Dependency Status
When you apply for federal student aid, your answers to the
questions in Step 3 of the FAFSA (or in Step 2 of the online
FAFSA, FAFSA on the Web) will determine whether you're considered
dependent on your parents or independent.
- If you're
considered dependent, you must report on the FAFSA your parents'
income and assets as well as your own.
- If you're considered independent, you'll report only your own income and assets (and
those of your spouse, if you're married).
- Not living with
your parents or not being claimed by them on their tax form does
not determine your dependency status.
For the 2006-2007 academic year, you're an independent student
if at least one of the following applies to you:
- You were born before January 2,
1983.
- You're married as of the day you apply (or separated but not
divorced).
- You are or will be enrolled in a master's or doctorate
program (beyond a bachelor's degree) at the beginning of the
2006-2007 school year.
- You have children
who received more than half their support
from you.
- You have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who
live with you and who receive more than half their support
from you and will continue to receive more than half their
support from you through July 2, 2007.
- Both your parents are
deceased, or you are or were (until
age 18) a ward/dependent of the court.
- You're a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. (A
"veteran" includes students who attended a U.S.
service academy and who were released under a condition other
than dishonorable. For more details on who is considered
a veteran, see the explanatory notes on the FAFSA.)
In unusual cases,
the Office of Student Financial Aid can determine that a
student who doesn't meet the above criteria should still be
treated as an independent student. Your dependency status from dependent to
independent may be changed based on adequate documentation of your special
circumstances that you must provide. For additional
information and guidelines please go to: BG
- Petition for Independency.
(This information was adapted from The
Guide to Federal Student Aid 2006-2007, prepared by the U.S. Department
of Education.)
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