When you're under 23/24 and file for FAFSA, you have to put in your parent's annual income information, even if you support yourself. It can end up screwing you over if your parents make a decent amount of money. Once you turn 23/24, you only have to put in your own information, so you usually get better luck with loans/grants. I went back to school last spring at 23, and for the 2010-2011 school year I ended up getting a PELL grant and another grant to cover a good portion of my tuition.