Question About FAFSA and Marriage?

Assuming that her parent was eligible to borrow a parent PLUS loan, your girlfriend's total loan limit as dependent student would be $31,000. If she marries, she will become an independent student and her loan limit will increase to $57,500. As a married independent, her EFC will be based on her income and yours. It's possible that she would become eligible for a grant that she was not eligible for when she had to include parent income, but it's not a guarantee because your combined incomes may still be too high for a grant.

Most students jump at the chance to receive more grant aid, but that's not always the best course. As a dependent, her parents are eligible to borrow a PLUS loan up to the cost of attendance at her school, if their credit is approved. As an independent, her parents are not eligible for a PLUS. If she's attending a school where the cost is a lot more than her own awards, then being able to take a PLUS is an important advantage because it can cover the gap between her aid and the cost of the school. Without it, if she has a gap, she will have to come up with the money from some other source, such as a private student loan.

In any event, all of this probably will not affect her aid for this year if she has already filed her FAFSA. In most cases, a FAFSA cannot be updated for marital status after it has been submitted, unless it is selected for verification. And even then, allowing an update is at the discretion of the FA administrator and many schools do not permit it after a given census date. So, getting married will most likely not help her right now, but it could for next year.