Everywhere my friend has applied to they've approved her for full financial aid. She lives with her mother, but she has a daughter and works on and off on top of going to college full time. Most places, just by virtue that she has a daughter, give her full financial aid (she's transferred colleges a few times). However, every time she's applied to this college they've outright said she won't get much of her Pell Grant because she lives with her mom and they would file her as dependant. We spoke with people at other financial aid departments and they've said that since she has a daughter she should get a full grant according to federal guidelines. I'm not sure if just her having a daughter was the big thing, but they said that she should be able to file as an independant. This time around they had told her she would get the full grant, just bring them a copy of her pay stub, but she just got the letter back saying they rejected her claim as independant and she'll have to file as a dependant. Hell, her mother doesn't even make that much, and she's a single mom. I make about as much as her mother does. And even when I was still filing on my parents tax returns I got a full grant.
So aside from their attitudes, is this bad service or are they the only ones doing it right? And if they're in the wrong, how exactly do you fight this kind of thing?