Transcript 2011-12 FAFSA Special Populations Financial Aid Update

Special Populations
Mary Anne Hunter
College Access Team
CO Dept. of Higher Education
College Access Team
• The College Access Team helps families break down the
financial barriers to college.
• Colorado Department of Higher Education
• Funded by a Federal College Access Challenge Grant
• 700+ financial aid, scholarship, FAFSA and financial
education workshops
• FREE
What we’ll cover in this presentation
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Orphan or Foster Youth
Ward of the Court
Emancipated Minors
Legal Guardianship
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
• Non-U.S. Citizens (undocumented)
• Special Circumstances - No Parent info
• Incarcerated Students
Foster Care Youth
FAFSA Dependency Question:
At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased,
were you in foster care …?
• Removed from home due to abuse, neglect, abandonment
• Might have been placed in home of relative, foster or group home
• Typically ‘age-out’ between ages of 18 and 21
• Foster parents are not considered ‘parents’ for FAFSA purposes
• Documentation – from State’s Child Welfare/Child Protective Services
Agency
Yes = independent student – not parents info.
Colorado Education and Training Voucher
• Federally-funded, state-administered program
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Help foster care youth pay for college expenses
Students may receive up to $5000 a year
Funding is limited - first-come, first-served basis
Must complete the ETV application which includes:
Documentation each semester sent from
college to ETV confirming
• Enrollment
• cost of attendance (COA)
• unmet need
https://www.statevoucher.org/state.shtml?state=CO
Dependent or Ward of the Court
FAFSA Dependency Question:
At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased,
were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
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Ward = dependent/under the protection of the court - Court has assumed custody of
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Reasons:
1. court determines that the child will be subjected to abuse or neglect if they
remain with the parent = parents rights terminated
2. or if both of the student's biological or adoptive parents are deceased
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Might have a legal guardian appointed by court – usually ends at age 18
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Court ordered documents that designate
Yes = independent student – not parents info.
Emancipated Minor
FAFSA Dependency Question:
As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were
you an emancipated Minor?
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Granted status of legal adulthood by a court order before reaching age of majority
(Colorado = 15 – 17 year olds)
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Freed from control by their parents or guardians ↔ parents/guardians freed from any
and all responsibility toward child (no objections to petition)
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Situations:
1. Demonstrate financial independence – protect own assets
2. Legal marriage – state’s minimal age of consent
3. Enlist in U.S. Armed Forces
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Legal documentation from court
Yes = independent student – no parent info.
Legal Guardianship
FAFSA Dependency Question:
As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were
you in legal guardianship?
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Must be legal/court appointed (not sames as adoption)
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Legal authority and corresponding duty to care for personal and property interests of
another person
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Legal guardian does not count as parent for FAFSA (dependency, income, assets, signatures)
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Any support the student receives from his or her legal guardians gets reported on
Worksheet B of FAFSA
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Court ordered documents that designates
Yes = independent student – not parents info.
Unaccompanied Homeless or
At-Risk of being Homeless Youth
FAFSA Dependency Questions:
• On or after July 1, 2010, were you homeless or were you at risk of being
homeless?
• At any time on or after July1, 2010, did your high school or school district
homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who
was homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of an emergency
shleter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an
unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
• At an time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of a runaway or
homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine
that you were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
McKinney-Vento Act
Originally authorized 1987 - reauthorized by No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
First/only major federal legislative response to homelessness
Unaccompanied - not in the physical custody of parents
Homeless - children/youth who lack a nighttime residence that is:
• Fixed - stationary, permanent, and not subject to change
• Regular - used on predictable, routine, or consistent basis
• Adequate - sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological
needs typically met in the home
Youth - under 24 years of age
Homeless
Authorized Verification Entities
 McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison
 HUD homeless assistance program director or
their designee
 Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program
director or their designee
How many youth experience homelessness?
(National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth – July 2010)
• 1.6 to 1.7 million youth
• 60% of those who age-out of Foster Care System become
unaccompanied homeless youth
• Public schools 956,914 homeless children/youth in 2008-2009
– 41% increase over past two years
– 69% increase for unaccompanied youth
Special Circumstance - By Choice
No Parental Info – 1st Option
No Special Circumstance – No Parental Info
Students with Dependent(s)
FAFSA Dependency Question:
Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from
you between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?
