Independent Student Status

An independent student does not have to report the parent’s assets and income on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. That can be a huge advantage. There’s a much better chance to receive financial aid, and the amount could be huge. In order to classified as independent, a student must meet one of the following criteria:

• be at least 24 years of age by December 31st of the school year.
  
  
• is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or one of the service academies. The student must have been released under a condition other than dishonorable. Active duty must have been at least 6 months and not in a Reserve or National Guard unit.
  
  
• is a graduate or professional student pursuing studies beyond a bachelor’s degree.
  
  
• is a married student before the date the FAFSA is filed.
  
  
• is a ward of the court. Neither foster parents nor stepparents are considered parents when determining a student’s status. If a legal guardian has been appointed by the court and is specifically required to use his or her assets, then the student is not independent.
  
  
• both parents are deceased.
  
  
• has a legal dependent other than a spouse. A legal dependent is any person who lives with the student and receives more than half of his or her support from the student for the college year. A dependent may include an unborn child. The child does not have to live with the student to be considered a legal dependent.

Example: A senior girl is with an unborn child at the time she signs the FAFSA. If she intends to provide more than one-half the support of her child for the entire college year, she will be an independent student.

Example: A college student impregnates his girl friend. The child will live with the mother. The student will be independent if he provides over half the support for the college year. (I have seen this situation in my practice.)

Pointer: Child support payments are a deduction from financial aid income.

Pointer: If a student is planning on a marriage, he or she should look at the spouse’s income and assets and if they are significant, the FAFSA should be filed before the marriage if possible.

Special Circumstances: The college’s financial aid officer has the authority to declare a student independent even though the student does not meet any of the above criteria. Examples of special circumstances include an abusive family environment, abandonment by parents, incarceration or institutionalization of the parents, and parents cannot be located.