Dependency Status

Dependency Status

Am I a dependent or independent student?

When completing the FAFSA, you will be asked a series of questions that determine if you will be awarded financial aid as a dependent or independent student. If it is determined you are a dependent student, you will be required to include your parent's income information and signature on the FAFSA application. 

Can you answer "yes" to any of these questions? If so, you are likely an independent student.

  • Will you be 24 or older by Dec. 31 of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid?
  • Will you be working toward a master's or doctorate degree?
  • Are you married or separated but NOT divorced?
  • Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
  • Do you have dependents (other than children or a spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?
  • At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you ward or dependent of the court?
  • Are you an emancipated minor or are you in a legal guardianship as determined by a court?
  • Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
  • Are you currently serving on active duty in the US armed forces for purposes other than training or are you a veteran of the US armed forces?

Dependency Status Appeal

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. And because a dependent student is assumed to have the support of parents, 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.

Parent PLUS Loan Denial

Parents of matriculated, dependent, undergraduate students who are enrolled at least half-time may borrow up to the cost of attendance from the federal government. Applying parents must be citizens or eligible non-citizens of the United States and pass a financial credit check. Students whose parents determined to be denied a PLUS loan may be eligible to borrow additional unsubsidized loans (see chart below)