Husker Hub Explains: Who is Considered a Dependent Student on the FAFSA?

Husker Hub Author

03/02/2022 Added

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In this video, Husker Hub explains dependency status as determined by the FAFSA. Students who are considered "dependent" on the FAFSA are required to include parent information and income on the FAFSA. The regulations surrounding determining dependency, common mistakes and misconceptions along with how to get information for extenuating circumstances are examined.

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[00:00:03.610]Hi there, my name is Dan, and I'm
[00:00:05.410]a student services specialist in Husker Hub.
[00:00:08.280]In this Husker Hub Explains video,
[00:00:09.680]I will be discussing FAFSA, dependency status,
[00:00:12.720]as well as, I'll be providing a brief overview
[00:00:14.890]of both the dependency override
[00:00:17.150]and the at-risk homeless unaccompanied youth processes
[00:00:20.650]which we'll touch upon items necessary
[00:00:22.410]for students whose specifics circumstances
[00:00:25.090]could have them considered for assistance
[00:00:26.690]through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:29.250]Let's first jump into the actual FAFSA application's
[00:00:31.920]Dependency Status section, and explore how a student
[00:00:34.940]with a special circumstance that prevents them
[00:00:37.110]from being able to provide parent information,
[00:00:39.620]can submit their FAFSA applications,
[00:00:41.930]and reach out to a Husker Hub Specialist
[00:00:44.120]following that FAFSA submission.
[00:00:46.280]FAFSA periodically releases FAFSA data
[00:00:48.370]on applicants who were in foster care,
[00:00:50.160]were orphans, or were dependents, or wards of the court.
[00:00:53.220]This is where the student will search
[00:00:54.580]to include the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[00:00:56.430]as receiver of their FAFSA or they can enter
[00:00:59.180]UNL Federal School Code which is 002565.
[00:01:03.280]The first question under the Dependency Status section asks
[00:01:06.020]what is your, the student's, marital status as
[00:01:08.300]of the date that they're filing the FAFSA?
[00:01:10.390]Students who are married are considered independent
[00:01:12.730]for purposes of federal financial aid and would therefore,
[00:01:15.280]not be required to have a parent provide
[00:01:17.120]their income or any other information.
[00:01:19.870]The FAFSA will then ask if the student
[00:01:21.610]has dependent children or other dependents
[00:01:23.580]aside from children or a spouse who live
[00:01:25.510]with them who receive more than half
[00:01:27.120]of their support from the student.
[00:01:28.880]If a student does not have children or other dependents,
[00:01:31.040]the answers would be no for both questions.
[00:01:33.770]The crux of the Dependency Status questionnaire
[00:01:36.560]is the fact that federal student aid programs,
[00:01:38.500]by law, are based on the assumption
[00:01:40.490]that a dependent student and their parents
[00:01:42.360]have the primary responsibility to pay for college.
[00:01:45.120]The law provides several criteria
[00:01:46.680]that determine if a student's considered independent
[00:01:49.300]of their parents for aid eligibility purposes.
[00:01:52.130]A student reaching the age of 18 or 21 who happens
[00:01:55.120]to live apart from their parents
[00:01:56.350]or pays rent to their parents while living in their home
[00:01:58.870]or is not claimed as a dependent
[00:02:00.340]on their parents' tax return would still
[00:02:02.670]be federally classified as a dependent student,
[00:02:05.210]and must provide their parents financial information
[00:02:07.350]and must have their parents' signature on their FAFSA.
[00:02:10.210]Students are instructed to file their FAFSAs
[00:02:12.030]with their legal parents, either biological
[00:02:13.940]or adoptive parents, if the student is not married,
[00:02:16.880]does not have children of their own,
[00:02:18.520]is not serving active duty in the military
[00:02:20.390]or is not 24 years of age or older,
[00:02:22.720]and is not at any time after the age of 13 been
[00:02:25.360]in foster care or made a dependent or ward of the court.
[00:02:28.620]If a student has been deemed an emancipated minor
[00:02:31.100]by a court, student's state of residence,
[00:02:33.350]they would indicate yes on the FAFSA.
[00:02:35.580]A student is considered independent
[00:02:37.340]if he or she is a ward of the court
[00:02:38.980]or was a ward of the court at any time
[00:02:40.930]when the individual was aged 13 or older.
[00:02:44.910]Should a student believe they have a special circumstance
[00:02:47.140]regarding their dependency needing to be overwritten,
[00:02:49.970]they can contact a student services specialist
[00:02:51.880]at Husker Hub to discuss their circumstance
