Single Parents Going Back to School
A parent student may or may not have a spouse. Four of the examples that I present below are of single parents; two involve married students. I'm not telling you anything you don't know when I say that a spouse adds economic stability. This is the case if the spouse is working and therefore providing support, and it is usually the case if the spouse is a student and therefore getting his or her own financial aid package. What if you are on your own? Well, child support can still be a big help. While it's true that child support is counted as income on the FAFSA, it's still money that doesn't have to be paid back.
Finally, every parent student should explore one more source: the bank of mom and pop. True, the federal government doesn't require financial assistance from parents of students who are parents themselves, and true, most parents consider that you are on your own when you marry or have a child, but still, you can ask. Many parents of parents will help in a pinch, whether with a tuition payment for a semester, Christmas presents for the kids because you spent the Christmas money on the winter quarter tuition, or a new clutch for the Ford because the old one went out while you were cramming for exams. Interestingly enough, the federal government has no financial aid regulations on such matters. They treat $3,000 from mom and dad like any other source of "other income" and do not assume that because you got it you are a dependent student. You know your folks and what they'll do, but don't forget to ask. The worst they can do is say no.
I'd like to illustrate the basic financial aid understandings for parent students that I have addressed so far by introducing you to six students who remind me of successful parent students I have known in recent years. Each will hear "Pomp and Circumstance" while marching across the stage with tassel dangling from mortarboard to shake the dean's hand. Each illustrates some different sources of financial support and some unique adaptations to higher education that student parents utilize to realize their dream of a degree. I've listed the four single parents first, and then the two students who have spouses to help them out. The first two students attend community college, the next three a state university and the last an independent college. Read through the illustrations to see which ones have information that could be of help to you.
Finally, every parent student should explore one more source: the bank of mom and pop. True, the federal government doesn't require financial assistance from parents of students who are parents themselves, and true, most parents consider that you are on your own when you marry or have a child, but still, you can ask. Many parents of parents will help in a pinch, whether with a tuition payment for a semester, Christmas presents for the kids because you spent the Christmas money on the winter quarter tuition, or a new clutch for the Ford because the old one went out while you were cramming for exams. Interestingly enough, the federal government has no financial aid regulations on such matters. They treat $3,000 from mom and dad like any other source of "other income" and do not assume that because you got it you are a dependent student. You know your folks and what they'll do, but don't forget to ask. The worst they can do is say no.
I'd like to illustrate the basic financial aid understandings for parent students that I have addressed so far by introducing you to six students who remind me of successful parent students I have known in recent years. Each will hear "Pomp and Circumstance" while marching across the stage with tassel dangling from mortarboard to shake the dean's hand. Each illustrates some different sources of financial support and some unique adaptations to higher education that student parents utilize to realize their dream of a degree. I've listed the four single parents first, and then the two students who have spouses to help them out. The first two students attend community college, the next three a state university and the last an independent college. Read through the illustrations to see which ones have information that could be of help to you.
