Is Higher Education the Parents’ Responsibility?

Dear Jeff,

The question you ask is a good one. From a “legal” perspective, the Federal government requires the parents to supply their financial information for their dependant student’s application for Federal Student Aid. If the family chooses not to do so, and there are no extreme circumstances (such as physical abuse or incarceration), the student will automatically be denied federal and in most cases, state and institutional aid.

The definition of “dependant” for aid purposes is an individual who is under 24, not married, not a veteran, not an orphan or ward of court, has no dependants of their own and does not posses a bachelor’s degree. Having said that; just because the parents supply their financial information does not mean that they are required to pay the bill. Granted, the families assets will likely lower the student’s aid eligibility, but that doesn’t legally require the family to even make up the difference.

When the student aid programs began however, the philosophy has always been that it is the family’s responsibility to pay for the child’s higher education (hence the above policy) and that the aid programs were intended to make it a little easier for the lower-income families. When and under what circumstance a family decides that a student is “on their own” is a decision that can only be made by the family themselves and will differ in every situation.

Hope this helps,
Betsy