Your dependency status determines whose information you must report when you fill out the FAFSA.
- You will report your and your parent's information if you're a dependent student.
- If you are an independent student, you will report your information (and, if you're married, your spouse's).
Federal and state student aid programs are based on the concept that it is primarily your and your family's responsibility to pay for your education.
A dependent student is assumed to have the support of parents, so the parent's information must be reviewed along with the student's to get a complete picture of the family's financial resources.
If you're a dependent student, your parents are not required to pay anything toward your education; this information is used to determine the student's maximum eligibility for federal student aid.
Not living with parents or not being claimed by them on tax forms does not make you an independent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid.
Determining Dependency Status
If any of the following conditions apply to you (the student), then you are considered an independent student on the 2024–25 FAFSA form, and your parent(s) won’t need to provide their information:
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You were born prior to the year 2001
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Your current marital status is married (not separated) or remarried
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When you begin the 2024–25 school year, your college grade level will be a Master's or doctorate program (such as M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.)
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You’re currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training
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You’re a veteran of the U.S. armed forces
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You have children or other people (excluding their spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025
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At any time since you turned 13, you were an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)
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At any time since you turned 13, you were a ward of the court
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At any time since you turned 13, you were in foster care
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You are or were a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence
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You are or were in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence
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At any time on or after July 1, 2023, you were unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless as determined by one of the following authorities.
If you are either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, answer yes to this question. You’ll be considered provisionally independent and will be allowed to fill out the FAFSA form as an independent student
Authorities that can determine you were unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless include the following:
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Director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving those experiencing homelessness
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The student’s high school or school district homeless liaison or designee
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Director or designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO or GEAR UP program grant
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Financial aid administrator
If none of the above conditions apply, then you are considered a dependent student and generally must provide your parents’ information on your FAFSA form.
Unusual Circumstances
If you have an unusual circumstance that prevents you from providing parental information, you may still be able to submit your FAFSA form.
You may be experiencing unusual circumstances if you
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left home due to an abusive or threatening environment;
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are abandoned by or estranged from their parents, and have not been adopted;
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have refugee or asylee status and are separated from their parents, or their parents are displaced in a foreign country;
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are a victim of human trafficking;
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are incarcerated, or their parents are incarcerated, and contact with the parents would pose a risk to the student; or
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are otherwise unable to contact or locate their parents, and have not been adopted.
If your circumstances resulted in not having a safe, stable place to live, you may be considered a homeless youth.
If You’re Not Officially Designated Homeless, At Risk of Being Homeless, or have Unusual Circumstances
If you do not have an official determination from an authority stating that you are unaccompanied and homeless or at-risk of being homeless, but feel you qualify, please contact the Financial Aid Office so we can review your circumstances to determine if you are eligible for a dependency override review.