General Information

The Dependency Appeal allows a student, who feels he/she should be able to exclude parent information from consideration on the FAFSA because of extenuating circumstances, to appeal his /her dependency status. The Dependency appeal may grant independent status to the student for financial aid purposes when he/she fails the automatic independent criteria outlined in the FAFSA. (These criteria are outlined in Dependency Status.)

An appeal committee will review the appeal and additional documentation. Other information may be requested. The student will be notified of the decision, and if approved we will submit their FAFSA authorizing the dependency override to the federal processor.

Approval of a Dependency Appeal does not guarantee independent status in future years. A new appeal must be submitted every year . The student should submit a completed dependency appeal with a FAFSA or Renewal Application directly to our office.

Appeal Requirements

To file a Dependency Appeal, the student must provide the following documents:

1. A completed 2009-10 Dependency Appeal (PDF | 281KB)
2. A signed, detailed from the student explaining the situation, including the student's relationship with both natural parents, how the student plants to support himself/herself, and educational goals
3. Two separate notarized letters from independent sources who can attest first hand to the student's situation. These two letters must be detailed and include each person's individual relationship to you and as much information about your situation as possible. Identical letters will be returned as incomplete.
4. A complete paper FAFSA for the current aid year, signed by the student

Submission Reasons

Dependency Appeals will not be considered for a parent(s) unwillingness or inability to pay for a students education or the amount of a student's income. The federal government does not see these as reasons to consider a student independent or allowable reasons for appeal.

Dependency Appeals can be submitted if the student has

1. Irreconcilable difference
2. Danger of Abuse (either mental or physical)
3. Abandonment by Parent(s)