Dependency Override Appeal

Federal student aid regulations indicate that a dependent student’s family has the primary responsibility for the student’s educational cost and the parent/contributor’s  financial information is used to determine the student’s eligibility for federal student aid.

For the purpose of federal student aid, a student is considered  a dependent student if the following applies:

• Under 24 years old
• Unmarried
• Do not have children or other dependents who receive more than half of their support from you

There are situations in which an unusual circumstance may exist that justify a financial aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status, referred to as a dependency override.

A financial aid administrator may conduct a dependency override on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances, when a student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with parent poses a severe risk to such student.

Unusual Circumstances include (but are not limited to):

• Victim(s) of human trafficking 
• Legally granted Refugee or Asylum status
• Parental abandonment or estrangement 
• Physical or emotional abuse
• Incarceration of parent(s)
• Parental drug abuse
• Death of parent(s)

Documentation is critical, claims of any of the above must be properly supported by appropriate documentation.

Unusual circumstances do not include any of the following:

• Parents refusal to contribute to student’s FAFSA or provide financial information.
• Parents refuse to contribute to student’s educational cost.
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
• Student demonstrates that he/she is self-supporting.