Dependency Review

Use this form to request a review of your dependency status. Dependency appeals are only approved for documented extenuating circumstances (i.e., abuse, abandonment, etc.). The Higher Education Act allows an aid administrator to make dependency overrides on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances. However, none of the conditions listed below, singly or in combination, qualify as unusual circumstances or merit a dependency override:

1. Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education;
2. Parents are unwilling to provide information on the application or for verification;
3. Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes;
4. Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Unusual circumstances do include an abusive family environment or abandonment by parents and may cause any of the above conditions. In such cases a dependency override might be warranted.

Important

• Changes resulting from this review do not guarantee an increase in aid.