I have a question about going to college and FAFSA?

Question

See, i wanna go to college. "The Arts Institute Of San Bernardino" to Major in Graphic Design...but though i am dependent of my parents. my mom does not work soo my dad is the only one with the job and well he does make good money. but too many bills and he doesnt want another one, NOT even for my college funds to help me out. and well the other day i talked to him about FAFSA and how they can help me out with money but he doesnt wanna put his social on the forms because it asks for my parents info. and like taxes n' stuff. he doesnt wanna later on be billed for anything from FAFSA he says that maybe theres another way. CAN U PLEASE HELP ME!!!! ahhhhhhh i wanna go to College. maybe theres some wayy where i can get Free Money fro College

Answer 1

First of all it doesn't matter who claims who a any tax return for the fafsa.  It isn't even a question for determining dependency.  Tell your father that by giving his tax info he is not obligating himself in any way to pay for your education.  That by providing it he is allowing you to pay for your education yourself WITHOUT his help.  The grants and loans will be in your name (not his).  Without his info, you can't even apply for the free grants or take out a student loan.  

Prep him and talk to him about it now because until you are 24 years old, married, or have kids you will need his info.  Like I said, it doesn't matter if he claims you on taxes or not.

Oh, and if you want to FUND your education  entirely on your own you will likely have to choose a cheaper school  because this one sounds suspicously like a a "for profit" one.  The maximum freshman can borrow in federal Stafford loans is only 3,500 per year without parents taking out loans.  You can attend a perfectly good state or community college for this.  The only other way is to get a scholarship, but most schools scholarship deadlines for fall have long past and many require you do to the fafsa in order to get them as well.

Answer 2

He would never be charged anything from FAFSA, it's free to fill out and submit. There should be something about that in the FAQs on the FAFSA site. You definitely need to fill it out in order to see what sort of funding you qualify for.

Answer 3

Here's the thing. If your father wants to claim you on his taxes for 2008, then you have to use his Social Security number and tax information to fill out your FAFSA. (And if your father claimed you in 2007, then you have no choice but to use his information on your FAFSA for this year. FAFSA is usually due in March before the school year starts and you must use that year's tax return. So, if you fill out a FAFSA February of 2009, you'll be using 2008's returns.) When I applied for FAFSA many years ago, I was a dependent on my mother's tax returns, so I used her information. But guess what? I'm paying back my student loans, not my mother. They were in my name. And FAFSA is free! There's no danger in your father having to pay back your student loans just because his name is on your FAFSA.

But if he's going to be silly about it, then tell him that if he won't let you use his tax information for your FAFSA, then he's not allowed to claim you as a dependent on his tax returns. Your dependency gives him quite a tax break. There's no reason why he should take advantage of your dependent status for tax purposes when you're not allowed to use his tax information for your future. If you do choose this route, then you'll need to file tax returns in 2009 for any income you made in 2008. Good luck.

Answer 4

He will not be charged anything for the FAFSA.  FAFSA is not a loan or grant, FAFSA is only an application and it is free.  If your dad is unsure, maybe he could call the financial aid office at the school you want to attend or call the Federal Student Aid Programs directly, 1-800-4-FED-AID.  They will be able to explain the process and how the FAFSA is used.  FAFSA is a federal program, and the federal gov't already knows you and your parents SS#'s, they just use the information to ensure that each student only applies once for federal aid, and to ensure that they are providing valid parent information.  FAFSA simply runs a match through the SSA to be sure the SS#, name of DOB reported for your parent matches the SSA records.  

You MUST have your parents information in order to complete the FAFSA.  And without the FAFSA, you will not be able to receive any kind of financial aid, even student loans.  

Scholarships and alternaive (private) loans are the only types of aid you can receive without a FAFSA, and even many of those require you to have filed a FAFSA.

Answer 5

Finaid.org has a great section on this topic of getting your parents on your side with the FAFSA.  Some of this is going to be useful to your situation.

http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/parentsre...

Good luck!