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Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid
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https://www.propublica.org/...ip-children-students

Far from a "heart breaking" story, this is more about parents working/exploiting/scamming the system.

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Transferring her daughter’s guardianship was largely a matter of paperwork, the mother said. Her business partner attended a court hearing with an attorney. She, her husband and her daughter didn’t even need to show up, she said. Once the guardianship was transferred, the teen only had to claim the $4,200 in income she earned through her summer job, the mother said.

Today, her daughter attends a private college on the West Coast which costs $65,000 in annual tuition, she said. The daughter received a $27,000 merit scholarship and an additional $20,000 in need-based aid, including a federal Pell grant, which she won’t have to pay back. The daughter is responsible for $18,000 a year, which her grandparents pay, the woman said.

Side note: can a college legally demand that a student declare their race on an application? I was thinking about that in the context of some of the recent admissions lawsuits. What if a student who is clearly not African American says that they are? Or what if they say they're "transgender" or identify as such even if they're not? If, for example, straight white and asian males decide that they have a better chance at admission by lying about their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc, how on earth would the college admissions system deal with that?
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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Lying would be fraud, no?

I personally think the guardianship ruse is simultaneously awesome and scummy
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [windywave] [ In reply to ]
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windywave wrote:
Lying would be fraud, no?

I personally think the guardianship ruse is simultaneously awesome and scummy

Hey, whatever is legal, right?

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/..._parents_P6952277-2/
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [Spiridon Louis] [ In reply to ]
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Spiridon Louis wrote:
windywave wrote:
Lying would be fraud, no?

I personally think the guardianship ruse is simultaneously awesome and scummy


Hey, whatever is legal, right?

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/..._parents_P6952277-2/

This is what happens when you have a society where conduct is based on contract alone.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
https://www.propublica.org/article/university-of-illinois-financial-aid-fafsa-parents-guardianship-children-students

Far from a "heart breaking" story, this is more about parents working/exploiting/scamming the system.

Quote:

Transferring her daughter’s guardianship was largely a matter of paperwork, the mother said. Her business partner attended a court hearing with an attorney. She, her husband and her daughter didn’t even need to show up, she said. Once the guardianship was transferred, the teen only had to claim the $4,200 in income she earned through her summer job, the mother said.

Today, her daughter attends a private college on the West Coast which costs $65,000 in annual tuition, she said. The daughter received a $27,000 merit scholarship and an additional $20,000 in need-based aid, including a federal Pell grant, which she won’t have to pay back. The daughter is responsible for $18,000 a year, which her grandparents pay, the woman said.


Side note: can a college legally demand that a student declare their race on an application? I was thinking about that in the context of some of the recent admissions lawsuits. What if a student who is clearly not African American says that they are? Or what if they say they're "transgender" or identify as such even if they're not? If, for example, straight white and asian males decide that they have a better chance at admission by lying about their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc, how on earth would the college admissions system deal with that?

I don't know, maybe it varies by University, but I think often they have an option to not provide it or pick "other", just pick other and come up with some cockamaimy explanation if ever asked.

I'm not sure appearances are that much to go on in many cases. Around here the largest minority are native Americans, there's a small "reservation" (not sure if that's what it's called or not) in the next town over but it's rare to see anyone who looks native American. Often see people with clothes on suggesting they are members of the tribe but they look as European as anyone else.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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every single one of those families was shown to be democrat donors be a report from the agency......rules, what rules?
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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Whether the college can ask or not the most desirable and competitive colleges have interviews. "Colleges that consider interviews when they evaluate you typically require or strongly recommend the interview (for all intents and purposes, let’s just interpret “recommend” as “require”). Those that offer informational interviews often present them as optional. Flipped around, you can usually safely assume that a required interview is evaluative."

They will be able to see who you are and don't need to rely solely on what you wrote down on the application.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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Interesting. I guess the legal guardian gets you off the hook, when you declare financial independence?

I have helped my daughter, help a friend who declared financial independence from her parents. When you are in that situation, there are a lot of questions about getting aid / housing / insurance ect from your parent.

Did not pay close attention to the details, but I think there is some fraud in how they answered questions about their financial Independence. Maybe not and they clear it by having a guardian.

So it then asks do you get help from your guardian and they would say no, cause they are now getting it from their parent?? (Would think the form would say parent/guardian)

Yeah, this one baffles me.

So depending on the form, no I don't think this is the same as moving money around. Unless the forms are odd and these folks were just taking advantage of a loop hole. Well that shit happens all the time.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [windywave] [ In reply to ]
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windywave wrote:
Lying would be fraud, no?

I personally think the guardianship ruse is simultaneously awesome and scummy

I think we are in agreement. The difference between scummy and awesome is the wording in the documents.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
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Did some more digging https://www.fastweb.com/...-independent-student

Being considered an independent student is not merely a matter of being responsible for your own educational expenses. You must meet certain criteria to be declared an independent student for the purposes of the FAFSA:


Be 24 years of age or older by December 31 of the award year;
Be an orphan (both parents deceased), ward of the court, in foster care or was a ward of the court when 13 years or older;
Be a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States or serving on active duty for other than training purposes;
Be a graduate or professional student;
Be a married individual;
Have legal dependents other than a spouse;
Be an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship;
Be a homeless youth;Be a student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a documented determination of independence by reason of other unusual circumstances.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [DavHamm] [ In reply to ]
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Are those all OR statements? Does that mean if I can get my kids into arranged marriages, they can get more financial aid? Might lead to some awkward conversations when the person they choose to date in college finds out they are already married.
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Re: Parents Giving up Custody of Kids to Secure College Financial Aid [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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The real question is why the heck colleges in the US is so damn expensive! Not saying that will eliminate the scammers, but if they weren't, many fewer people would want to go to the trouble of transferring guardianship, or other "non-traditional" means.
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