Most students entering college directly from high school are considered dependent students. This means that you will be expected to contribute to your child's education expenses.

In exceptional cases where your child can be considered an independent student, only their income and assets will be considered, resulting in a larger financial aid package.

As good as this sounds, specific rules govern whether a student is considered independent for the purposes of financial aid. In these situations, at least one of these conditions must apply:

• Must at least 24 years old by Dec. 31 of the award year.
• Must be married as of the date the FAFSA is completed.
• Will be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program (beyond a bachelor’s degree) during the award year.
• Has at least one child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student.
• Has a dependent (other than a child or a spouse) who lives with the student and receives more than half their support from the student.
• Is determined by the school's financial aid administrator to be an independent student because of highly unusual circumstances.

As a parent, you may not simply say that you won't not support your child through college and have them classified as an independent student. If this were possible, there would be many more independent students.

Dependency override

In special or unusual circumstances, the FAA can change your child's dependency status by reviewing the documents you provided if they think circumstances warrant it. An override decision relies on the FAA’s best judgment and is final — it cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

A parent’s refusal to provide financial assistance or the required FAFSA information is not a valid reason for such a determination.

Source of income

Learn how much your family's income affects how much you have to pay.