will marriage affect financial aid?

[janedoe5656]

My boyfriend will be starting med school next fall. Upon entrance he will have one sort of financial aid profile - but what if we get married while he's in school - will that completely screw up his aid? I am in public education so suffice it to say I will not be making enough money to pay his tuition - just to cover our living expenses if we're lucky. I just don't want to jeopardize his aid package if we get married and file a joint tax return.

Bottom line, I would hate to put off marriage because of the federal government. Any advice would be most appreciated!

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[thewzdoc]

Check the income limits for married couples first. If you are a student and barely make enough money to make ends meet I would say that you are under the limit.

 

[DrWuStar]

i have been researching this pretty hard lately, since i will be starting med school next year and probably getting married sometime during the first couple years.

i don't think you will have a problem. the school calculates your financial aid "need" based on the cost of tuition and living expenses and how much, if any, they expect you and your family (parents, spouse) to contribute. the school gives you loans based on that. you can generally take out more loans than they designate, they will just be in the form of unsubsidized loans. that means they will accrue interest while he is in school, and may not have as good an interest rate. your sweetheart will be able to take out as much money in loans as he actually needs, not just however much the school thinks he should need.

i know at northwestern, they designate you as dependent (family will contribute) or independent only once, before you start. getting married during school won't change the designation. i am not sure if this is the norm for all schools or not. as he is accepted and applies for financial aid, he should ask these questions at each school. that way he can make his decision with all the information.