in between payments with a credit card", that is just a huge mistake.
You are over 18, so they do not have to help you at all.