What is an independent student? Your status, FAFSA, and taxes

When you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), whether as an undergraduate or a graduate student, you’ll need to indicate a dependency status. Your dependency status can impact how much financial aid you receive, as well as the ability to claim some education credits and deductions on your taxes.

Let’s look at the difference between an independent versus dependent student, and what your status means as you plan your education.

What is a FAFSA independent student?

As you fill out your FAFSA, you’ll be asked whether you’re a dependent student or independent student.

• Dependent students are expected to receive financial support from their parents. They must provide information about their parents’ finances on the FAFSA.
• Independent students are considered financially separate from their parents. As a result, they don’t have to provide parent information on the FAFSA. They only need to provide information about their own finances.

Graduate and professional students are automatically considered independent students on the FAFSA. Age, marital status, and other factors don’t matter if you’re pursuing a graduate or professional degree. It’s much harder for undergraduate students to be classified as independent. 

If you’re an undergraduate, the assumption is that your family will contribute in some way to your education. The government even has a name for this: It’s the expected family contribution, or EFC.  

If you’re an undergraduate, in order to be considered an independent student for the FAFSA, you need to meet at least one of the following criteria:

• You’re at least 24 years old.
• You’re married.
• You have children who receive at least half their support from you.
• You’re serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• You’re a veteran of active duty in the Armed Forces.
• Both your parents are deceased, you were in foster care after the age of 13, or you were considered a ward of the state.
• You were emancipated as a minor (i.e., you filed a petition with your county and were granted independence from a parent or guardian).
• An agency considered you a homeless or self-supporting youth while you were a minor.

Note that even if your parents won’t support you financially, you’re still considered a dependent student as an undergraduate if none of these criteria apply to you.

Do independent students get more financial aid?

Independent students may be eligible for more financial aid. First of all, because you’re not including your parents’ financial information, your EFC is likely to be lower. As a result, you might be eligible for grants based on a lower income and assets. You might also be eligible for more need-based scholarships as an independent student.

Independent undergraduate students can also access higher federal loan limits. So in addition to need-based grants and scholarships, you might be able to close college funding gaps with federal loans. For more on loan limits, refer to this summary table of subsidized and unsubsidized loans. 

Taxes for independent students

Another consideration is your tax situation. A parent or qualifying relative may claim you as a dependent on their taxes if you are under age 24, you are a full-time student, and you don’t provide more than half your own “support” (such as rent, food, or utilities) during the tax year. In this case, certain education benefits might not be available directly to you. Any tax deductions for tuition paid or tax credits for education will go to whomever is claiming you as a dependent.  

On the other hand, if you’re paying for your own education expenses and not being claimed by someone else on their tax return, you can claim any deductions and credits. Credits like the American opportunity tax credit and the lifetime learning credit might help you reduce your taxes. Later, as you repay student loans, you might be able to deduct some of the interest.

How to get a dependency override

If you feel you have extenuating circumstances that should qualify you as a FAFSA independent student, you can reach out to your college’s financial aid office.

As an undergraduate, having a child or getting married are among the easiest ways to receive independent student status. An older, nontraditional undergraduate student can also receive independent status as an undergraduate. However, if you’re under age 24 and you don’t meet the conditions set out by the U.S. Department of Education (see above), it’s harder to be considered an independent student as an undergraduate.

Here’s how to move forward in an effort to get a dependency override:

1. Speak to someone in your school’s financial aid office. Find out what circumstances might qualify you for a dependency override.
2. Gather documentation. You need to support your claim that you should be considered an independent student. Keep in mind that your parents simply refusing financial support isn’t usually enough for an override.
3. Put it in writing. You might need to provide a letter stating your case and explaining your documentation.
4. Get help. If the school’s financial aid office approves your override request, they can help you amend your FAFSA to reflect your independent student status and potentially update your financial aid package.

Getting a dependency status override can be quite difficult, so it’s important to have a strong case to present to your financial aid office.

The bottom line

Most “traditional” undergraduate students are considered dependent for the purposes of the FAFSA and receiving federal financial aid. Graduate students are automatically considered independent students. Claiming independent status as an undergraduate is difficult if you aren’t married or don’t have children. 

If you don’t meet specific criteria, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to claim independent status—even if your parents won’t help you pay for school. You can ask for an override, but you might not get it. Need to fill the funding gap? Look for need-based scholarships, apply for work-study programs, or consider private loans. As a last resort, you might need to take a time-out from college until you can gain independent status.