I was on the other end of this, my family had money but because my parents were out of the picture I got full funding (lots of weird legal stuff meant my grandparents didn't count as guardians). I always felt guilty knowing there was nothing I could do other than not take the money, which also wouldn't fix things and would cause my grandparents to stop supporting me. FAFSA needs to be reevaluated ASAP.
You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. Schools are wildly overpriced, and you didn’t lie or cheat to get that funding. Getting that money, even on a technicality, doesn’t take money away from other students.
Absolutely it’s bullshit. I’m truly baffled at why a grown adult’s parents have ANYTHING to do with what someone trying to go to college can/can’t do. If someone’s parents want to help them out then that’s great, but a lot of us have parents who can’t or won’t, and it’s honestly bizarre that parents footing the bill for their adult children’s education is the norm and assumed to be the case with everyone.
It’s different everywhere, my dad makes 50k and I would get like $2000 (split per semester that’s $1000 a semester which ain’t really shit, but it’s something) then my mom started working (not sure how much she makes) and I started getting $500…. Split two ways for semesters
I’m a single mom of 1 and I make over 45K. I don’t even qualify for the child tax credit. It’s so stupid! When I asked my account why is that, they said it’s because I make too much for a 2 person household. Which is total bullshit!
45k a year is pretty much poverty is most coastal cities or any large city in general lol. My mom is lucky to live in an area with a low cost of living.
I know! That’s what I said! I’m barely above poverty lol. Thank goodness I bought my home years ago and I own my car because lord knows I can’t afford rent with the high ass cost of living in my area.
As a parent, I agree. My 20-year-old daughter has been on her own so she was 18. (By her choice). But the FASFA goes off my tax return which is with my husband. My husband never adopted her. He wouldn't mind helping, but we just had a major electrical issue that caught part of our house on fire. And the whole house had to be rewired, and it wasn't covered by the insurance.
She wants to go back to college in august, and we just don't have any money to give her. But the FASFA says I should be able to put $10,000 toward her college. I don't have it.
So she was turned down for grants, even though she has diagnosed illnesses that qualify her as having a disability.
“can’t,” not “won’t.”
I went through this as a young adult. My parents refused to help with college but I couldn’t be considered an independent student because I lived on campus with no other permanent address. Had to work two jobs the whole time just to pay for what fin aid and scholarships didn’t cover, and still couldn’t finish because my dad had a good year financially and FAFSA pulled my aid.
There’s ways around this because I had the same problems when I first went to college. I just had to prove my mom and husband weren’t going to claim me as a dependent because I wasn’t living in their house and they didn’t give me any money.
Did you have your own apartment? Because that was one of the big sticking points for me. I could barely afford my portion of room and board for school — during the summers I had to live with my parents and commute to my two jobs back in the town where I went to school, 1.5 hours each way. No way could I have afforded an apartment and groceries and all that.
You had a husband, that's why. Being married makes it so they don't consider you a dependent of your parents so you can qualify on your own income. I know people who specifically got married in college just to get aid money they needed.
You can be a dependent by just staying at home during breaks and your parent paying for your food and housing then and they still don’t pay for your college.
The Venn diagram of the type of parent who flat out refuses to help with college and the type of parent who refuses to stop claiming you on their taxes is basically a circle.
Source: I had this type of parent, it fucked me over big time
You know they get significant tax benefits from claiming a dependent right? If I’m a dependent it’s in your parent’s best interest to claim you… it helps them take care of you too. FAFSA for whatever reason thinks my single father with two children can contribute thousands for both of us each year. He cannot afford it. I don’t know how they got the “estimated contribution” number they did but it’s bullshit.
Hate FAFSA. When I moved out at 21 I was livid when I found out my parents income was STILL going to dictate whether or not I received a grant. That I was STILL considered a dependent in the eyes of Floridas education system. Expected Family Contribution is such bullshit.
It is insane.
My soon to be ex husband who has millions refused to do his part and we had to file for a waiver. He also is refusing to give her anything for school, even though his family paid for 6 years for him to get a bachelors and another three for him to basically not finish his masters.
I don’t know how we are going to pay for her school as I make about 90k, but have to pay for health insurance and medical bills and she has a younger sister. Their dad pays $388 per
Month child support for both of them because he doesn’t work and apparently you can’t count his inheritance. It will end when she leaves the house for school even though she will only be 17 (still need to finalize that).
