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Dependency Status

Learn how to determine dependency (dependent or independent).

For financial aid purposes, a student's dependency status determines whether the parents' information must be included on the FAFSA and who has primary responsibility for educational expenses.

• If the student is dependent for financial aid purposes, both the student and the student's parent(s) must complete the FAFSA. The student and parents are jointly responsible for educational expenses.
• If the student is independent for financial aid purposes, only the student, and if married, the student's spouse, complete the FAFSA. The student alone is responsible for paying educational expenses.

Dependency Criteria

For the 2005-2006 school year, a student is considered independent only if he or she can answer "yes" to any one of the following questions:

1. Was the student born before January 1, 1982?
2. Will the student be working on a degree beyond a bachelor's degree in the school year 2005-2006?
3. Is the student married?
4. Does the student have a child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student, or does the student have dependents other than a spouse?
   
   A legal dependent is defined as any of the following:
   • A biological or adopted child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student;
   • A child for whom the student has been appointed legal guardian, and who gets more than half of his or her support from the student;
   • Any other person who:
     • Lives with and receives more than half of his or her support from the student at the time of application; and
     • Will continue to receive that support during the award year (i.e., July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006);
   • A child that is expected to be born during the award year, and who, when born, will receive more than half of his or her support from the student.
5. Are both of the student's parents deceased, or was the student a ward/dependent of the court until age 18?
6. Is the student a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
   
   A veteran is defined as a person who:
   • Served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard; or
   • Was a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies; and
   • Was not discharged dishonorably.
   • There is no minimum length of service. A student who is on active duty at the time of application, but expects to be discharged by the end of the award year, should answer "yes" to this question.
   • Persons who were members only of the National Guard or Reserves and were never called to active duty are generally not considered to be veterans and should answer "no" to this question.

A student who answers "no" to all six questions is dependent and must complete both the student and parent sections of the FAFSA.

A student who answers "yes" to any one of the six questions is independent and must complete only the student sections of the FAFSA.

For non-federal funds, such as institutional aid, some schools may require independent students to provide parental information on the FAFSA. An independent student may also need to provide parental data for certain federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.