1. Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop

2. Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop DETERMINING DEPENDENCY STATUS

3. Federal Student Aid Eligibility  Based on principle of familial financial responsibility  Requires the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)  Requires parental information for students under 24 and may require additional verification Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop

4. Dependent or Independent?  Cannot ‘declare’ independence  Status is determined by FAFSA questionsFAFSA  Independence may require documentation Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop For Federal Student Aid Purposes…

5. Who is a ‘Parent’ on the FAFSA? Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop Parents include:Parents do NOT include:  Biological Parents  Married  Unmarried but living together  Adoptive parent(s)  Parent and Stepparent, if parent is remarried  Foster Parents  Legal Guardian who has not adopted student  Relatives who have not adopted student

6. Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop If the student can answer ‘YES’ on the FAFSA to one of the following, he/she may be independent:  Born before 1/1/1992  Married  Graduate or Professional Student  Active duty military  Veteran  Children/Dependents  Orphan/Ward of Court  Emancipated Minor  Legal Guardianship  Homeless  Determined by agency specified on FAFSA  Special Circumstance  Determined by FA Admin

7. Dependency Overrides Ozarks Technical Community College 16 th Annual Counselors’ Financial Aid Workshop  Abuse at home  Abandonment by parents Special Circumstances:  Not claimed on taxes  Not living with parent(s)  Parent refuses to provide information NOT Special Circumstances: Documentation from a third party, such as law enforcement, school official, social worker.

8. Provided by: