It's All About the Benjamins

Very few things in life can be considered definite. As we Americans live, work, and grow, we look toward our government for guidance and aid through the major events in our life. As a student I looked toward the Department of Education for assistance. I have been dealing with these bureaucrats for nearly six years. Students who are 24 years old or older as of January 1st are considered independent students. Any one under that age will still be considered a dependent student unless they meet one of the requirements discussed below.

First off, and I am sure that most of you are aware, you must fill out a form called the FAFSA or free application for student aid. This form must be completed as early in the fiscal year as possible as many grants and scholarships are based on a "first come, first serve" basis. So right out of the gate our national education assistance program is limited to those of us who are fortunate enough to receive our W-2 reports in a timely manner. Now, if you are required to input your parents financial information as well, you also have to wait for their taxes to be completed. It does not matter whether you reside with them or not.Students have to meet one of the following requirements to be considered an independent student. You must be 24 years of age as of January 1st of the current year. For example, if I was 23 years old and my birthday just happened to be January 2nd, I would still be labeled as a dependent student for the following scholastic year. You may be a veteran of the armed service and therefore you will be considered an independent student. However, the salary that you are paid while in the service will be enough to disqualify you for aid. If your parents are deceased and you have been deemed a ward of the court, you qualify for independent status. If you are married you may be considered an independent student. The last possibility is that you have children or dependents who live with you and for whom you provide over half of their financial support. So the ideal candidate for a college student who is under the age of 24 to receive independent status for financial aid purposes will have been orphaned as a child, served active duty in the armed forces and was honorably discharged, is married, and has a couple of kids at home.

At this point, there is a good chance that you will be denied for government sponsored grants and scholarships anyway. The reason for this is income level. If you or your parents make over a certain amount of money then you are disqualified from receiving government assistance. Sure they offer you "low interest" loans but then you are forced to attend school with the knowledge that when you graduate, or even if you do not, you will be in debt. I believe if you want something bad enough there is always a way to get it. If you want to attend college, you can go, but there's a very slim chance that the government will help you in any way other than putting you in immediate debt.

You can die in war at 17 (with your parent's permission), you can smoke a cigarette at 18, you can have a drink at 21, but you aren't considered an independent student until you are 24 years old. By that time, most people are not eligible for any federal aid because they make too much money trying to survive. It's absurd. According to the Department Of Education, I should have been able to save at least five thousand dollars for college last year. I worked in a one hour photo lab making very little more than a small percentage of shiny rocks and sticks. Saving may have been possible if I lived out of my car and didn‘t eat. It is my belief that a country that takes a strong and sometimes imperialistic approach to foreign politics but does little more than ignore the need for better and more available domestic education assistance is heading in the wrong direction on the global food chain.