How Do You Qualify For Emancipation in Tennessee

[Pareidolia]

My question involves emancipation laws for the State of: Tennessee

(I am quite aware there are no official laws in place for emancipation in Tennessee, anything I say is based on federal law.)

I am a teenager (nearly 15) who is wishing to seek emancipation. My reasoning for this is not solely based on abuse or me wanting to move out, but rather my education. I am near qualified to get my GED with the exception of age, and I consider myself mature and independent. I can make enough money to support myself -despite not being of age to legally work- by a white collar job.

If I go out of my way to make money, my mother uses it for herself. She is mentally ill by law, and most of my life I have been expected to take care of her. It has only been until very recently that this situation has changed. I have been taking care of myself for quite a while, and can do so with ease.

On the education note, I plan to get my GED as soon as possible, and have the resources to do so without finishing high school. I want to go to a GOOD community college (my only option for higher education for now) which is a ways away from my current home, and it would be far easier for everyone involved if I just moved near it on my own.

My guardians will consent to this for the purpose of my education. I feel that I meet all the qualifications with the exception of age and one other which I'll bring up in the questions below.

1. Do I qualify (with the exception of age) for emancipation? If not, what would I need to qualify?

2. Everything I can find says that you would need to be living on your own prior to becoming emancipated. How would one go about this?

aaand
3. Would I qualify for any financial aid? Food stamps, etc.?

Thanks for reading. I'll try to answer any questions for me you might have.

[Dogmatique]

If you need government aid, that will generally guarantee that your petition will be denied.

[Pareidolia]

Thank you for the pamphlet, but I don't exactly feel it addresses my situation.

As stated in my original post, I can make enough money to support myself with a moderate amount of ease. However, I've heard of emancipated teens getting/qualifying for food stamps, health care, certain forms of insurance, etc. and was wondering if I could apply for such a thing. I do not need government aid, but hey, help with living expenses is always welcomed right?

[aardvarc]

You should also be aware that there ARE options in addition to community college .... which can be faster AND cheaper, especially if you are the type of person who has the discipline to devote the time to studying without the structure of formal school, and the capability to comprehend and retain what you read. Google for CLEP and DSST (aka DANTES) - these credit by exam programs can earn you up to 45 credits of a 60 credit (AS or AA) degree, and are offered for a wide variety of common courses, from math to english to criminal justice to accounting and everything in between. Just get a text book or two used (3 or 4 years old is fine) via something like Amazon or eBay, read the book, and go take the multiple choice test. If you pass the minimum score, you get credit for the course. It's a good way to rack up quick credits, either in area where you are very strong and can bypass lower level classes, or, for classes that don't necessarily apply to the field you plan to enter, but you're required to take (ie for my criminal justice degree I needed credits in economics, but had no interest in the class, so CLEP was a great option to get the credit without spending months in class).

If you have an idea of what schools you'd be attending after getting your GED, check the websites for those schools and see what specific courses you might be able to test out of. You're limited to 2 tests per session (6 credits worth), but you could easily earn several semesters of credits between the time you get your GED and the time classes start at your local college.

[Dogmatique]

You would, if you were of age, actually be a better candidate than 99.9% of posters we see here.

However your age is an issue and would, most likely, be the insurmountable issue at this point.

[Pareidolia]

Thanks a lot for the thorough information, I'll be sure to look into those programs as soon as possible. From what you've stated it seems incredibly helpful, and I'll have to figure out more. Independent study is something which seems to come easy to me and so learning further into programs like that is like a godsend. Thanks again.

I am quite aware that my age is an issue and would like to state once more that I can wait less than two years. I've been waiting since I've learnt about emancipation, and I can continue doing so until my age ISN'T an issue.

[cyjeff]

In the meantime, get a job.

A long work history is crucial.

I would avoid telling the nice judge that you feel confident that you can land a white collar job without effort. There are people bagging groceries that used to hold white collar jobs right now... it isn't as easy as you might think. And the number of companies that are going to trust a teenager without experience with a white collar job are difficult to find.