<prompt> Human: I inherited a sum of money when one of my grandparents died. I received a check for 15k. Im currently a junior in college. I should be graduating in Spring 2017 or Fall 2017. I currently have around 34k in debt from attending college. Most of my tuition is paid thankfully through grants. Anyway I think the 15k will be used for after I graduate in finding a place to live and move when I find a job in my field. Id like to use it to pay down my financial aid debt quickly too. My main question is: how will depositing this check somewhere affect my financial aid availability from the government and will it affect my state eligibility? Should I open a new bank account and deposit it there? I would like to have it be available in case of a major emergency and I needed it.  <response>: I was in a similar situation. My college halved my scholarship money for my last semester. I wrote an appeal letter explaining I got an inheritance. They reinstated the aid. 