For Students
HOW TO WIN A FAFSA DEPENDENCY STATUS APPEAL
BY THE STAFF OF SEATTLE EDUCATION ACCESS
When you fill out the FAFSA (that’s the online application to get federal financial aid), you are asked to fill out a bunch of questions about whether you are independent or dependent. If you are under the age of 24 and classified as dependent, then you need to provide the financial information and signature of your parent or parents (if you have two parents and they are still married. If you have two parents who are divorced, you only need info for one, so use the one with less money!).
Some students under the age of 24 are automatically granted independent status, if they fall in one of these categories: they have been in foster care, are a ward of the court, have been emancipated, are orphaned, have been homeless, are supporting dependents other than a spouse (usually this means they have kids they are supporting), or are a military veteran.
So. . . what do you do if your parents can’t or won’t help you fill out the FAFSA?
You ask your college’s financial aid office for a Dependency Override Appeal. (Different colleges have slightly different names for this, like the Dependency Status Appeal, but it’s all the same thing.) This is your chance to explain why you should be considered independent. You will need to prove to the financial aid office that you have “unusual circumstances” that are similar to the hardships suffered by foster youth or homeless youth, and that you deserve financial aid. This process will not work if you have a normal, happy family that just doesn’t happen to have enough money to send you to college. It only works if you have “unusual circumstances,” such as:
- Youth who have been neglected or abused
- Youth with parents who are mentally ill or incarcerated
- Youth who have been abandoned, disowned by their families of origin, or cannot locate their parents
- Youth who have been raised by family members or other persons, other than their biological parents, including but not limited to youth formally in kinship care
Most financial aid offices require four documents for the appeal:
- A short form (available at your school’s financial aid office — some schools skip this step though)
- A personal statement explaining your unusual circumstances
- Two letters of support from service providers who know you and can attest that your personal statement is true
Once your documentation is turned in, a financial aid officer will interview you, review your documents, and either grant or deny your appeal. If it is granted, you can complete the FAFSA without your parental information or signature. This is a subjective process; one financial aid officer might grant an appeal while a different person at a different school might reject the exact same appeal.
At Seattle Education Access, our staff has seven years of experience in helping students win Dependency Override Appeals. Based on our experience, here are some helpful tips on how to make your appeal successful:
- Have someone help you write your personal statement so that it can be as powerful and complete as possible. Having to talk about your private trauma to strangers is horrible, but unfortunately this is what you are going to have to do to fight the system and get the financial aid you need. You will need to be specific and vivid in detailing your situation. Get social support from people you trust in deciding how much of your trauma you are willing to share, and how to present yourself in a way that is self-respecting, while still clearly documenting your unusual circumstances
- Make sure that your letters of support are from people that the financial aid office will listen to, such as former teachers, case managers, service providers, therapists, etc. Write your personal statement first and then give a copy to the people you are asking to write letters, so that the details of your situation will be fresh in their minds as they write their letters of support
- If possible, bring an advocate with you to your interview, especially if you are a person of color or from a marginalized community. The financial aid officer will be more likely to be on his/her best ethical behavior if you have an external witness
- If your appeal is valid but denied anyway, don’t give up. Get the name of the person who interviewed you, and go to their supervisor. Have an advocate talk to the supervisor as well. If that doesn’t work, start over again at another college
- If you have any questions, call the staff of Seattle Education Access at 206-523-6200. Good luck with your appeal, and with college!
