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How to Deal if Your Parents Can't Pay
They may support you in every other way, but unfortunately, they can't always afford to pay.
By Kathryn Knight
April 21, 2009
Unfortunately, federal aid isn’t distributed on whether or not your parents want to pay for your education; it all depends on if they can. Parents have many reasons for not contributing to their child’s education: can’t afford it; it’s the child’s responsibility; sticky divorce. But your parents refusal actually hurts you more than they may know.
Regardless of your parents’ reasons, the federal government’s opinion is this: paying for a college education is your parents’ primary responsibility. The government will only finance your education if it’s impossible for your parents to pay up. So what should you do? Fill out the FAFSA. Good news: it’s not too late. Bad news: you’re already enrolled in school and still need to convince your parents to fill out a FAFSA.
Even if you don’t qualify for need-based aid, filling out the FAFSA automatically qualifies you for an unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Yes, “loan” may be an icky word, but a federal government loan is the best loan opportunity that you will ever come across. The interest rates are low, 6.8% on the unsubsidized Stafford loan, and the payment plans make it easy to pay off your debt.
Also, by filling out the FAFSA, you may qualify for subsidized Stafford and Perkins Loans as well as Pell Grants, which are even better.
Pitch the idea from the angle that they don’t have to help financially but they can do you this huge favor. Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to go to your school’s financial aid office and present them with your situation. Maybe they can pull some strings or talk good old Mom and Dad into helping. Still not budging? Check out these other tips on convincing your parents to help this one last time.
BryanM684
6 months ago
I feel everyon is right...but, it does sadden me that FASA only looks at what is made by the parents, and does not take into consideration out going expenses like: house payment, car,insurance, medical bill, utilities, taxes, food, clothing. My husband and I are both teachers... our combined salary after taxes is in the low 70's. Even if we lived in Florida, our living from paycheck to paycheck leaves no room for extras ... vacations. Our jobs are 10 mos not, 12 and for that reason I work during the time off and have an extra job too. God's blessing to those who have less than I, FASA says we can contribute 17,500 to our sons education. Wish they would show us where and how. They tell us we make too much to qualify for the Pell & Perkins ... go figure...So if you make less than we do ... you should qualify for Pell or Perkins. Good luck to everyone ...
ormom
6 months ago
Why is someone able to get married at 18 without their parents... drink at 21... but can't get help for college without their parents until they are 24 years old??? This isn't logical.
Our expected amount to pay for our two kids going to college is over $30,000 per year. We can not / will not be able to do that and still have money to retire. The govenment is screwing up our kids lives because they need to get private loans for everything they couldn't get covered by their expected parent contribution.
All this article is telling me is that kids should bug their parents more to cover the loans. At $30,000 per year for 2 kids... assuming 4 years for college each... we would have $120,000 in loans total. That's a house in some places!!!!
NimbiaB
6 months ago
I have a problem.I`m an orphan. My mother died when I was 13 old and my father leave us now 5 years. I need to study but no one can pay for me. How to do? I live in Africa. Please help me
seaturtle
6 months ago
I love the idea of giving tips to students about how to pay for school...without the help of your parents, considering that may very well be my situation. FAFSA really is a life saver, I can atest to that.
TabethaD4
6 months ago
I am 18 years old and a single mother. I am the only provider for my daughter and don't live with my parents. They wouldn't be able to help me any way because my dad is unemployed and my mom works at a gerocery store! How am i supposed to make a life for my family if I can't get the funds for school!
SummerW115
6 months ago
I don't even live with my parents and I have not been claimed by them since I was 18 but I still had to use them on my financial aid and I live in a totally diffrent state than them and because they made to much money it effected me with financial aid and I dont ask them for help or money.
djm_6690
6 months ago
so no matter what, we as students with parents whom cannot afford to help us out with school, have to pay for schooling. Just because i live under my parents roof doesnt mean that they are willing to pay. I have my own job, feed, cloth, and take care of all my needs from doctors bills to insurance, ect. and the government wont help me out because my parents essentially make enough to pay, but obviously with five other kids, cannot afford to put me through school. All i can say is its BS.
JudyPullum
6 months ago
As an individual after trying to get financial aid to help me get a license to start a child development center it is harder than I EVER IMAGINE.
JudyPullum
6 months ago
I AM NEEDING HELP IN PAYMENTS TO ATLANTA AREA TECH ,FOR EARLY CHILD DEV.
SheretteR
6 months ago
I am a parent of two boys and I want to finish my education as well. I have sacrificed 20yrs of my life for my children. I can pay for some of my younger son's college, my older one lives on his own. However, the more expensive schools penalize the parents for making more money. In these times, I am not making 100,000 dollars barely 50,000. So I am supposed to pay for my education of 9,000 plus my own. i don't think so. There is no way to swing that amount and live.
KimberlyS1795
6 months ago
Well for your child's schooling, move to Florida. They have a government program where as soon as the child is born you can put away small increments of money that the state matches and the child can use that money for any state school in Florida. Plus, its nice weather down there.
DavidC2883
6 months ago
I paid for my college degree through loans, etc. I never expected my widowed mother to pay for my education. Why does everyone "expect" parents to pay for college? I am going to help my son, but he needs to help himself too. It is part of growing up! My son is in for a "wakeup" call when he goes to college in Fall 2010. He has never had a job. He has made excellent grades and has taken AP classes since middle school I emphathize with all of you who have parents that simply won't help. I think it is very selfish of them to not help. However, you can go to school and take out loans. I did it and survived.
wytheville
6 months ago
I got kicked out of my house. Had a plan to get a loan cuz i qualify for nothing and my dad was gunna help with alot
now i live elsewhere and an abandoned student....and i qualify for the grants. but because of my timing im going to nothing ciz theres no money left. because of my timing i have NO moeny for college but the $200 i had in my wallet. and i got one summer to raise 20,000 dollars or my slots gone. due dates happen throughout summer for bits of that money....im screwed
any ideas
JacksonA16
6 months ago
i would like to have financial aid because my parent dont have any money to send me to school
PamelaEloiseK
6 months ago
I didn't qualify for any assistance, even loans, on my own until I was 24 and too old to have to put in any of my remaining living parent's information. My mother made quite enough money according to the federal government to pay for my college education but just didn't want to because paying for the education of any of us past high school just wasn't her priority in life. My mother comes from a generation for which higher education just wasn't priority. It wasn't for everyone back then; it was only for those who wanted to become doctors, lawyers, accountants, or teachers. I call it the "ghetto mentality." So I couldn't get any financial aid whatsoever until I was old enough to file for it on my own income, as an independent student, which the federal government doesn't figure you are until you're over 24 (at least in the 1990's that was the way they figured it).By that time all I qualified for was to drown in student-loan debt to support myself the rest of the way through till my Bachelor's degree.
I guess a lot of parents make quite enough money to pay for their over-18-year-old's college education but don't want to because of the "ghetto mentality." I'm not the only one...I was the only one having that problem at my college-prep high school, but I'm not the only one in my family or among other Native Americans or other minorities. That's why I call it the ghetto mentality.