Dependency Status Information
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The U.S. Department of Education has specific guidelines for determining whether you are classified as a dependent or independent student. Your dependency status determines whose information you need to report when filling out the FAFSA. Below you will find the dependency status questions found on the 2025-2026 FAFSA application. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions, submission of supporting documentation will be required. You can submit all documents to the document submission portal.
Please note the following circumstances on their own do not qualify you as being an independent student
- Self-sufficiency
- Parents’ refusal to complete the FAFSA or provide financial support.
If a parent refused to complete the FAFSA application a student can elect to request direct unsubsidized loan only. When completing the FAFSA form, Select “Yes” to the question asking students if their parents are unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information.
For admitted students our office will review the documentation provided and a decision will be sent via email to the email address used to complete your FAFSA application.
Dependency Status Questions 2025-2026
- Were you born before Jan. 1, 2002?
- As of today, are you married? (Answer “No” if you are separated but not divorced.)
- At the beginning of the 2025–26 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
- Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?
- Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you in Foster Care?
- Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of residence?
- Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2024, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
Students are legally married (not separated) and live with their spouse or living with a common-law partner, as recognized by the couple’s state of legal residence. Beginning with the 2024-2025 award year, students who are separated from their spouses should select "separated" on the FAFSA and will be considered dependent for aid purposes.
Documentation:
- Valid marriage License
A student is considered active duty must be currently services on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training.
A student is a veteran if they
- have engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. armed forces (military, naval, air, or space service), and were released under a condition other than dishonorable;
- served as a Reservist or member of the National Guard and called up to active federal duty by presidential order for a purpose other than training; or
- served on active duty for training or inactive duty for training in the U.S. armed forces and were disabled from injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
Don’t select the box if the student
- is currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2026;
- has never engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces;
- is currently a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) student, a cadet, or midshipman at a U.S. military service academy.
- was engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces but released under dishonorable conditions.
Documentation:
- A copy of the student’s active-duty orders showing current active-duty status, or
- a copy of the student’s DD214 confirming separation from the military under a status other than ‘dishonorable.’
A student is considered to have dependents if they have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026?
Documentation:
A personal statement outlining who the dependent is, how you support them, your monthly income and expenses. Provide pay stubs or proof of benefits. In addition, if your biological child please provide a birth certificate, if the court-appointed legal guardian provides court documentation.
A student is considered an orphan if they have no living biological or adoptive parents at any time after turning 13. A student is considered a ward of the court or foster care if at any time since the student turned age 13, they were a dependent or ward of the court, or in foster care even if they’re no longer a dependent or ward of the court as of today. Someone who is incarcerated isn’t considered a ward of the court for federal student aid purposes. Ward of the court may also be noted on legal documentation as “ward of the state”.
Documentation:
Personal statement outlining your circumstances and where and with whom you currently reside.
- Death Certificates
- Court Documentation
- Letter from Case Worker
A student is considered an emancipated minor if they have been legally deemed an adult by a court in their state of residence prior to the age of majority. The emancipation must be determined by a court, not an attorney.
Documentation:
Personal Statement outlining your circumstances and including with whom you currently reside.
- Court Documentation
A student is considered to be under legal guardianship if the court authorizes someone to care for the student in place of or in the absence of parents. Most states have a clear definition of legal guardianship that is distinct from custody.
Documentation:
- Personal Statement outlining your circumstances and including with whom you currently reside
- Court documentation that clearly indicates “legal guardianship” (not custody)
An unaccompanied homeless youth is a youth under the age of 24 who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian and who meets the definition of homelessness outlined by the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act.
An unaccompanied youth at risk of homelessness and self-supporting is a youth under the age of 24 who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian and is currently paying for his or her own living expenses, which includes paying for fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
At risk of homelessness is when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
Documents:
- Personal Statement outlining your circumstances and including with whom you currently reside
- Letter from High School or district Homeless Liaison on official letter head
- Letter from the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program, or
- Letter from the director of a runaway or homeless youth center or transitional living program on official letterhead.
If you are unable to answer “Yes” to any of the questions above, but still unable to provide parental data (this does not include parent refusal) you may seek an unusual circumstances review. Please submit a personal statement outlining your circumstances. Please make sure to address the circumstances preventing you from providing parental data. Please explain with whom you currently reside. In addition to your personal statement please upload third party supporting documents. These third-party documents must be written by a professional i.e., teacher, therapist, clergy man etc printed on letterhead, signed and dated. The individual writing the letter must be able to attest to the circumstances surrounding your parental relationships and must include current contact information.
