Changes in Financial Aid Circumstances
Some students have special family circumstances that make it more challenging to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, they should still plan to complete the FAFSA and apply for aid via additional/other avenues.
Below are some of the most common special circumstances that cause confusion when filling out the FAFSA, as well as clear directions for each case.
When in doubt, contact the Financial Aid Office at the institution the student is enrolled at to explain the circumstance.
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Foster Youth
There is a lot of complexity added to the FAFSA when dealing with the foster system. For the most part, foster youth can fill out the FAFSA just as any other student would. However, there are a few key distinctions when it comes to filling in parental information:
- A foster child can select “unknown” for the highest level of education a parent has gotten. If they live in a foster home or with a relative that is not their parent, they do not need to include their guardian’s information on the FAFSA unless they have been legally adopted. Note: a legal guardian is NOT the same as being legally adopted.
- A foster child is most likely going to be considered an “independent” rather than a dependent when it comes to determining their status.
- A student can be considered a foster youth if they’ve been in and out of foster care. The federal requirement for this is that a student must have spent any time in the foster care system past the age of 13.
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Homeless
Homeless students are another special population you may encounter, here are some of the things to know.
- A student must indicate that they are homeless on the FAFSA in order for Federal Student Aid to enact certain workarounds, which then allow the student to submit it without all the information that a non-homeless student would need.
- A homeless student does not need to enter parental information if they are an “unaccompanied” homeless student. This specification indicates that they are homeless and that their parents are not with them.
- When it comes to entering an address, if they selected they are homeless, they need to put down an address where they can receive mail. However, if at any time they do find permanent housing they need to update their FAFSA in terms of being homeless and then putting down a permeant address.
Scroll down to see more details about completing the FAFSA as a homeless student.
src: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/homeless-youth.pdf
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Parents Unwilling to Fill Out FAFSA
You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form. However, there is a clear process for completing the FAFSA if students find themselves in this situation.
src: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info#unwilling-parents
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Parents Are Not Going To File Taxes
For a variety of reasons, parents may choose not to file a tax return but students can still complete a FAFSA without that information.
- Students should know: it is NOT a requirement that their parent(s) file taxes in order for the student to successfully file the FAFSA. It may, however, impact the aid that they receive.
- Parents not claiming the student on tax returns does NOT make a student independent.
- If the parent(s) do not file taxes, this needs to be indicated on the FAFSA under the tax information portion of the form. From there a student can fill out the FAFSA as normal.
- Odds are that the student’s FAFSA will be flagged for verification, but the process will be slightly different.
- A parent will most likely need to submit a “Verification of Non-Filing Letter” indicating that they do not need to file taxes. To do this they will need to submit a special form—the 4506-T—to the IRS to receive this letter.
- Many schools will then ask the parents to fill out a “Tax Non-Filing Statement” which will ask them about income, wages, and other benefits.
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Divorced Parents and Stepparents
How students fill out the FAFSA form depends on whether their parents live together or not. Here are some scenarios to consider.
src: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info#divorced-separated
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Undocumented/DACA Students
Students that are not legal U.S. citizens do not have the ability to file the FAFSA, however, there are other venues for these students to receive aid.
- Undocumented students, and/or their advocates, are encouraged to contact the institution(s) they would like to attend. Institutions often have ways they can provide funding in the event that a student is unable to file the FAFSA due to residency status.
- ^^^This is especially true if students do not have a Social Security Number which can bar them from completing the FAFSA.
- If the student is a DACA student, they must answer “No” to the question about being a U.S. citizen.
- If a DACA student has a Social Security Number, they can fill out the FAFSA normally, even if their parents do not have one. Their parents should enter all zeros when asked for their Social Security Number. If a student’s parent(s) is undocumented, but the student was born in America, they are an American citizen and they are eligible to file the FAFSA, just like anyone else.
What if my parents are concerned about providing their information because of their citizenship status?
How should we report information about my noncitizen parents on my FAFSA® form?
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Not all special family circumstances are covered in these questions. More help can be found below.
Tips to Help Students in Unique Situations and Populations
src: https://www.nasfaa.org/Unique_Student_Circumstances
Source: MCAN