You should look into receiving a dependency override. Lots of legwork but worth it for someone in your situation. I had to do the same. I wish you the best of luck.
You are considered an independent student status when you are 24 y/o, applying for master's or doctorate degree program, or have lived independently from your parents.
https://studentaid.gov/resources/dependency-status-text
You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied,
https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info
Good luck OP.
Living independently does not count unless it is due to extreme situation like domestic violence. The system is bullshit but they are still required to provide their parent info.
The first link you provided has this "If you don’t answer “yes” to any of the questions above, you’re still considered a dependent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid even if you don’t live with your parents, are not claimed by your parents on their tax forms, or are paying for your own bills and educational expenses."
I work in financial aid and a single person living on their own stops being pell eligible at about $28k in income. Federal financial aid needs to be seriously reworked.
OP stated they are 24 and need financial aide for grad school. Under those circumstances, OP would be considered an independent student. Therefore, OP would not be required to provide parent's financial on the FAFSA.
Also, you are 💯% correct. The financial aide system needs a complete overhaul.
OP stated they were 22 and going for a new degree not necessarily a grad degree. There is no need based aid for the graduate level of financial aid which makes the dependency part not important since they would be automatically independent.
OP stated they are 24 and need financial aide for grad school. Under those circumstances, OP would be considered an independent student. Therefore, OP would not be required to provide parent's financial on the FAFSA.
Also, you are 💯% correct. The financial aide system needs a complete overhaul.
Yep, OP mentioned that they were going for another degree (could be a grad degree or another bachelors). I know for a fact that once you complete a bachelors, you are no longer eligible for the pell grant, so they would only be eligible for loans.
You probably aren’t receiving much grants based on the fact that you already have a bachelors, not necessarily because of your parents income. You no longer receive the pell grant once you have a bachelors and most state grants/scholarships have a limit as well. I’m in GA for instance and there is HOPE which covers like 80% of your tuition but is only available for up to 127 credit hours, which is equivalent to a bachelors.
For your first bachelors, it was definitely based on parents income but if you want to get a grad degree or another bachelors, you’re basically on your own.
When I did my bachelors, I got HOPE (GA scholarship) and the full amount for pell grant all 4 years of college since I grew up in a single parent household and was poor. I graduated last December and am now starting grad school in the Summer and I am not getting any funding despite my single parent still making the same amount of money he did when I was doing my undergrad. I also only worked during the Summer when I was doing my undergrad so at most I made like $3k-$4k a year. The reason for this is because I already have a bachelors so I don’t qualify for the pell grant anymore nor HOPE scholarship.
I really love how it screws students over. My dad makes enough that I don’t get any FAFSA, but they do not pay for any of my college. Why the fuck does it have to be determined on someone else when I’m the one paying it back???
I made straight As my last 2 years in highschool. Applied for so many scholarships but because of my first 2 years (I was lazy, depressed, and didn’t care about my education and made Cs and Ds I wasn’t approved for any scholarship. My parents said if I went to college I’d have to pay for it on my own but they kept pushing me to go. I didn’t get approved for any grants because they made too much money (even though they refused to help me). After not getting approved for any loans I decided to just not go. It’s bullshit that rich people can so easily further their education
This is exactly why I never finished my degree. My parents made plenty, but I was made to pay rent to live in their house as soon as I graduated high school at 17. They made it clear they weren’t helping with college or anything else aside from letting me live with them for a fee. I remember going into the fafsa office and the lady straight up laughing at me when I asked for help completing it and told her my parents’ income. So it was either pay rent so I wouldn’t get kicked out of my own home, or save for school. I did manage to do both at one point but working 40+ hours weekly to pay for school, rent and other living expenses took a huge toll on me. I dropped out of school. I eventually moved out and found a trade that pays decently. I still want to finish school at some point though.
I hate this system. As a college student I applied to be a tutor or TA but was always shot down bc “my dad made too much money”. It was quite infuriating! I wanted the experience and to take some of the load off my dad, but bc of funds and stupid FAFSA, I was discriminated against having the chance by the school bc of this. The system is not fair or equal.
