Released: October 15, 2011

How to file for financial aid if your parents are gay

Source: Tara Siegel Bernard

Filling out the federal form for student financial aid is an arduous task for most applicants. But if you have two mothers or two fathers, or if you happen to be married to a same-sex partner, it can quickly escalate into an even more complicated exercise. Since the federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage, neither does the federal form, called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, informally known as the Fafsa. So students whose immediate families include same-sex partners often find themselves struggling to figure out how to accurately represent their families. The 106-question form only asks applicants to list their “mother/stepmother” and “father/stepfather.”

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