Is the FAFSA Application Scaring You Away From College?

Many universities are dealing with the common issue among students of not being able to obtain sufficient financial aid to attend college, and this predicament is often seen in students whose parents will not help them financially to go to a school of their choice.

Recently, more FAFSA-related topics have been discussed in the national news regarding the correlation between the difficulty of the form, and the lowering amount of students attending college.  More and more students are finding themselves having to either pay for college without parental assistance or to just simply not attend school until they can afford it, if at all.

Many universities are dealing with the common issue among students of not being able to obtain sufficient financial aid to attend college, and this predicament is often seen in students whose parents will not help them financially to go to a school of their choice.  Many of the assistance staff of universities is finding it difficult to distribute financial aid in these types of situations, as they don’t see giving grants to students whose parents do not want to pay over other students who have valid financial support as a positive move.

Much of the issue of students being forced to declare independence goes back to the FAFSA application, as this form enables the government to determine exactly how much financial aid a person can receive based on their personal/familial financial situation.  According to the current FAFSA, a student cannot declare independence from his or her parents before reaching the age of 24 unless they meet specific criteria. Considering said criteria has almost doubled in number since the start of the FAFSA application, this has proven to be no easy task.

If you are looking to go to college as an independent and are worried about being recognized as such by the federal government, don’t give up just yet.  This is where services like financial aid consultants and advisors can be of great assistance in showing you different ways to help you obtain the maximum amount of financial aid, as well as laying out the steps you can take in order to increase your chance of being recognized as an independent, regardless of the difficulty of the process.  Financial aid offices at universities also offer substantial assistance with issues such as these, and if a student does not meet the criteria of the FAFSA application he or she may be able to provide professional letters of recommendation and things of that sort.

There are many resources out there to help you get the financial aid you need to go to school and get your degree.  While the process many not be an easy one, just remember that you don’t have to struggle alone.  Getting help is the first and most important step in assuring that you find the best options for you, and ultimately get the financial aid you deserve.

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