FAFSA dependency status for foster child with guardianship - independent or dependent?

Your foster daughter will likely qualify as an independent student for FAFSA purposes! The 2024-2025 FAFSA (and 2025-2026 when it opens) specifically lists foster care status as one of the qualifying conditions for independent status. If at any time since she turned 13, she was in foster care OR was a dependent/ward of the court, she can answer YES to that question on the FAFSA, making her independent. This means she won't need your financial information or her birth mother's. She'll only report her own income/assets. Make sure she answers that specific dependency question correctly - it's absolutely critical for her aid eligibility.

my cousin was in a sitaution like this last yr. she checked the box for 'ward of court' and 'legal guardianship' and got to file as independnt. but make sure ur daughter brings paperwork to the financial aid office bc they might ask for proof. they made my cousin show the court papers.

There's actually a specific question on the FAFSA that addresses legal guardianship. The exact wording on the 2024-2025 FAFSA (and likely similar for 2025-2026) is: "Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?" If you answer YES to this, she qualifies as independent. Also, make sure she checks with each college's financial aid office because some may require additional documentation. The verification process can be frustrating - they might request court documents proving the guardianship arrangement. Keep those papers handy! One more thing: if she was never formally in foster care but went directly to guardianship, make sure she only answers YES to the guardianship question, not the foster care one. Accuracy matters here.

just wanna chime in to say my brother was in this EXACT situation!!! the school financial aid ppl kept going back and forth about if he was independent or not. total nightmare. took forever. different people told us different things everytime we called fafsa.

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly about this? They can give you the official answer for your specific situation. I spent 3 hours on hold last month trying to get through to them about my son's dependency override situation... so frustrating!

Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses! I'm feeling much more confident now. To summarize what I'm understanding: She should answer YES to the legal guardianship question, which will qualify her as independent. We'll have all court documentation ready for the inevitable verification process. I'm going to try reaching out to the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly for final confirmation (and might try that Claimyr service to avoid the long hold times). I'll also have her contact the financial aid offices at her chosen schools to see if they need any additional documentation upfront. This has been so helpful!

oh also tell her to apply for scholarhsips for foster youth even if shes just in guardianship!! my cousin got like 3 different ones bc there not many people who apply for them!

Just wanted to add another resource that might be helpful - the National Foster Youth Institute has a FAFSA guide specifically for youth who aged out of foster care or are in guardianship situations. They break down all the dependency questions really clearly and have sample documentation you might need. Also, don't forget to look into your state's tuition waiver programs for former foster youth - many states have these even for students in guardianship situations. Your daughter might qualify for in-state tuition waivers or other benefits beyond just federal aid. Worth checking with your state's higher education agency!