[neniaf5221]

If you haven't lived with your parents for several years, and they haven't claimed you on their income tax, you should be able to get financial aid on your own merits, without asking for your parents' income. I suspect you presented things to the financial aid people in a way that made them think you were still dependent on your parents. If you had told them that you lived with your partner and three children for the past four years or so, I don't think they would have brought your parents into it.You should very much be eligible for financial aid, probably both grants and other forms of aid. If not, just start out taking one class at a time at a community college. This is very inexpensive, and even on a very tight budget, you should be able to afford it by prioritizing. Once you are into school, things might be different. I also have to wonder where you went where you were told that you couldn't get financial aid. Was it a for-profit school, as opposed to a not-for-profit? They make a lot of money from signing people up for expensive loans, and I'm not sure I would trust what they told you at all.