In terms of financial aid, are you considered a dependent or independent student? The answer may surprise you.
Whether you are dependent or independent has nothing to do with if your parents claim you as a dependent when they file their taxes or if you live at home or on your own. You also cannot choose whether you are dependent or independent. Dependency status is determined by your answers to questions on the FAFSA. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions below, you are considered an independent student for financial aid purposes.
Students who are considered independent are not required to report parent information on the FAFSA. They must only provide their financial information as well as a spouse if applicable. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, you may need to provide additional documentation to our office to verify your dependency status.
Dependent students must provide parent data on the FAFSA regardless of whether the student resides with them or whether or not they assist the student in paying for their education.
View more information about dependency status at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have here.