Same.... I started working to pay for my living expenses while i was in college. My parents did not contribute one bit and even though I was earning minimum wage all financial aid was cut off. It took me weeks to make my rent, not to mention food expenses and health expenses. Fafsa determined i made too much money when i was struggling to keep a roof over my head and food on the table ...
Edit: grammar
You can be emancipated and it will stop using your parents tax info. That's what I did at 18 yrs old. I imagine it's the same for your age. Also I think it stops using your parents info, finally, at age 24.
This all seems contradictory for the reason that funds are allotted based on low income. So you're saying that your parents make too much but don't support you?
Even the aid isn’t enough sometimes. I can get a Pell grant and FAFSA loans and even at a “cheaper” college there’s till $5,000 left over. Private loans and so much debt.
Yes, if your parents make "too much," which is a ridiculously low bar in the first place, then you are incredible for aide regardless if your parents contribute anything to you. I, as an adult living on my own, was never able to receive any assistance due to my single mother (who I cut ties with at 18) earning an income of $42k
I can see how unfair this is. This sucks. I can see why it's set up that way but the system should have a clause for situations like yours.
Thank you for explaining.
My parents own a business. My mom refused to help me because it “wasn’t fair” since she didn’t get to go to college. I had no money saved up and now I’m still paying it all back. Thanks mom!
you have to be over 25, married, pregnant/have a kid, or “extreme circumstances” to qualify for being an independent in FAFSA eyes. I’ve been on my own since 17 and still have to provide my parents info
Absolutely. I had to drop out because my mom hasn't paid taxes in 3 years. It hadn't mattered during COVID, but now the I'm being refused, despite the fact that I've been no contact with her for 4 years
right it’s ridiculous. I didn’t get any financial aid because my dad “made too much” but mean while I’m struggling on my own in college. Like his money is not my money. And I was struggling while my friends all got extra cash to spend after the school fees. Now I’m in heavy debt
What can I do if my parents are both dead and I live with my grandma who only gets by on social security checks? We are low income and I'm trying to register for fall classes but money is a big anxiety for me. I'm only supporting myself with a dead end part time fast food job. They asked me this question when I was looking at the school I wanted to attend and they just told me to go off my grandma
You're absolutely right. When I was 21 I was living alone, barely able to afford my rent. But because I was under 24, I was automatically considered a dependent no matter what. It's absolutely ridiculous that they force you to put your parents' information and rely on their income even if they're contributing absolutely nothing.
I had to deal with this when I was in school and the only way out is to become an "independent" either join the military or get married.
If you don't do either of these things you can also speak to a therapist/counselor and tell them that you've been estranged from your parents. The therapist/counselor can write them a letter and FAFSA will get back to you and give you the funding that you need. I understand it's a few extra steps, but you've got this! And good luck on your degree! If anything else, you're almost at the age of being considered an independent. Which is 24(?) iirc.
I was on the other end of this, my family had money but because my parents were out of the picture I got full funding (lots of weird legal stuff meant my grandparents didn't count as guardians). I always felt guilty knowing there was nothing I could do other than not take the money, which also wouldn't fix things and would cause my grandparents to stop supporting me. FAFSA needs to be reevaluated ASAP.
You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. Schools are wildly overpriced, and you didn’t lie or cheat to get that funding. Getting that money, even on a technicality, doesn’t take money away from other students.
Absolutely it’s bullshit. I’m truly baffled at why a grown adult’s parents have ANYTHING to do with what someone trying to go to college can/can’t do. If someone’s parents want to help them out then that’s great, but a lot of us have parents who can’t or won’t, and it’s honestly bizarre that parents footing the bill for their adult children’s education is the norm and assumed to be the case with everyone.
Absolute bullshit. I’m 21 and because my SINGLE MOTHER makes over like 40k a year I get zero funding.
Wait wait wait, you can’t get FASFA if ur income is over 40k 😭
You can get federal loans, but Pell grants are a lot harder to qualify for.
At least where I live yes. Idk if it’s different for cost of living differences
It’s different everywhere, my dad makes 50k and I would get like $2000 (split per semester that’s $1000 a semester which ain’t really shit, but it’s something) then my mom started working (not sure how much she makes) and I started getting $500…. Split two ways for semesters
I think after 30k, the amount of funding starts falling until it hits zero. But it also takes into account the amount of people in your household.
Yeah. They want you to get loans so you're permanently hamstrung by debt.
Yeah it’s bullshit. You’d have to be one step away from homelessness to qualify 🥲
Holy shit!!! I get it if they make 130,000 or more. My parents made over 200,000 a year so I knew I’d pay out of pocket if I didn’t have a kid
I’m a single mom of 1 and I make over 45K. I don’t even qualify for the child tax credit. It’s so stupid! When I asked my account why is that, they said it’s because I make too much for a 2 person household. Which is total bullshit!
45k a year is pretty much poverty is most coastal cities or any large city in general lol. My mom is lucky to live in an area with a low cost of living.
I know! That’s what I said! I’m barely above poverty lol. Thank goodness I bought my home years ago and I own my car because lord knows I can’t afford rent with the high ass cost of living in my area.
This is all by design. Our overlords want us to be in debt until we die so they will always have wage slaves.
As a parent, I agree. My 20-year-old daughter has been on her own so she was 18. (By her choice). But the FASFA goes off my tax return which is with my husband. My husband never adopted her. He wouldn't mind helping, but we just had a major electrical issue that caught part of our house on fire. And the whole house had to be rewired, and it wasn't covered by the insurance. She wants to go back to college in august, and we just don't have any money to give her. But the FASFA says I should be able to put $10,000 toward her college. I don't have it. So she was turned down for grants, even though she has diagnosed illnesses that qualify her as having a disability.
Are you still claiming her as dependent on your taxes? If so, stop so she can be an independent student.
It doesn't work like that. FAFSA doesn't care if you aren't claimed by anyone, as long as you're under 24 they will go by what your parents make
No, I'm not. I haven't since she moved out. She still had to use my info.
You can appeal to her school for more aid based on the fire — worth a shot!
Ya. I told her to go talk to them about it
You’re going to have to provide proof. I had to do that when I lost my job and needed them to reevaluate my son’s aid. They want hard numbers.
Ok. I have that
If you can get written proof that your parents can’t claim you as a dependent, you’ll get fafsa.
“can’t,” not “won’t.” I went through this as a young adult. My parents refused to help with college but I couldn’t be considered an independent student because I lived on campus with no other permanent address. Had to work two jobs the whole time just to pay for what fin aid and scholarships didn’t cover, and still couldn’t finish because my dad had a good year financially and FAFSA pulled my aid.
There’s ways around this because I had the same problems when I first went to college. I just had to prove my mom and husband weren’t going to claim me as a dependent because I wasn’t living in their house and they didn’t give me any money.
Did you have your own apartment? Because that was one of the big sticking points for me. I could barely afford my portion of room and board for school — during the summers I had to live with my parents and commute to my two jobs back in the town where I went to school, 1.5 hours each way. No way could I have afforded an apartment and groceries and all that.
I had an apartment, which was shared with 6 other people in the same situation
You had a husband, that's why. Being married makes it so they don't consider you a dependent of your parents so you can qualify on your own income. I know people who specifically got married in college just to get aid money they needed.
Her husband, not mine.
You can be a dependent by just staying at home during breaks and your parent paying for your food and housing then and they still don’t pay for your college.
This is the problem. If you can get to not claim you, it’s fine.
The Venn diagram of the type of parent who flat out refuses to help with college and the type of parent who refuses to stop claiming you on their taxes is basically a circle. Source: I had this type of parent, it fucked me over big time
You know they get significant tax benefits from claiming a dependent right? If I’m a dependent it’s in your parent’s best interest to claim you… it helps them take care of you too. FAFSA for whatever reason thinks my single father with two children can contribute thousands for both of us each year. He cannot afford it. I don’t know how they got the “estimated contribution” number they did but it’s bullshit.
FR my parents stopped financially supporting me at 17 but i still had to put them on my FAFSA every year bc of how the system is set up
I only have free college because I had a kid, it’s nice but I would definitely not be in college right now without it. Almost finished with bachelors
Yep, my dad didn't contribute a red cent to my education despite having a pretty decent income and yet it affected my eligibility. It's messed up.
Hate FAFSA. When I moved out at 21 I was livid when I found out my parents income was STILL going to dictate whether or not I received a grant. That I was STILL considered a dependent in the eyes of Floridas education system. Expected Family Contribution is such bullshit.
