FAFSA Advice, any way to negate tightwad rich parents?

Hi, my girlfriend filed as a non dependent on her taxes yet in filling out her fafsa has to file as a dependent (18, unmarried ect.) when her mother makes over $100,000 and is a VERY nonreliable source of tuition. she has already had to leave college once because her mother defaulted. father is paranoid and divorced, wont give information. Ideally would like to get aid and not fed student loans. any suggestions?

If her folks can not be relied on to pay for her tuition, then she needs to not count on them to pay. EVER. She needs to find a school she can afford on her own with federal student loans only. ie Stafford loans. She should also apply for as many scholarships as she can.

If this means transferring to a cheaper school and living at home or with friends, then she needs to do it, as well as get a job if she doesn't already have one. It is nice if parents pay for a child's education, but is in no way obligatory.

The only way would be to see if any of these qualifying circumstances apply to her and she can get a dependent override from the financial aid office at the school she is attending or wants to attend http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/depen...

she can file as an independent student ONLY if her parents did not claim her on their taxes for the year she is filing her FAFSA. if her parents claimed her, then she needs to get an override from either her school or the government. it's pretty hard, lots of paperwork. but it can be done. good luck!

It's doubtful that she can get a professional judgment for a dependency override.

About the only way she'll get through school is cash or alternative loans with a co-signer.

If she cannot fill out the FAFSA, she cannot use the Stafford loan.

It's a bummer, I know, but that's where she stands.

she needs to go to a financial aid officer at her school and appeal to be an independent student