Dependency Status

What Is Dependency Status?

Federal financial aid regulations require the family to take primary responsibility for meeting the educational costs of students. When you first complete your financial aid application, you are asked a series of questions to determine your dependency status.

If you are a dependent student:

  • You must include your parent(s) as contributors, including their income and assets.
  • You must include your own income and assets.

If you are an independent student:

  • You only need to include your own income and assets.

Please note:

For financial aid purposes, your dependency status has nothing to do with whether or not a parent claims you on their taxes.

A student poses with their parents outdoors in summer.

Dependent Students

If you are an undergraduate student below the age of 24, you are most likely a dependent student. 

Dependent students have lower unsubsidized loan limits than independent students. Dependent students are also eligible for Parent PLUS loans

Undergrad Loans
Parent PLUS Loan

To be considered an independent student, at least one of the following must apply:

  • You are age 24 or older
  • You are married as of the date of FAFSA/WASFA application; 
  • You will be a graduate or professional student when the award year starts; 
  • You are currently serving on active duty for purposes other than training; 
  • You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces;
  • You have dependents other than a spouse;
  • You were an orphan, foster child, or ward/dependent of the court at any time since the age of 13;
  • You are an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship or was when the student reached the age of majority in their state; or 
  • You were determined at any time since the start of the prior academic year to be an unaccompanied homeless youth or “unaccompanied at-risk of homelessness and self-supporting”.

Provisionally Independent Status (Dependency Override)

In some instances, an otherwise dependent student may be eligible for provisionally independent status. This means waiving the requirement for parent information on the FAFSA as well as a higher unsubsidized loan limit.

Submit an application for provisionally independent status only if:

  • You do not already meet any of the qualifications for independent status, and
  • You have unusual circumstances that make you unable to attain parental information for the FAFSA

Please note:

The following circumstances do not qualify for a dependency override:

  • Your parents refuse to contribute to your education.
  • Your parents are unwilling to provide their information on the FAFSA/WASFA and/or for verification.
  • Your parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes.
  • You demonstrate total self-sufficiency (paying rent, college expenses, etc.).
  • Your parents live in another country.

Provisional Independence Application

Please reach out to our office. An advisor from our special circumstances team will speak with you about your situation and if you qualify for provisional independence, we will assist you with process.

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