Definition of  Dependency

When you apply for federal student aid, your answers to certain questions will determine whether you're considered dependent on your parents--and, therefore, whether you must report their income and assets as well as your own--or whether you're independent and must report only your own income and assets (and those of your spouse, if you're married). 

Students are classified as dependent or independent because federal student aid programs are based on the idea that students (and their parents or spouse, if applicable) have the primary responsibility for paying for their postsecondary education. Students who have access to parental support (dependent students) should not receive need-based federal funds at the expense of students who do not have such access (independent students). 

You're an independent student if at least one of the following applies to you: 

• you were born before January 1, 1987 (for the 2010-2011 academic year); 
• you're married; 
• you're enrolled working on a Master's or Doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.); 
• you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2011 (for the 2010-11 academic year);
• you have children who receive more than half of their support from you; 
• you are an orphan  or you were a ward/dependent of the court until age 18;
• or you're a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces ("veteran" includes a student who attended a U.S. military academy who was released under a condition other than dishonorable). 

If you claim to be an independent student, your school may ask you to submit proof before you can receive any federal student aid. If you think you have unusual circumstances that would make you independent even though none of the above criteria apply to you, talk to your Financial Aid Counselor. He or she can change your status if he or she thinks your circumstances warrant it based on the documentation you provide. But remember, the aid administrator won't automatically do this. That decision is based on his or her judgment, and it's final--you can't appeal it to the U.S. Department of Education. 

Also see the article "I want to be independent."