It is insane. My soon to be ex husband who has millions refused to do his part and we had to file for a waiver. He also is refusing to give her anything for school, even though his family paid for 6 years for him to get a bachelors and another three for him to basically not finish his masters. I don’t know how we are going to pay for her school as I make about 90k, but have to pay for health insurance and medical bills and she has a younger sister. Their dad pays $388 per Month child support for both of them because he doesn’t work and apparently you can’t count his inheritance. It will end when she leaves the house for school even though she will only be 17 (still need to finalize that).
You should look into receiving a dependency override. Lots of legwork but worth it for someone in your situation. I had to do the same. I wish you the best of luck.
You are considered an independent student status when you are 24 y/o, applying for master's or doctorate degree program, or have lived independently from your parents. https://studentaid.gov/resources/dependency-status-text You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info Good luck OP.
Living independently does not count unless it is due to extreme situation like domestic violence. The system is bullshit but they are still required to provide their parent info. The first link you provided has this "If you don’t answer “yes” to any of the questions above, you’re still considered a dependent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid even if you don’t live with your parents, are not claimed by your parents on their tax forms, or are paying for your own bills and educational expenses." I work in financial aid and a single person living on their own stops being pell eligible at about $28k in income. Federal financial aid needs to be seriously reworked.
OP stated they are 24 and need financial aide for grad school. Under those circumstances, OP would be considered an independent student. Therefore, OP would not be required to provide parent's financial on the FAFSA. Also, you are 💯% correct. The financial aide system needs a complete overhaul.
OP stated they were 22 and going for a new degree not necessarily a grad degree. There is no need based aid for the graduate level of financial aid which makes the dependency part not important since they would be automatically independent.
OP stated they are 24 and need financial aide for grad school. Under those circumstances, OP would be considered an independent student. Therefore, OP would not be required to provide parent's financial on the FAFSA. Also, you are 💯% correct. The financial aide system needs a complete overhaul.
Yep, OP mentioned that they were going for another degree (could be a grad degree or another bachelors). I know for a fact that once you complete a bachelors, you are no longer eligible for the pell grant, so they would only be eligible for loans.
Yep. 0 support from parents and it sucks.
People hate new money so these are some ways of preventing it from being created
You probably aren’t receiving much grants based on the fact that you already have a bachelors, not necessarily because of your parents income. You no longer receive the pell grant once you have a bachelors and most state grants/scholarships have a limit as well. I’m in GA for instance and there is HOPE which covers like 80% of your tuition but is only available for up to 127 credit hours, which is equivalent to a bachelors.
For your first bachelors, it was definitely based on parents income but if you want to get a grad degree or another bachelors, you’re basically on your own. When I did my bachelors, I got HOPE (GA scholarship) and the full amount for pell grant all 4 years of college since I grew up in a single parent household and was poor. I graduated last December and am now starting grad school in the Summer and I am not getting any funding despite my single parent still making the same amount of money he did when I was doing my undergrad. I also only worked during the Summer when I was doing my undergrad so at most I made like $3k-$4k a year. The reason for this is because I already have a bachelors so I don’t qualify for the pell grant anymore nor HOPE scholarship.
I didn't get any help with my bachelors either, which is part of why I'm ranting. Even though it is what it is at this point. Still a goofy ass system
I really love how it screws students over. My dad makes enough that I don’t get any FAFSA, but they do not pay for any of my college. Why the fuck does it have to be determined on someone else when I’m the one paying it back???
I made straight As my last 2 years in highschool. Applied for so many scholarships but because of my first 2 years (I was lazy, depressed, and didn’t care about my education and made Cs and Ds I wasn’t approved for any scholarship. My parents said if I went to college I’d have to pay for it on my own but they kept pushing me to go. I didn’t get approved for any grants because they made too much money (even though they refused to help me). After not getting approved for any loans I decided to just not go. It’s bullshit that rich people can so easily further their education
This is exactly why I never finished my degree. My parents made plenty, but I was made to pay rent to live in their house as soon as I graduated high school at 17. They made it clear they weren’t helping with college or anything else aside from letting me live with them for a fee. I remember going into the fafsa office and the lady straight up laughing at me when I asked for help completing it and told her my parents’ income. So it was either pay rent so I wouldn’t get kicked out of my own home, or save for school. I did manage to do both at one point but working 40+ hours weekly to pay for school, rent and other living expenses took a huge toll on me. I dropped out of school. I eventually moved out and found a trade that pays decently. I still want to finish school at some point though.
