Does being married help a lot with getting financial aid?

Question

I know the stupid fafsa requirements change when you are married, does it make it a lot easier to get aid?

Answer 1

Not really.  Anyone can get fin aid in the form of student loans and the federal Pell grant isn't different if you are married vs single.  All being married does is allow you to borrow a greater amount in student loans.  Not exactly a perk in my book.

Answer 2

The only difference that it makes is that you will now have to claim his income as well as yours.  Depending on how much your combined income is, this may affect your Pell eligiblility but will not affect your student loan eligibility. It does not allow you to borrow more loans.

Answer 3

The total income allowed in the calculation goes up when you are married, so you might be eligible for grants, as well as increased loan eligibility.  Of couse, this depends upon how much your new husband made, too.  It could decrease your eligibility if he made a lot of money.  There are good EFC calculators at www.finaid.org, if you want to "apply" both ways and see which one maximizes your eligibility.

Good luck!