Dependent vs. Independent
The federal
government has established criteria for classifying financial aid
applicants as dependent or independent. If you are dependent, your
parents' assets and income as well as your own are considered when
determining your financial need. If you are independent, your need
is evaluated solely on your (and if married your spouse's) income
and assets.
If you can legitimately answer
"YES" to any of following questions, you are considered independent
for aid purposes for the 2006-2007 academic year starting in fall
2006. If not, you are a dependent and need biological or adoptive
parent information on your FAFSA form.
·
Were you born before January 1, 1983?
·
Will you be enrolled in a masters or doctorate program (beyond a
bachelor's degree) when you start school in 2006-2007?
·
Where you legally married at the time you signed the FAFSA
application?
·
Do
you have children for whom you provide more than 50% support?
(This assumes you are living away from your parents and paying for
all your own expenses.)
·
Do
you have legal dependents other than a spouse or children who
receive more than half their support from you? (This assumes you
are living away from your parents and paying for all your own
expenses.)
·
Are
both your parents deceased or are you a ward of the court or have
been a ward of the court until reaching the age of 18? (Note that
being incarcerated does not make you a ward of the
court for aid purposes.)
·
Are
you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy,
Marine Corps, or Coast Guard)?
If you cannot
check "YES" to any item, you are considered dependent on your
parents and must include their financial information on your
financial aid forms. If you think you have extenuating circumstances
that would exempt you from including parental information, you may
contact a Financial Aid Counselor to discuss your situation.
Note that the
government does not weigh in factors like:
-
Parents do
not financially support you
-
Parents do
not claim you as a tax exemption
-
You do not
live with your parents
-
You pay all
your own expenses
These items alone
do not make you an independent student for financial aid
purposes. If you have questions, speak with the counseling staff at
the Office of Student Financial Aid.
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