For many students, this is their first opportunity to use a government service and to borrow money. Students who apply for student assistance are borrowing funds in their own name. It is the student alone who makes an agreement with government to use and repay these funds according to their own obligations.
Applying for student assistance and managing loans and grants is a detailed, but not difficult process. We offer many supports to help students navigate the process. While you'll want to help your child apply, and to make the right decisions, we strongly recommend that you allow the student to apply and manage their loan application themselves.
Here's why:
Parental Contribution
As long as a student's status is Single Dependent they will be assessed a Parental Contribution amount. Regardless of whether you choose to help your child pay for school, our assessment will assume you are contributing to their school expenses and their assistance amounts will reflect that assumption. The parents' credit history is not considered when we assess a student for loans and grants.
Parents/Step-Parent's Income Tax Information
The Parental Contribution for Single Dependent students is determined using information from the parent's or step-parent's income tax return for the previous tax year. You should enter this information yourself while the student is completing their application. You may also be asked to supply a copy of your income tax return as verification of the family's total income.
In the case of separated, divorced or single-parents: