However, guardians and foster parents are not considered legal parents by the U.S. Department of Education, so the student is not required to enroll them in their FAFSA. As a result, the student is considered independent, which could help them qualify for more help. If you have a legal guardian who is not a biological parent and is designated as such by a court, you are considered “independent”. This means that you do not have to provide information about biological parents (or guardians) in your FAFSA and you can participate. Otherwise, even if you are over 18 years of age, you are still considered a “dependent” student for federal financial aid purposes. This remains the case even if your relationship with your parents is not intact. What happens if I have not been granted legal guardianship by a court in my country of legal residence? The Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) is a student`s gateway to federal financial aid to help pay for their education. However, the application process is slightly different for students with guardians or foster parents.
In both cases, the student is considered independent and non-dependent for federal assistance purposes. Yes means that the student can provide a copy of a court decision that, as of today, the student is an emancipated minor or is under legal guardianship. Yes may also mean that the student can provide a copy of a court decision that the student was an emancipated minor or was under legal guardianship immediately before reaching adult age in the student`s state. The court must be located in the student`s state of legal residence at the time of the court order. Unless your legal guardian or foster parents have legally adopted you, FAFSA does not consider them to be your parents on the form. If they have legally adopted you, they are considered your parents and you must include their information on the form. FAFSA is a long application with lots of fine print, so don`t be afraid to ask your legal guardian or foster parents for help. You can also contact your school`s financial aid office for help or to find out more about additional help you may get. FAFSA can be difficult to navigate for non-traditional families.
Neither guardians nor foster parents are considered parents by FAFSA, so you do not have to provide information about their income and household size on your FAFSA. In Step 3 (Student), check “Yes” for all applicable questions that may be numbered 52 (At any time since you turned 13, both parents were deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a guardian or ward of the court) or 54 (As determined by a court in your State of legal residence, Are you or have you been under legal guardianship?). Any support received from guardians or foster parents must be reported on Worksheet B as income for the student. The only exception is if your legal guardian or foster parents have legally adopted you. At that time, they must be included in the FAFSA. Note that even if you do not provide their financial information, you will still have to report any financial assistance you receive from a guardian or foster parent. You do not need to include a legal guardian or foster parent in FAFSA, even if you still live with them. You only give information about yourself, your assets and your income. On the free application for State Financial Assistance (FAFSA), you have indicated that you are or have been under legal guardianship. You will need to provide additional documentation before we can process your financial support further. For the purposes of this question, the definition of legal guardianship does not include the student`s parents, even if they have been appointed by a court to be the student`s guardian.
The student is also not considered the legal guardian of his/her own right. Provide the financial aid office with photocopies of the court order in your state of legal residence indicating that you are or have been under legal guardianship. FAFSA is designed to help college financial aid offices determine how much support you get in the form of grants, student loans, co-op programs, etc. Students with one or more living biological, adoptive, or otherwise legal parents must include financial information in their application for one or both parents, depending on the situation. If your parents have died, you have been legally emancipated or are at any time after the age of 13. FAFSA considers you an independent student. You are likely to be considered an independent student if you live with guardians or host parents. This means that the student is still a minor and the court decision is no longer in effect or the court decision was not in effect at the time the student reached the age of majority. Content of your FAFSA checklist: What you need to complete the application The Financial Aid Office reviews the documents and determines your dependency status.
The second is part of a series of questions that the app contains to determine your dependency status. Keep in mind that qualifying as an independent student means that only your financial information will be used to determine your eligibility, meaning you may have a better chance of qualifying for Pell Bursaries, subsidized student loans, and other need-based financial aid. How much help you get: Estimate your financial support If you need to apply: Find out about the FAFSA deadline Copies of documents may be requested from your caseworker if you no longer have them. You must correct your FAFSA and provide your parents` information and signature for your application to be official. Please inform the financial aid office: If you were in foster care as a child, there are two questions about FAFSA that relate to your experience. The first question is designed to help you learn more about the additional support you may be eligible for under various federal programs. What if I have unusual family circumstances and have no contact with my biological parents? As you move through the application, here are a few specific things to do: You may want to contact your school`s financial aid office if your situation warrants it to the point that you may have to withdraw from your parents` custody.