Urgent: Anybody get married while in grad school? (U.S. Schools)

[Diamond Confused]

I am in grad school and am currently receiving both federel loans and federal grants. My fiance and I want to get married next year but I''m a bit concerned about what that will do to my financial aid. He makes quite a bit of money and I don''t want him to be responsible for paying for tuition.

Does anybody out there know anything about this?

 

[neatfreak]

I did, but I don''t receive financial aid so I''m not sure. But I do know that you will still be eligible for stafford loans, but maybe for less $. They will also notify your DH that you are applying for them.

Best thing to do is talk to your financial aid office. They will know for sure, we can only speculate.

 

[booswim542]

I am in medical school and people are eligible for the same amount of money whether or not they are married at my school. It has not been an issue for anyone as far as I know!

 

[Haven]

Have you contacted your school''s financial aid rep? They are usually extremely well-versed in these things.

 

[julabean]

If you get married next year, your FAFSA for the 2010-2011 school year (which is the one you will out next February) will be based on only your 2009 income. I applied for the FAFSA last February, got married in April, received my financial aid award in June, confirmed with them about my marital status, and was informed that as long as I was NOT married on the day I submitted my FAFSA, my status would not change. So, for my first year of graduate school, my loans were based on my (pithy) income from 2007. This year my loans will be based on our combined income, since we''ll file as married jointly for 2008.

Does that help? Basically, if you file before you get married, it will be determined by your sole income. The next year would be determined by your joint income.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Diamond--

I''ll have to look into this a bit more... But there''s some (legal) trick with filing taxes, etc that won''t influence your student financial situation. My sis is a social worker & learned it through the ''trade''... If may just be filing separately? And so the tax info is the info you use on your FAFSA... etc... if that makes sense? I don''t even know for sure... I''ll check into it and let you know

 

[Diamond Confused]

Date: 2/8/2009 7:33:24 PM
Author: PilsnPinkysMom
Diamond--

I''ll have to look into this a bit more... But there''s some (legal) trick with filing taxes, etc that won''t influence your student financial situation. My sis is a social worker & learned it through the ''trade''... If may just be filing separately? And so the tax info is the info you use on your FAFSA... etc... if that makes sense? I don''t even know for sure... I''ll check into it and let you know

I think I''ve heard something about not filing jointly. Thanks for looking into this for me!!!!!!

 

[mayachel]

In your same situation. I was told by financial aid, that as long as when I applied for and accepted my aid offer I was not married, it wouldn''t affect it at all. SOooo for us, we will get married in the summer of 2010. When I apply for FAFSA in Jan of 2010, I will not be married...my aid through spring of 2011 will be based on me not being married. And than I graduate...

 

[katamari]

I am marrying a grad student, so there won''t be much of a change for us. However, have you talked to your FI about this? Are you planning on combining finances when you marry? If he has the money, and you are merging money after getting married, it seems like an extremely poor financial decision to pay interest on money that may be available to you. I certainly wouldn''t do this.