Determining Dependency Status
Am I considered independent or dependent?
If you are considered dependent, your parents' income and circumstances are considered in the determination of your eligibility for financial aid.
When you file the FAFSA, your answers to several questions determine your status.
The federal guidelines listed below for the 2011-2012 Academic Year determine if you are a dependent or independent student.
FAFSA Step III states:
If you are considered a dependent student, your parents must answer the parental questions on the FAFSA.
If you (the student) can answer Yes to any of the questions below, you are considered an independent student on the FAFSA.
Note: Health profession students may be required to provide parental information regardless of their dependency status
1. 2011-12 FAFSA: Were you born before January 1, 1988?
The Financial Aid Office will receive this information from the FAFSA you submit.
2. As of today, are you married? (Answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced.)
The Financial Aid Office may require you to provide documentation that you were married on the day you initially filed your FAFSA for the year.
3. 2011-12 FAFSA: At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?
The Financial Aid Office will receive this information from the Admissions Office and from the FAFSA you submit.
4. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
The Financial Aid Office may require you to provide documentation of your active duty status.
5. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
Answer "Yes" (you are a veteran) if you: have engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard) or are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee who was called to active duty for purposes other than training, or were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, and were released under a condition other than dishonorable.
Also answer "Yes" if you are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30 of the academic year for which you are applying.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide verification of your Veteran status and benefits.
Answer "No" (you are not a veteran) if you: have never engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, are currently an ROTC student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy, or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for training.
Also answer "No" if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and will continue to serve through June 30 of the academic year for which you are applying.
6. 2011-12 FAFSA: Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Dependents Form PDF
7. 2011-12 FAFSA: Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2012?
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Dependents Form PDF>
8. At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
Answer "Yes" if you had no living parent (biological or adoptive) when you were age 13 or older even if you are now adopted.
Answer "Yes" if you were in foster care when you were age 13 or older, even if you are no longer in foster care as of today.
Answer "Yes" if you were a dependent/ward of the court when you were age 13 or older, even if you are no longer a dependent/ward of the court as of today.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
9. Are you, or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
Answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that you are emancipated minor of are in legal guardianship. The court must be located in your state of legal residence.
Answer "No" if the court order is no longer in effect.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Independent Status PDF
More information for students who were previously in foster care
10. Are you, or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
Answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that you are emancipated minor of are in legal guardianship. The court must be located in your state of legal residence. Answer "No" if the court order is no longer in effect.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Independent Status PDF
11. 2011-12 FAFSA: At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
Answer "Yes" if you received a determination at any time on or after July 1, 2010, that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless.
- "Homeless" means lacking fixed, regular and adequate housing, which includes living in shelters, motels or cars, or temporarily living with other people because you had nowhere else to go.
- "Unaccompanied" means you are not living in the physical custody of your parent or guardian.
- "Youth" means you are 21 years of age or younger or you are still enrolled in high school as of the day you sign the FAFSA.
Answer "No" if you are not homeless, at risk of being homeless or if you do not have a determination. You should contact your financial aid office for assistance if you do not have a determination but believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or are an unaccompanied youth providing for your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Independent Status PDF
Answer "No" if you are not homeless, at risk of being homeless or if you do not have a determination. You should contact your financial aid office for assistance if you do not have a determination but believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or are an unaccompanied youth providing for your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless.
12. 2011-2012 FAFSA: At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
Answer "Yes" if you received a determination at any time on or after July 1, 2010, that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Independent Status PDF
Answer "No" if you are not homeless, at risk of being homeless or if you do not have a determination. You should contact your financial aid office for assistance if you do not have a determination but believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or are an unaccompanied youth providing for your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless.
13. 2011-12 FAFSA: At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
Answer "Yes" if you received a determination at any time on or after July 1, 2010, that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or, at risk of being homeless.
The Financial Aid Office will require you to provide documentation.
2011-12 Proof of Independent Status PDF
- "Homeless" means lacking fixed, regular and adequate housing, which includes living in shelters, motels or cars, or temporarily living with other people because you had nowhere else to go.
- "Unaccompanied" means you are not living in the physical custody of your parent or guardian.
- "Youth" means you are 21 years of age or younger or you are still enrolled in high school as of the day you sign the FAFSA.
Answer "No" if you are not homeless, at risk of being homeless or if you do not have a determination. You should contact your financial aid office for assistance if you do not have a determination but believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or are an unaccompanied youth providing for your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless.
More information on dependency status from the FAFSA site
The Higher Education Act states
that under certain conditions, an institution may override a student's dependency status.
If you do not meet the federal definition of being independent as described in the FAFSA Step III, you may request that the Financial Aid Office make a waiver of your status on the basis of documented extenuating circumstances.
These decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis and justified by an individual student's unusual circumstances and must be documented in the student's file.
Petitioning Process
- Complete and submit the Request for Independent Status Form along with a letter explaining your circumstances. Please include letters of support and other documentation as outlined on the form itself.
- File the FAFSA, omitting the parental information (it will be rejected, but if your petition is approved we can update it), print it, and submit it along with your petition and documentation.
- Your petition will be reviewed by the Professional Judgement Committee in your Financial Aid Office.
- If your petition is approved, you will be granted financial aid as an independent student for one year only. You must reapply annually to keep that status.
2011-12 Request for Independent Status Petition PDF
The following circumstances do not qualify as extenuating circumstances and will not qualify you for independent status.
- Parents refuse to contribute to your education.
- Your parents are unwilling to provide their information for the FAFSA or for verification, which is the process by which a university confirms the data on a FAFSA.
- Your parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- You demonstrate self-sufficiency.
Note: The parent's unwillingness (vs. inability) to assist the student should not, in and of itself, be grounds for a dependency override.
Notes for students unable to provide parental information on pages 6 and 7 of the 2011-2012 FAFSA
Under very limited circumstances (for example, your parents are incarcerated; you have left home due to an abusive family environment; or you do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them), you may be able to submit your FAFSA without parental information. If you are unable to provide parental information, skip Steps Four and Five, and go to Step Six. Once you submit your FAFSA without parental data, you must follow up with the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend, in order to complete your FAFSA.
See also: Residency Regulations at Evergreen