Financial Aid for nontrad students

[queeneleanor77]

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I have a question for those who have been through the financial aid process. I will be 27 and married for 4 years when I apply for aid - will I have to put down my parents financial information? That would seem strange to me since it's been so long since I've been their dependent and received any money from them. But I know there are weird rules...
Second (kind of stupid) question - if they only look at my husband's and my tax returns/credit reports - will they subtract out my income when determining my aid? Because I clearly won't be able to contribute that income when I'm in enrolled in medical school. Can anyone help? Thanks.

 

[Twitch]

1. No, it's optional.
2. If you're applying for 2004-2005 FAFSA they'll look at your 2003 tax return figures which includes both you and your spouses - unless y'all filed seperately. Despite that you'll still have to report your spouse's income. As far as your EFC calculation goes, they can only base it on past/current historical figures. It doesn't matter to their algorithm whether or not you earn income in the future. Typically, the financial aid office realizes that when school starts in fall you'll be going there full time and won't likely have an income stream. They consider that in their award.

However, if you have a mitigating condition that you feel your EFC doesn't accurately portray, you may inform the financial aid office to take that into consideration. It is their prerogative to consider your request and thus lower your EFC.

Hope this helps,
-Y_Marker

Disclaimer: Information furnished here is for your benefit based on the authors knowledge and should not be relied on solely for making any decisions without verification from your financial aid office

 

[teekiee]

I am married now two years and I recently completed all my financial aid stuff. No, you actually don't HAVE to enter your parents? information on your Free Financial Aid Form "FASFA" but they will ask for it even though it is not required so you don't have to include it. Some schools may require the information, but it?s rare from my understanding. The EFC number (Estimated Family Contribution) unfortunately goes off your Household income. The higher the number the more money you are expected to pay out of pocket. For example when you fill out the application and you get your SAR and you read the EFC is 0000 then you are more "need based? and can get more money in sub. loans; an EFC of 2546 is not considered need based and you may have more unsub loans. I had the same issues with understanding the paperwork. I felt it unfair that I be held to the income I had while employed when it is certainly not going to help me in the following year for medical school. I was told that the next year when I don't have an income then my EFC number will go down, but for a non-trad. it really won't help much because your husbands income will always be reflected when determining your financial aid.

Hope this helps you out

 

[queeneleanor77]

Thank you both for the info - that helps a lot. I've only been working part-time this year so that will definitely work in my favor. I'm glad to hear that I can give extra info to the schools to consider - my husband is in the military and will have some unusual payments this year. Hopefully, they will take that into consideration. Thanks!

 

[vtucci]

The way I understood it was that they look at your (and your husband) tax returns from last year and do use it to calculate EFC (estimate family contribution). Your parents' information is optional on the federal form but mandatory on many of the school forms until the age of 29 or 30. I don't know how they would treat a married student. I would suggest you call.

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

FWIW, even though FAFSA does not require married or independent adult students to enter their parents' information, some schools certainly do.

Downstate made me enter everything, although I can't tell if it made any difference in my "financial aid package"--it's all loans, but so is everyone else's that I've heard of.

 

[skypilot]

You can get the federal loans without your parents info but you will not get any grants or scholarships from the medical school.\

Include it if you want the chance at a few thousand in Grants.

 

[DrMom]

You can get the federal loans without your parents info but you will not get any grants or scholarships from the medical school.\

Include it if you want the chance at a few thousand in Grants.

That's not true. I've never entered my parent's info and I have a large grant from school and some smaller ones from elsewhere. It depends on what the requirements are for the grant/scholarship...some don't care, others require parental info.

 

[lyragrl]

I've never entered my parent's info and I have a large grant from school and some smaller ones from elsewhere. It depends on what the requirements are for the grant/scholarship...some don't care, others require parental info.

DrMom, as usual, is right. For school aid, it is school by school. Here are a few examples: Columbia considers you independent at 35 (jeesh). USC considers you independent at 30. Northwestern considers you independent after you have made more than $2000/month for 2.5 years (the earning periods need not be consecutive but they must add up to 2.5 years or more). Yale considers you independent at 29.

Ask every school you get into (or you could ask at the application stage). Thus far, being married had nothing to do with whether I was considered independent or not. It was all age and working history.

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

Downstate is one of those where, if you want any shot at the grants, you have to enter your parents' numbers. They were very clear about it: they demand the info whether or not you have extenuating circumstances. I did notice, however, that when they asked for paperwork (taxes, etc.) they only asked for mine, so maybe they do have a system in place at the school level.

And I'm 36 and have been married 7 years, so believe me, my parents are NOT paying for this. 😎

 

[queeneleanor77]

Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? My parents haven't supported me for years and they are certainly not going to help me pay for medical school. It is going to make a huge difference because, of course, my parents make way more money than my husband and I ever have. Is this just a medical school's way of denying you more aid - by making EFCs for people who clearly don't have any realistic expected contribution from anyone??? I don't even know if my dad would agree to giving up that info...

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

You're certainly not the only one who thinks it's crazy. From what everyone else has posted, it seems to be on a case-by-case basis by med school. All I know is I didn't get any grants; whether or not that had anything to do with their factoring in my parents' info I have no idea.

My father didn't like the idea either; at least I didn't have to ask him for all his official documents--we just put in reasonable estimates for the FAFSA form.

 

[mpp]

The AAMC publishes a list of what each school requires in terms of financial aid information here. Don't know how up-to-date it is...

 

[queeneleanor77]

Thanks mpp - good info.

 

[OSU ACTON]

x

 

[queeneleanor77]

It seems like a lot of schools do require the parental info. What a scam! Married folks shouldn't have to provide that info unless they are actually receiving some help from their parents.

I know my mom is not going to give me a cent for medical school! As for my father.... I have no idea where he is. Would he even be included in my financial aid forms, since he has been completely out of the picture for over a decade?

That's a good question - I don't know the answer. Maybe try to contact whichever govt agency is responsible for FAFSA? I knew a girl in undergrad who was applying for financial aid for grad school and her father refused to fill out the forms. I don't remember the exact details but I remember her saying she was essentially screwed. Maybe there's some kind of statute of limitations on how long a parent has been out of your life - or maybe you can just include a letter with your application explaining your situation. Good luck.