Check Your Dependency Status

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may be considered independent for financial aid purposes and may not need to provide parent information:

• Are you 24 years old or older?
• Are you married?
• Do you have children or other dependents who receive more than half of their support from you?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Were you an orphan, ward of the court, or in foster care after age 13?
• Are you an emancipated minor or in a legal guardianship?
• Have you been determined to be homeless or at risk of homelessness?

If none of these situations apply, you will generally need to provide parent information.

If you are required to provide parent information:

• If your parents live together, include information for both parents, regardless of marital status
• If your parents are divorced, separated, or do not live together, include the parent who provided the most financial support during the past 12 months
• If both parents provided equal support, include the parent with the greater income and assets
• If the parent whose information you are reporting has remarried, you must also include your stepparent's information
• Do not include a parent's partner unless they are legally married to your parent

Usually, yes.

Living on your own, supporting yourself financially, or not being claimed on your parents' tax return does not automatically make you independent for financial aid purposes.

Federal financial aid rules use specific criteria to determine dependency status.

If you do not meet the criteria for independent status, you will generally be required to provide parent information, even if you support yourself.

If you are required to provide parent information but are unable to do so due to unusual circumstances, you may be eligible for a Dependency Override review.

Examples may include:

• Abuse
• Abandonment or estrangement
• Parental incarceration
• Human trafficking
• Refugee or asylum status
• Other documented circumstances beyond your control

The following situations alone do not qualify:

• You support yourself financially
• Your parents do not claim you on their taxes
• Your parents do not contribute to your education
• Your parents are unwilling to provide financial information

Learn more about Dependency Overrides and how to request a review on the Forms & Appeals page. This determination is separate from a Homeless Youth Determination and has its own review process.

*Submitting a request does not guarantee approval. Each situation is reviewed individually.

Students who are unaccompanied and homeless, or unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of homelessness, may qualify for independent status for financial aid purposes.

Unaccompanied generally means you are not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

At risk of homelessness generally means your housing situation is unstable and you may lose your housing.

Learn more about the Homeless Youth Determination process and how to request a review on the Forms & Appeals page. This determination is separate from a Dependency Override and has its own review process.

*Submitting a request does not guarantee approval. Each situation is reviewed individually.