Dependency Override (DO) Changes

When a student’s family situation is unusual or has significantly changed, they may request a Dependency Appeal to be considered an independent student for financial aid purposes.

To review a dependency appeal, the Financial Aid Office must receive detailed documentation that clearly supports the reason for the request. In most cases, this documentation should come from a third party who is familiar with the student’s circumstances.

Financial Aid Administrators have the discretion, on a case-by-case basis, to change a student’s status from dependent to independent in situations where the family relationship has broken down. The U.S. Department of Education provides clear guidance on which situations may or may not qualify for a dependency override.

Examples for a Dependency Appeal include – but are not limited to:

• Abandonment by parents.
• An abusive family environment that threatens a student’s health/safety.
• Not being able to locate parents.
• Student or parent incarceration.
• Parents who lack the physical or mental capacity to raise the child.
• Parents hospitalized for an extended period.
• An unsuitable household (e.g., child removed from the household and placed in foster care).
• A married student’s spouse dies, or student gets divorced.
• Human trafficking.
• Being legally granted refugee or asylum status.

Examples that do not qualify for a Dependency Appeal – but are not limited to:
The following circumstances, on their own, do not meet the federal criteria for a dependency override: 

• Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.
• Parents are unwilling to complete the FAFSA or provide documentation for FAFSA verification.
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for tax purposes.
• The student lives apart from their parents.
• The student works and is financially self-sufficient. 

Note:
If a dependency override appeal is approved, the university will typically continue to treat the student as independent in future academic years unless the student reports a change in circumstances or the university receives conflicting information.