fafsa for an MA course

i've been accepted into an MA program for next year, and now i'm starting the process of figuring out how i will pay for the course. my main problem is that i'm really worried about getting enough from fafsa. as an undergrad, my tuition was almost wholly covered by scholarships. what scholarships didn't cover was handled by my grandparents, who set up a fund specifically to cover their grandchildren's undergrad expenseses. the fund doesn't cover postgrad.

i haven't lived with my parents for 5 years, since i turned 18. i haven't asked for anything from them in terms of contribution, and aside for small birthday gifts, etc, they haven't given me anything. yet i have just found out that they have been claiming me as a dependent on their taxes through even this tax year. does this mean i will receive significantly less from fafsa? i don't know much about how the process works. any information would be helpful.

If you don't mind me asking, how old will you be when you start your program? It's my understanding that if you will be 24 years old before your program begins, no matter if your parents claimed you as dependent or not, you can claim yourself as independent. You also need to inform your parents that they legally can no longer claim you once this happens. I could als be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that's how it works. I don't think they can legally claim you as a dependent after 24 years of age unless you have been deemed incompetent somehow (perhaps with a disability of some kind).

All graduate students are considered independent for FAFSA purposes, no matter how old they are. The dependent/independent thing only applies to undergrads.

All graduate students are considered independent for FAFSA purposes, no matter how old they are. The dependent/independent thing only applies to undergrads.

Sweet. There's the answer!

thank you. that's very helpful. do you know if i can use my stafford loan towards the university's estimated cost of living, as i doubt i'll be able to make enough to live off working only 20 hours per week?

thank you. that's very helpful. do you know if i can use my stafford loan towards the university's estimated cost of living, as i doubt i'll be able to make enough to live off working only 20 hours per week?

Yes, indeed- the Stafford loan can go towards tuition and living expenses. In fact to get a student visa you have to prove that you have enough money to pay tuition and to live off of without working at all, which is why I took out a private loan to cover rent/food/etc and used the Stafford loan to pay my tuition.

(Also, I'm really curious- which uni did you end up choosing?)

i've decided to go with sheffield. i think. i actually haven't heard back from mmu ... and sheffield seemed more involved ... which was a deciding factor for me. they were quick to interview me and i really liked programme coordinator i met with. i was accepted within days of the interview. however, they now want a £2000 tuition deposit by the end of the month .. which i just found out about yesterday (i was accepted less than two weeks ago). i'm working on getting that deadline extended, but if i can't ... well, that's a huge sum to come up with in a short amount of time. and i think i'd be happy to attend mmu, anyway. so, i'm provisionally going with sheffield, but it could change.

Well good luck!  I'm in Sheffield now so when you come over I'd be happy to meet up if you want (actually that goes for MMU too, actually!)  And yikes to the £2000 deposit!  I didn't apply to Sheffield but if I had that would have been hard to come up with for sure.

If you haven't heard back from MMU yet (they took quite a while to get back to me too), I'd suggest emailing Frances Johnson.  They've probably already made a decision, they're just being slow getting it to you (that's what happened to me last year and I found out information more quickly when I just emailed.)

it would be good to meet up in sheffield next year. i've decided i'm definitely going there, as i've now heard back from them about the deposit and they are happy to extend the deadline.

i heard back from mmu yesterday. they rejected me on the basis that they did not feel i had the equivalent to a uk honours degree. the college i attended in the us is really progressive and believes that narrative evaluations tell a student more about how they did than a letter grade. as a result, i had no GPA to speak of but a series of written evaluations. the college is well-respected though, especially on the east coast, and quite a few schools in the us offer this option, and when i spoke with library programs in the us (where i originally intended on going) no one had a problem with it as they deal with such applications regularly. both schools in the uk seemed confused by my educational background, but sheffield said that although they'd never dealt with an application like mine, they felt my evaluations and references were enough to prove i'd been a very good student and was capable of MA work. i guess MMU was less comfortable with it. they offered me an unconditional place in their BA program instead. i'm actually really offended by this. i never asked to be considered for it, and their letter was worded as though they were offering me some huge favor. they were presumptuous and their offer attempts to denounce any validity for the BA i already hold. i'm thinking of emailing them about it, as i really feel that in putting me up for a BA like that, they crossed the line from a polite rejection into something inappropriate.

ouch!  I'm sorry to hear that about MMU autumn- I guess some people just got really confused about your non-traditional qualifications. 

Ah, no matter because Sheffield is awesome! And I live there now so we can definitely meet up.  You're going to have a great time in a great university and city- I'm really excited for you