Dependency Status Appeal
Dependency Status Appeal
Appealing Your FAFSA Dependency Status
The federal 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, therefore, the parents’ information has to be assessed along with the student’s in order to get a full picture of the family’s financial strength. If you’re a dependent student, it doesn’t mean your parents are required to pay anything toward your education; this is just a way of looking at everyone in a consistent manner.
However, some student situations will require extra discretion in determining the student’s ability to provide parental information on the FAFSA. Our office provides the opportunity for students to appeal their FAFSA Dependency Status by submitting documentation of your situation. You must clearly demonstrate an adverse family situation in order to be considered independent for financial aid purposes. Adverse family situations may include: physical or emotional abuse, severe estrangement, abandonment, parental drug or alcohol abuse, mental incapacity or other circumstances.
Federal guidelines stipulate the following conditions do not solely qualify as circumstances meriting a dependency override:
- Parent refusal to contribute to the student’s education
- Parent unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA or to provide required verification documentation
- Parent does not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency
If your situation does not meet the requirements for a Dependency Override, but you still cannot provide parental information, you have the choice to submit the FAFSA without parental data. If you do not provide their information on the FAFSA, the application will be considered “rejected,” and you might not be able to receive any federal student aid. The most you would be able to get would be a loan called an unsubsidized loan. The FAFSA will tell you what to do if you are in this situation. Learn more about how to fill out the FAFSA when your parents aren’t supporting you and won’t provide their information.
Appeal Guidelines: We understand that this type of appeal can feel intrusive. We want you to know that we take every precaution to protect your privacy and to ease the burden of having to go through this process. To that end, we offer a unique appeal process for dependency status overrides. The first time you appeal, you will build your case with supporting documentation. Once that appeal is approved, in subsequent years, you will only need to update us on your living situation and status of relationship with each of your parents via your personal statement.
Select Your Appeal Type
Initial Appeal for Dependency Status
If this is your first time appealing your dependency status with our office, you must clearly demonstrate an adverse family situation in order to be considered independent for financial aid purposes.
1. Write your personal statement: Explain your extenuating family circumstances, and why you should be considered an independent student. Your statement must address both parents, and include details of the following:
- The circumstances that led to you leaving your parents' household.
- Your relationship with your biological/legal father, include the frequency of contact with him over the past year.
- Your relationship with your biological/legal mother, include the frequency of contact with her over the past year.
- Your living arrangements over the past year. With whom have you resided? Who has provided financial support to you during the past year?
2. Third party documentation is required. In addition to your personal statement, you must submit letters from third parties or court documents that support your statement. Include documentation you feel will support your appeal for independent status; for example, court orders of permanent status (not temporary), death certificates, verification of incarceration and letters (on letterhead and signed by the author) from school counselors, clergy, or family physicians, may be appropriate. Letters from friends and family members are not acceptable as the sole source of documentation.
See below for information about submitting your appeal.
Renewal Appeal for Dependency Status
If we approved your appeal in a previous year, approval is based on your continuing personal situation as documented in the appeal that was initially approved.
1. Write your personal statement: Your personal statement will summarize your current living situation and any changes that have occurred in your relationship with your parents since you were originally granted a dependency override. It must include the following information
- Summarize your current situation and any changes that have occurred in your situation since you were originally granted a dependency override.
- Why you cannot provide parental financial information on the FAFSA.
- An explanation of your continued estrangement from your biological/legal parents.
- Your living arrangements over the past year, and how have you supported yourself. Did anyone provide you with any type of financial support?
2. Upload your Renewal Appeal Request Form: Download the Renewal Request Form. Complete and sign the form and upload as the third party documentation that the online system requires. You do not have to resubmit any other third party documentation, unless we specifically request it from you.
See below for information about submitting your appeal.
Submitting your Appeal
What happens next?
We will review the information you submitted. If we need additional information, the request will be posted in the online system and you will receive an email and/or text notifying you of the status. Once we have everything necessary, we will make appropriate adjustments to data on your FAFSA. You will receive an email from the FAFSA processing center when we do this. PLEASE do not make any changes to this data. Doing so will cause major delays in your aid processing. Once we receive the adjusted FAFSA processing results, we complete your financial aid package. You will receive an email to review and accept your financial aid on your self-service portal.
How Long Will This Take?
The online system improves our current process and we expect to be able to respond to your requests much more quickly. That said, the actual review of documents, reprocessing of the FAFSA, and subsequent adjusting of aid can take a week or so. The key to speeding this process is to watch for status updates, check your email, and respond quickly to requests for additional information.
Ready to submit your appeal?
You will be prompted to log in with your Rowan network credentials. If you are a first-time user, you will be asked to confirm your demographic information.
If you are an incoming first-year student and do not have Rowan network credentials, please make an appointment through your admissions portal to speak with a financial aid counselor who can assist you further.
Once in the system, click on “Request” at the top, right corner of the page, and select the appropriate appeal type and academic year for which you will be submitting your appeal.
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