 Must be born before end of award year
 50% of support can come from:
• TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• SNAP- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• WIC - Women, Infants and Children Program
Yes = independent student – not parents info.
Student with Dependent(s)
Must be born before end of award year
50% of support can come from:
• TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• SNAP- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• WIC - Women, Infants and Children Program
Eligibility Requirements for Federal & State Student Aid
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Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate
or pass an ability-to-benefit (ATB) test
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Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a
degree or certificate in an eligible program
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Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
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Have a valid Social Security Number
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Register with the Selective Service if required
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Certify that you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money
on a federal student grant
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Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes
Student Citizenship Status
Select U.S. citizen or (U.S. national) if you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
Select Eligible noncitizen if you are:
• A U.S. permanent resident, with a Permanent Resident Card (I-551), or a conditional
permanent resident (I-551C)
• Other eligible noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of
Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: "Refugee," "Asylum
Granted," "Parolee” (I-94 confirms that you were paroled for a minimum of one year and
status has not expired), T-Visa holder (T-1, T-2, T-3,etc.), or "Cuban-Haitian Entrant"
• The holder of a valid certification or eligibility letter from the Department of Health and
Human Services showing a designation of "Victim of human trafficking"
• A resident of the Republic of Palau (PW), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (MH), or the
Federated States of Micronesia (FM)
• A Canadian-born Native American under terms of the Jay Treaty
Select Neither citizen nor eligible noncitizen if you are in the U.S. on:
• A F1 or F2 student visa, or
• A J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa, or
• A G series visa (pertaining to international organizations), or
• Other categories not included under U.S. citizen and eligible noncitizen
• Student
can apply
w/Valid SSN even if
parent doesn’t have
• Parent can’t get PIN
– must wet sign
signature page and
mail in
• Should not use Tax
ID# (TIN)
Incarcerated Students
Serving criminal sentence in
federal, state or local:
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Penitentiary
Prison
Jail
Reformatory
Work farm
Similar correctional institution
(whether operated by government or a
contractor)
NOT: half-way house; home detention;
sentenced to serve only weekends;
juvinile detention
Eligible for:
• Federal Work Study
• Federal Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grant
(FSEOG)
• Pell Grant (local jail only)
NOT Eligible for:
• Federal Student Loans
• Pell Grant if subject to an
involuntary civil commitment
following incarceration for a
sexual offense
Resources: Helping Unaccompanied Youth Access Financial Aid
College Goal Sunday – www.collegegoalsundayusa.org
Financial aid administrators around the country organize an event, College Goal Sunday, typically held a
few weeks after Super Bowl Sunday, where students can get help filling out and submitting the
FAFSA. The website has the list of specific locations where these events are held.
FinAid: The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid - www.finaid.org
A very comprehensive and reputable public service website on student financial aid information,
including scholarships.
KnowHow2Go.org- www.knowhow2go.index.php
KnowHow2Go is a website that helps students better understand how to prepare for college.
LeTendre Education Fund – www.naehcy.org/about_letendre.html
Scholarship program for students who have experienced homelessness.
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth –www.naehcy.org
National grassroots organization connecting educators, service providers, and others to ensure school
enrollment, attendance, and overall success of children and youth without safe, adequate, and
permanent housing.
National Center for Homeless Education –www.serve.org/nche
Federally-funded clearinghouse of information on homeless education. A directory of state coordinators
of homeless education is available on the web site.
National College Access Network (NCAN) – www.collegeaccess.org/NCAN
National College Access Network (NCAN) improves access to and success in
postsecondary education for first-generation, underrepresented and low-income students.
NCAN supports a network of state and local college access programs that provide
counseling, advice, and financial assistance. State and local college access programs can
be found on the directory on the NCAN web site.
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty –www.nlchp.org
NLCHP serves as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness.
National Network for Youth –www.nn4youth.org
The National Network for Youth is membership organization of community-based, faithbased, and public agencies working with runaway, homeless, and other disconnected
youth.
National Runaway Switchboard –www.1800runaway.org
Northern Virginia Community College Online FAFSA Tutorial - www.nvcc.edu/fafsahelp/
Northern Virginia Community College has created a tutorial to help their students better
understand how to fill out the FAFSA, but the tutorial can be viewed by anyone.
Student Aid on the Web –www.studentaid.ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education web site on preparing for college and applying for financial
aid.