Mortgage financing while a full time graduate student

[Matthew Ferguson]

Hi BiggerPockets' Friends,

My wife and I are moving from Florida to Minneapolis for my seminary graduate studies (4+ years). Our hope was to house-hack with a duplex, or perhaps triplex, to help offset my lack of full time employment. We were also hoping my wife can only work 8 hours a week so she can be with our children. The problem I've faced is that no traditional mortgage broker or banks are willing/able to finance our purchase due to an anticipated lack of employment. We have no debt, $100,000 in cash (about $30,000 for the down payment/closing costs), are currently employed, and have the professional experience to get good paying part time work. 

Can anyone please provide some guidance regarding how to get the financing we need? Most lenders have said they cannot provide the loan until they can verify we have fairly full-time income, within the same field we are already practicing. Are there some alternatives to this mainstream, W-2 income driven, lending method?

Thanks for your time, consideration, and help

Matt