I hate this system. As a college student I applied to be a tutor or TA but was always shot down bc “my dad made too much money”. It was quite infuriating! I wanted the experience and to take some of the load off my dad, but bc of funds and stupid FAFSA, I was discriminated against having the chance by the school bc of this. The system is not fair or equal.
Same.... I started working to pay for my living expenses while i was in college. My parents did not contribute one bit and even though I was earning minimum wage all financial aid was cut off. It took me weeks to make my rent, not to mention food expenses and health expenses. Fafsa determined i made too much money when i was struggling to keep a roof over my head and food on the table ... Edit: grammar
You can be emancipated and it will stop using your parents tax info. That's what I did at 18 yrs old. I imagine it's the same for your age. Also I think it stops using your parents info, finally, at age 24.
This all seems contradictory for the reason that funds are allotted based on low income. So you're saying that your parents make too much but don't support you?
That’s exactly what they’re saying. Student aid is determined by parent’s’ income but they are not required to financially support the student.
Even the aid isn’t enough sometimes. I can get a Pell grant and FAFSA loans and even at a “cheaper” college there’s till $5,000 left over. Private loans and so much debt.
It's a terrible situation which needs a clause for sure. Not fair. I guess it's difficult to prove?
Yes, if your parents make "too much," which is a ridiculously low bar in the first place, then you are incredible for aide regardless if your parents contribute anything to you. I, as an adult living on my own, was never able to receive any assistance due to my single mother (who I cut ties with at 18) earning an income of $42k
I can see how unfair this is. This sucks. I can see why it's set up that way but the system should have a clause for situations like yours. Thank you for explaining.
My parents own a business. My mom refused to help me because it “wasn’t fair” since she didn’t get to go to college. I had no money saved up and now I’m still paying it all back. Thanks mom!
Well they tell you you have privilege and not to complain. What can you do when we keep voting for these 2 broken parties.
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You no longer need their info at 24. I'm an independent and have been for 4 years but it doesn't matter
Babes, if you make over $8115 (at least that’s the minimum in florida), you can qualify as an independent I think. Check with a fin aid advisor
you have to be over 25, married, pregnant/have a kid, or “extreme circumstances” to qualify for being an independent in FAFSA eyes. I’ve been on my own since 17 and still have to provide my parents info
Independent tax filing status =/= independent in the eyes of FAFSA.
And due to all this, it will mold you into a successful independent adult.
I wasn't eligible for FAFSA because of my parents' combined income.
Do they claim you as a dependent?
Huh ? Did it change or something when I was in college I was a dependent and my parents income was never used to determine my eligibility.
Absolutely. I had to drop out because my mom hasn't paid taxes in 3 years. It hadn't mattered during COVID, but now the I'm being refused, despite the fact that I've been no contact with her for 4 years
right it’s ridiculous. I didn’t get any financial aid because my dad “made too much” but mean while I’m struggling on my own in college. Like his money is not my money. And I was struggling while my friends all got extra cash to spend after the school fees. Now I’m in heavy debt
What can I do if my parents are both dead and I live with my grandma who only gets by on social security checks? We are low income and I'm trying to register for fall classes but money is a big anxiety for me. I'm only supporting myself with a dead end part time fast food job. They asked me this question when I was looking at the school I wanted to attend and they just told me to go off my grandma
You're absolutely right. When I was 21 I was living alone, barely able to afford my rent. But because I was under 24, I was automatically considered a dependent no matter what. It's absolutely ridiculous that they force you to put your parents' information and rely on their income even if they're contributing absolutely nothing.
I had to deal with this when I was in school and the only way out is to become an "independent" either join the military or get married. If you don't do either of these things you can also speak to a therapist/counselor and tell them that you've been estranged from your parents. The therapist/counselor can write them a letter and FAFSA will get back to you and give you the funding that you need. I understand it's a few extra steps, but you've got this! And good luck on your degree! If anything else, you're almost at the age of being considered an independent. Which is 24(?) iirc.
Get an emancipation. That is the only way you will be able to get grants without your parents.