{"id":1144,"date":"2017-11-29T13:39:48","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/back-to-college-federal-and-state-aid\/"},"modified":"2019-04-24T10:56:58","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T16:56:58","slug":"back-to-college-federal-and-state-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/back-to-college-federal-and-state-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to College: State and Federal Aid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government provides a huge chunk of all financial aid<\/a> \u2014 about 70 percent \u2014 and even adults going back to college can qualify. This money can help pay for everything from a two-year technical program to a doctoral degree.<\/p>\n

Learn everything you can and get your share.<\/p>\n

Continuing education students are often “independent”<\/h2>\n

You’re automatically “independent” at age 24. This can be a good thing because you may qualify for more aid. However, the government sets strict guidelines for defining independent students, so don’t try to fool them. If you are independent and married, you will have to report your spouse’s income.<\/p>\n

Calculating financial need from the federal perspective is pretty straightforward:<\/h3>\n

COA (Cost of Attendance) \u2013 EFC (Expected Family Contribution) = Need<\/p>\n

You are considered to have need at a participating school if your EFC is less than the cost. That means you should qualify for financial aid.<\/p>\n

Applying for federal aid<\/h3>\n

One form is your gateway to all government and much college-based aid when going back to college. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine what you’ll pay and how much help you’re entitled to.<\/p>\n

Big important FAFSA rules:<\/h3>\n