I agree with BCL. I've used the AAA discount for years, and have never been asked for my card. Since Amtrak has come out with the updated student discount, I've used it plenty and also was never asked.
Look at the phrases you used... PhD and Doctoral students... You answered why the program cuts off at 25.. Doctors make 6 figures easily. Which helps pay off those loans rather quickly.I would like to know why they the cut-off age for student discount is 25.
I have two family members who are 27 and 29 who have just started in PhD programs. Most of the "kids" in their doctoral studies are also in the same age group. It's a shame that Amtrak doesn't give these guys the benefit of student discounts.
Very few places do, as it's often based on age + student status, not solely the student status. Now that I think about it....there were some places I couldn't get a discount when I was 23/24, and some that didn't care about age. But those places were the exception, not the rule.I would like to know why they the cut-off age for student discount is 25.
I have two family members who are 27 and 29 who have just started in PhD programs. Most of the "kids" in their doctoral studies are also in the same age group. It's a shame that Amtrak doesn't give these guys the benefit of student discounts.
I want the discounts to stack.
It's arbitrary of course. However, 25 is the cutoff point for when a dependent student child can still be on a parent's health insurance.I would like to know why they the cut-off age for student discount is 25.
I have two family members who are 27 and 29 who have just started in PhD programs. Most of the "kids" in their doctoral studies are also in the same age group. It's a shame that Amtrak doesn't give these guys the benefit of student discounts.
That's where my thoughts went too. 25 tends to be the cutoff for a person being still a legal dependent of their parent's(s'), even if they are still living in your basement.It's arbitrary of course. However, 25 is the cutoff point for when a dependent student child can still be on a parent's health insurance.I would like to know why they the cut-off age for student discount is 25.
I have two family members who are 27 and 29 who have just started in PhD programs. Most of the "kids" in their doctoral studies are also in the same age group. It's a shame that Amtrak doesn't give these guys the benefit of student discounts.
It was several years ago, but I remember a family member's friend applying and receiving financial aid. She was also 20 or 21 and was able to be considered as independent because her attorney filed minor emancipation for her at age 17. (which legally separated her from her parents, at least in the financial sense) Of course, laws governing minor emancipation vary from state to state....
I guess that's a little bit different. 25 is the upper limit, as in before the 26th birthday. And one would need to be a student and that age sometime in that calendar year to be considered a student dependent for tax purposes.That's where my thoughts went too. 25 tends to be the cutoff for a person being still a legal dependent of their parent's(s'), even if they are still living in your basement.It's arbitrary of course. However, 25 is the cutoff point for when a dependent student child can still be on a parent's health insurance.I would like to know why they the cut-off age for student discount is 25.
I have two family members who are 27 and 29 who have just started in PhD programs. Most of the "kids" in their doctoral studies are also in the same age group. It's a shame that Amtrak doesn't give these guys the benefit of student discounts.
25 also seems to be cutoff for sky-high car insurance rates, and car rentals, though neither has any bearing on train travel.
I think that this is for student loans and student grants, which are based on income. Years ago, "wealthy" parents would set up their 18 yo with their own apartment for like $150 a month, and claim they are financially independent. So, their loans and grants were based exclusively on the kid's near-zero income. To curb this abuse, I believe they passed laws defining a child to be a dependent of their parents up to 24 (or 25?) year old for the purpose of school loans and grants.
I started college when I was 19, and the government considered me "independent" as I was living away from my parents. To be considered as an independent, all that mattered was the fact that I was estranged from my father (almost no contact), and my mother was non-citizen living outside of the US (which means no SSN for her). It wasn't easy to get myself considered as an "independent" student, as I had to deal with paperwork and compose a statement on my basis of justification to be considered independent, while another one recognized me as an independent. The two others did not recognize me as an independent, and I did not bother to contest. I no longer have to wait until 24 to be considered independent. Had it not been for this special circumstance, I would never have been considered independent during my undergrad year (my 24th birthday falls about a month after the cutoff date).
That's true. When I was working on my doctorate, I was a full time Federal employee with a GS12 salary. While I would have appreciated any discount I could get, it wasn't like I needed one due to student poverty.
The "national park" deal is actually more expansive. It's not solely a discount, but a $10 lifetime pass to almost any federal recreation area, including NPS, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation. My parents even have an older version that lists the Tennessee Valley Authority, which I understands has recreational fee areas at reservoirs as well as campgrounds and boat launches where one can get a 50% discount. My mom was able to get the 50% discount on a cave tour once.