[00:02:54.220]so that a dependency override can be discussed.
[00:02:57.040]College financial aid administrators
[00:02:58.710]such as student services specialists
[00:03:00.230]at Husker Hub can change a student's dependency status
[00:03:02.980]from a dependent to an independent
[00:03:05.030]through the dependency override on a case by case basis.
[00:03:08.320]This could potentially make a student eligible
[00:03:09.850]for more financial aid since parent income
[00:03:12.210]and asset information would no longer be required
[00:03:14.260]on the FAFSA, you may be asking,
[00:03:16.780]am I, as a student, eligible for a dependency override?
[00:03:19.700]Of course, while dependency overrides are rare
[00:03:21.560]and can occur in unusual circumstances,
[00:03:23.770]overrides do involve an involuntary dissolution
[00:03:26.570]of the family or situations in which it would be harmful
[00:03:29.210]for you as the student to have contact with your parents.
[00:03:31.990]Examples of this could be an incarceration
[00:03:34.080]or a institutionalization of both parents,
[00:03:36.740]abuse, or abandonment as it would be disclosed
[00:03:39.610]on the Husker Hub Dependency Override Form
[00:03:41.860]that a student received after meeting
[00:03:43.660]with a student services specialist
[00:03:45.450]in talking about a dependency override process.
[00:03:48.230]It would state that the US Department of Education
[00:03:50.360]has provided guidance for using
[00:03:51.840]a dependency override in some situations.
[00:03:54.570]Now, none of the following criteria I'm about to list off,
[00:03:57.420]alone or in combination, is sufficient for UNL
[00:04:00.030]to engage in a dependency override conversation.
[00:04:02.780]The first would be if the student
[00:04:03.860]considers themselves financially self-sufficient.
[00:04:06.950]The second would be if the student
[00:04:08.180]does not live with their parents.
[00:04:10.110]The third would be as if the student
[00:04:11.230]is not claimed as an exemption
[00:04:12.920]on their parents' federal income tax returns.
[00:04:15.510]The fourth would be if the student's parents refuse
[00:04:17.700]to complete or sign their FAFSA,
[00:04:19.640]participate in federal verification,
[00:04:21.640]or pay for college by any means.
[00:04:23.860]And fifth and final is that the student's parents
[00:04:26.370]live in a foreign country, now, of course,
[00:04:28.880]an exemption could be considered
[00:04:30.330]for unaccompanied youth or homeless
[00:04:32.530]or unaccompanied youth who are self supporting
[00:04:34.550]and at risk of becoming homeless.
[00:04:36.550]Through that dependency override discussion
[00:04:38.210]with the student services specialist, the specialist
[00:04:40.610]at Husker Hub, as well as the student meeting with them,
[00:04:42.950]will have an earnest discussion of their living situation.
[00:04:46.680]Important to note for students watching this,
[00:04:48.750]a dependency override conversation can be had at any point
[00:04:51.480]in the academic year with the student services specialist
[00:04:53.650]at Husker Hub, there will be a form to complete
[00:04:56.380]and additional supporting documents that may be requested
[00:04:58.810]that pertain to your circumstances.
[00:05:01.350]Documentation will be essential in those situations.
[00:05:04.070]And a dependency override committee
[00:05:05.520]will both review the Husker Hub
[00:05:07.210]provided Dependency Override Form and as well as
[00:05:09.770]discuss what supporting documentation could be requested.
[00:05:13.360]Oftentimes, reports from police and court records,
[00:05:16.080]letters from either clergy, school counselors,
[00:05:18.460]social workers, doctors, nurses, teachers,
[00:05:21.210]and others who are familiar with your situation
[00:05:23.650]could be requested in order to review your override request.
[00:05:27.400]Important to note, students who complete the
[00:05:29.470]dependency override process for a specific year
[00:05:31.660]must request the dependency override each following year
[00:05:34.350]that they attend UNL, should they still be unable
[00:05:36.900]to answer yes to any of the typical dependency questions
[00:05:39.960]that we've seen in this video.
[00:05:42.420]Thank you for watching Husker Hub Explains
[00:05:43.800]dependency status, should you have any questions
[00:05:46.040]regarding the information provided in this video
[00:05:48.360]or if needing assistance yourself
[00:05:49.950]in determining your dependency status,
[00:05:52.050]or if wanting to meet with the specialist
[00:05:53.570]concerning a dependency override,
[00:05:55.270]feel free to contact Husker Hub, take care.

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Husker Hub Explains: Who is Considered a Dependent Student on the FAFSA?

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