Provisional Independent Student Status on the FAFSA

One of the most welcome changes to the FAFSA is the creation of the provisional independent student status. What does this mean and why is it a good thing?

When students file the FAFSA to apply for college financial aid, they report their financial information, including income and assets. Most traditional undergraduate students also need to report the same information for one or more parents. These are called dependent students.

Students that don't need to list parent information are called independent students. What determines if you are a dependent or independent student? There is a series of questions on the FAFSA to help determine your status. If you can answer yes to any one of these questions, you're an independent student.

These are questions like: "Are you married?," "Will you be 24 years old when you start college?," or " Will you be earning a graduate degree?"

These are just a few examples, but they give a good idea of the type of circumstances that would lead to a student being independent. You can view the full list here.

The problem is that many students may not be able to answer yes to any of these questions, but they have unusual circumstances that make it difficult or impossible to file a FAFSA with parent information.

The new provisional independent student status allows these students to request to be treated as an independent student, due to their specific circumstances, and to submit a FAFSA without parent information. They do so by answering yes to the FAFSA question, "Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?" Students could also indicate that they are unacommpanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, with no one to verify this status. The colleges to which the student is sending the FAFSA will receive the application and make the final decision as to whether or not the student will ultimately be treated as an independent student.

Students who have filed the FAFSA using the provisional independent student status should remain in contact with their prospective colleges and be ready to document their situation to support their claim of independence, as it's likely colleges will request additional information or documentation. Students will only be approved as an independent student if they truly cannot provide parent information, or it is unsafe for them to do so. Examples of situations include students who have left home due to an abusive or threatening environment, students who have been abandoned or estranged by parents, and students who are unable to locate or contact their parents.

If it is determined that the student does need to provide parent information and be classified as a dependent student, the student will still have the opportunity to at least receive their full limit in an Unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan without providing parent information on the FAFSA.

If you have questions about how a college might review your particular circumstances, it's best to reach out to the college's financial aid office. And if you have questions about the financial aid process in general, contact us here at MEFA at (800) 449-MEFA (6332) or collegeplanning@mefa.org.

Learn more about financial aid