How To Become An Independent Student
Independent students are able to enroll in courses and submit assignments on their own, without the assistance of a parent or guardian. This means they have access to all the same tools and resources as regular students, including:
-Accessing course materials
-Submitting assignments
-Managing their own account
If you are considering becoming an independent student, please review our guidelines below to make sure that you meet the necessary requirements. Once you have reviewed our instructions and feel confident in your ability to manage your account independently, please email us at [email protected] so we can begin the process of updating your records.
How To Become An Independent Student
If you are a student who is over the age of 18, but still considered “dependent” on your parents (because you are still in high school or college), then this is the guide for you. The first thing to know is that there are two ways to become independent: one way is through emancipation and another way is through being declared financially independent by your parents.
If you want to become emancipated, then you have to go through a legal process with an attorney. This involves having a court hearing where the judge will decide if it’s okay for you to be emancipated. If the judge says yes, then you’ll get an official document called a Certificate of Emancipation that states that you’re no longer considered dependent on your parents. However, becoming emancipated doesn’t mean that your parents can’t still pay for things like rent or food bills—it just means they don’t have legal responsibility over you anymore. If they want something from you or if they need help with something (like paying their mortgage), then they can ask for it directly from you instead of going through any other third party such as a guardian or trustee.”
How To Become An Independent Student
What Is an Independent Student?
An independent student is one who meets certain legal requirements to receive federal financial aid to pay for college based on the student’s ability to pay. A dependent student’s ability to pay, by contrast, is determined by reviewing information provided by both the student and one or both parents.
To be considered independent on the FAFSA without meeting the age requirement, an associate or bachelor’s student must be at least one of the following: married; a U.S. veteran; in active duty military service other than training purposes; an emancipated minor; a recently homeless youth or self-supporting and at risk for homelessness; a parent who provides more than half of the financial support for a child who lives with him or her; or someone who has been in foster care, been an orphan or a dependent or ward of the court for any period of time after the age of 13.
“Being classified as an independent student versus a dependent student is critical because it determines how much student aid you’re eligible for,” says Andrew Pentis, a certified student loan counselor and higher education finance expert at Student Loan Hero, a website for managing student debt. “If you are an independent student, you’re eligible to borrow higher amounts of student loans, for example.”
Most undergraduates who qualify for independent status do so because they are married, according to financial aid experts.
[
READ: A College Guide for Nontraditional Students. ]
But college populations are changing to include more independent and other nontraditional students. Recently, nearly half of college students in the U.S. were independent – about 49% – according to 2015-2016 data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the most recent figures available.
Before 1992, a student who was totally self-sufficient, not claimed as an exemption on a tax return and had earned at least $4,000 per year in nonparental aid for two consecutive years preceding the award year could be considered independent.
Dependency Status Override
Today, a student’s self-sufficiency is not enough for financial aid administrators to grant a dependency override, an administrative ruling that treats the student as independent.
Financial aid officers say it’s rare for a college to grant a dependency override, usually only in a “dire circumstance” such as a student who may have recently been granted a divorce, who comes from an abusive home or whose parents are incarcerated.
“Each school has to make their own decision on the dependency override,” says Ruby, who once worked at the financial aid office at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. “The student has to jump through a lot of hoops to get one.”
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Students who consider themselves independent because of parental refusal to fill out the FAFSA don’t qualify. The guidelines say that a parent’s refusal to provide information for the FAFSA, or a student’s self-sufficiency, isn’t enough to warrant a dependency override.
[
READ: 5 Myths About Parent Information on the FAFSA. ]
It is still possible to complete the FAFSA without parental support, but it’s more difficult, Pentis says.
While filling out the form, students can select the “unable to provide information about my parents” option and indicate no special circumstances. However, in doing so, a student would not qualify for federal student aid outside of direct unsubsidized student loans, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The financial aid they receive may not be as generous as the available Pell Grants or subsidized loans, but experts say unsubsidized loans are often preferred over private ones because of more borrower benefits and protections.
“Really work on a convincing pitch to your parent or parents about how they can help you pay for college without actually opening up their wallets,” Pentis says. “They can help you just by providing some information or providing signatures and they are not obliged to borrow student loans or pay for college on your behalf. Explaining that to a hesitant mom or dad could go a long way to helping a would-be independent student become an actual independent student.”
Students who have special circumstances but don’t qualify for independent status might consider inexpensive college options like community college.
For students who qualify for a dependency override, it’s important to stay in contact with both the admissions and financial aid departments, Cheney says.
“Don’t be too proud,” she says, “and try to talk to the financial aid office or admissions because they need to know about your home situation.”
Trying to fund your education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for College center.
