Dependent vs Independent

Am I dependent or independent when applying for Financial Aid?

For the 2007-2008 academic year, you are considered an independent only if you can answer YES to at least one of the statements below:

1. You were born before Jan. 1, 1984.
2. You are married as of the day you apply (or you are separated but not divorced)
3. You have children who receive more than half their support from you.
4. You have dependents (other than children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half their support from you at the time you apply and through June 30, 2008.
5. Both your parents are deceased, and you are (or were until age 18) a ward or dependent of the court.
6. You’re a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. (This includes students who attended a U.S. service academy and who were released under a condition other than dishonorable.)

If you answered NO to all of these statements, you are considered dependent for financial aid application purposes. Dependent students are required by law to provide parental information and signatures to be considered for financial aid.

If you answered yes to at least one of the statements above, you are considered independent. You report only your income and those of a spouse, if married.

Can I appeal my dependency status?

The federal government’s regulations on dependency status are strict. Occasionally, however, students should be considered independent due to unusual circumstances (for example, parent is incarcerated or otherwise unable to communicate due to severe health reasons, etc.)

The U.S. government has identified five conditions that, individually or in combination with one another, do NOT qualify as “unusual circumstances” for a dependency override:

Those circumstances that are not considered basis for an appeal are:

• Parent(s) unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification
• Parent(s) not claiming student as a dependent on their tax return
• Student is not being supported by parents and is completely self-supporting.
• Parent(s) refuse to contribute to the student’s education
• Parent(s) live in a foreign country

If you feel that you should be considered independent due to unusual circumstances, donwload a Dependency Override Form from the forms page and submit it along with all supporting documentation. A review committee will study each appeal on a case-by-case basis. All decisions made by the appeals committee are final.

For more information, contact us at (978) 762-4189 or (781) 477-2191 or fin-aid@northshore.edu.