|
When students
complete the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA), they are categorized as either a dependent or
independent student, based on a series of questions. At the time of application,
the dependency status determines whether or not students must provide
parental data on the FAFSA. Dependent students are required to provide
parental data, whereas independent students are not required to provide
parental data. WSU's dependency status appeal process allows dependent
students with special circumstances to appeal for independent student
status at WSU only (students must contact other schools regarding their
policies for appealing dependency status). When schools prepare federal
aid awards for students, the dependency status helps determine the types
Dependent
vs. Independent Status
To
be an independent student according to the FAFSA and have the option to
exclude parental data on the FAFSA, a student must:
- Be 24 years old;
- Be married, as of the day the student files
his or her FAFSA;
- Be working on a master's or doctorate program;
- Be currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training;
- Be a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Have children who receive more than half of
their support from the student;
- Have dependents (other than children or spouse)
who live with the student and receive more than half of their support
from the student;
- At any time since turning age 13, with both parents deceased, have been in foster care or been a ward/dependent of the court;
- Be or have been an emancipated minor as determined by a court in the student's state of legal residence;
- Be or have been in legal guardianship as determined by a court in the student's state of legal residence;
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, have been determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by your high school or school district homeless liaison;
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, have been determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; or
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, have been determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless by the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program.
Students
who do meet one or more of the criteria listed above are dependent students according to the FAFSA and must provide parental data on the FAFSA.
Special
Circumstances
WSU's
dependency status appeal allows dependent students according to the FAFSA
with one of the following special circumstances to appeal for independent
student status:
- The student was previously married and is
now divorced, and is not supported by his or her parents;
- The parents have abandoned the student and
as a result the student has been under the care of another adult and/or
has supported himself/herself;
- The student and parents have severed all contact
due to circumstances that would constitute endangerment to the student
(endangerment can be physical or psychological in nature);
- The parents' whereabouts are unknown;
- One parent, in a one-parent family, or both
parents, in a two-parent family, are incarcerated;
- The parents permanently reside outside the
United States and the student does not have any contact with the parents;
or
- The parents have been divorced for several
years and the custodial parent is deceased and the student has no contact
with the non-custodial parent.
A dependent
student who does not meet one of the special circumstances listed above
cannot appeal for independent student status at WSU. Special circumstances
do not include parents who don't want to contribute to the student's education
or who don't want to provide information on the FAFSA; or a student who
is not claimed as a dependent on his or her parents' income tax return.
How
to Appeal Dependency Status
The
student must contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss his or her
special circumstances with a Financial Aid Advisor. If the student is
eligible to appeal, the student will be given a Dependency Status Appeal
Form to complete and return (with appropriate documentation) to the Office
of Financial Aid.
If
approved, for each subsequent aid year (as applicable) the student will
be required to complete a Renewal of Dependency Status Appeal Form in
order to retain his or her approved independent student status at WSU.
|
