Dependency Status

Independency Status Requisites

Dependency works differently for federal aid purposes than it does for filing taxes. There are certain requirements a student has to meet in order to be considered an independent. An independent student is one of the following:

At least 24 years old
They are married.
They have dependents they support more than 50%.
They are working on a master's or doctorate degree.
They are a veteran or active duty member of the US Armed Forces
Since the time they turned 13, their parents were deceased, they were in foster care or they were a ward of the court.
They have been emancipated or someone other than a parent or stepparent has been appointed their legal guardian.
They are determined to be an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If you do not meet any of these requirements, you are still considered a dependent for federal financial aid purposes.

Dependency Override

We have received your 2021-2022 FAFSA but it is in a rejected status by the federal processor due to a lack of parent information. However, an exception may be made on an annual basis when circumstances exist which prevent the student from providing parental information on the FAFSA. This exception is known as a Dependency Override and allows a dependent student to be considered independent for financial aid purposes and therefore, exempt from providing parental data on the FAFSA, even though you don't technically meet the definition of an independent student dictated by the US Department of Education.

You may qualify for a dependency override if you are estranged from your parents due to:

Parental incarceration

Parental abandonment

An abusive family environment that threatens your health or safety

Other unusual circumstances beyond your control

There are certain conditions which do NOT qualify as unusual circumstances. We are unable to approve a dependency override due to:

Parents refusal to contribute to your education

Parents unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification purposes

Parent(s) do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes

You demonstrate self-sufficiency (i.e. live separate from your parents and support yourself)

Complete the Dependency Override petition, which can be found on the financial aid forms page of our website. You will need to submit this to our office along with the required documentation. However, I would first schedule an appointment with one of our financial aid counselors to discuss your situation and see if you would qualify for this option. This would save you the time of completing the application and of the processing period in case the application is denied. You can schedule an appointment here: https://portlandstatefinaid.youcanbook.me/

Be advised that we are unable to proceed with processing of your financial aid application until the matter of your student status (independent or dependent for financial aid consideration) is resolved.

Dependency Status: Students are either Dependent or Independent? This is determined by the FAFSA and you can check RNANAXX and the “Status” tab. If they have answered “yes” to one or more of the questions, they are considered Independent. Some examples of being considered Independent: Someone who is at least 24 years old, married, veteran of the armed forces, etc.

There are rare exceptions when a student would normally be a “dependent” but they may qualify for a Dependency Override. These are usually rare and extreme situations such as they do not know where their parents are or it is “unsafe” to have the student contact their parent(s). It can’t be one parent, it needs to be both parents. A student will not be considered an Independent even if their parents are not supporting them in college or don’t claim them as dependents on their taxes.

A student will be asked if they can provide their parent information. If they answer “no”, then the FAFSA can continue. When we receive the FAFSA, it will be marked Rejected and we will post to RRAAREQ a Dependency Override Petition. This process will need to be done every year since it does not carry over year to year.

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determination: A student themselves or their family, may be housing insecure or the risk of being homeless.

To check a student’s dependency status: RNARSXX, RPAAWRD, lots of different screens but these are the two most common. RNARS is where you can also see if a student has been selected for Verification. 1=Yes, 2=no.

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