Check with the college you will be attending to confirm which application you need to complete if you are enrolling during the summer or see Ms. Rollosson in the CCRC for assistance.

Complete the 2024-25 FASFA if you are planning on being enrolled in college in fall term 2024 through spring term 2025.

Complete the 2023-24 FASFA application if you are planning on being enrolled in college (as a new student or continuing student) in fall term 2023 through spring term 2024.

To qualify as an independent student (under 24 years of age), one of the following must be met

• Student is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training.

• Student is a veteran of the U.S. armed forces.

• Student has children or other people (excluding their spouse) who live with them and receive more than half of their support from the student now and between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

• At any time since the student turned 13, they were an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent).

• At any time since the student turned 13, they were a ward of the court.

• At any time since the student turned 13, they were in foster care.

• The student is or was a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in their state of residence.

• The student is or was in a legal guardianship with someone other than their parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in their state of residence.

A student cannot "declare" themselves independent, even if the student is self-sufficient or does not live with their parents.

A student's dependency status has nothing to do with whether their parents claim them on their tax returns.

A student can't be considered independent of their parents just because the parents refuse to provide information on the FAFSA form.

At any time on or after July 1, 2023 was the student unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?  Student may be eligible to apply as a independent student. Please see you school counselor.

Unusual circumstances are when a student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with the parent poses a risk to the student.  A student may be experiencing unusual circumstances if they:

• Left home due to an abusive or threatening environment;

• Abandoned by or estranged from their parents;

• Have refugee or asylee status and are separated from their parents, or their parents are displaced in a foreign country;

• Victim of human trafficking;

• Are incarcerated, or their parents are incarcerated and contact with the parents would pose a risk to the student; or

• are otherwise unable to contact or locate their parents.

Special circumstances are significant changes that contributors experience related to their financial situation.These may include the following:

• Loss of employment or financial assets

• Reduction in income

• Tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school

• Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance

If the student or their contributor has a special circumstance, they should contact their college's or career school's financial aid office.

The Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange, replacing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool starting with the 2024–25 award year, will transfer contributors' federal tax information from the IRS directly into the FAFSA form. All contributors must provide consent and approval to:

• Disclose their personally identifiable information provided on the FAFSA form to the IRS for matching purposes;

• Obtain their federal tax information from the IRS via direct data exchange;

• Allow the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use their federal tax information to determine the student's eligibility and amount of federal student aid;

• Allow ED to share their federal tax information with postsecondary institutions and state higher education agencies for use in awarding and administering financial aid; and

• Allow ED to reuse their federal tax information on another FAFSA applicant's form (e.g., if a parent has multiple dependent students or a parent's own FAFSA form).

NOTE: Even if contributors don't have an SSN, didn't file taxes, or filed taxes outside of the U.S., they will still need to provide consent and approval.

IMPORTANT: If a required contributor doesn't provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if they manually enter tax information into the FAFSA form. Information about how federal tax information will be used and the consequences of not providing consent and approval will be included on the FAFSA form.

Contributor refers to anyone (student, the student's spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or the parent's spouse) who's required to provide information on the FAFSA form. A student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA form will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information. Students or parents will invite a contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA form by entering the contributor's name, date of birth, SSN, and email address.

Note: If a contributor doesn't have an SSN, they can still be invited to complete their portion of the FAFSA form. To invite a contributor who doesn't have an SSN, the student or parent will indicate that the contributor doesn't have an SSN and will instead provide the contributor's mailing address.

To complete the contributor's portion of the FAFSA form, the contributor will 

• Receive an email informing them that they've been identified as a contributor;

• Create a StudentAid.gov account if they don't already have one;

• Review information about completing their section of the FAFSA form; and

• Provide the required personal and financial information and consent and approval on the student's FAFSA form.

IMPORTANT: A parent or spouse contributor is not financially responsible for the student's education costs. However, if a required contributor refuses to provide their information and consent and approval, the FAFSA form will be incomplete, and the student will be ineligible for federal student aid.