FAFSA dependent status nightmare - parents won't provide tax info for 2024-2025

Unfortunately, this is a common issue with the FAFSA system. At 19, your cousin is almost certainly considered a dependent student unless she meets one of the specific criteria for independent status (married, veteran, has dependents, etc.). For question 1: There is a provision for students with uncooperative parents called a "Dependency Override," but it's very difficult to qualify for. She would need to document that she has an abusive home situation, abandonment, or other extreme circumstances - just parents refusing to provide info usually isn't enough. However, she should definitely speak with her school's financial aid office about a "Professional Judgment" review. They can sometimes make case-by-case exceptions. For question 2: Yes! If she takes unsubsidized loans now and her parents cooperate next year, she absolutely can qualify for grants and subsidized loans in the 2025-2026 aid year. Each FAFSA application is evaluated independently, so she's not locked into anything permanently.

omg my brother went thru literally the EXACT same thing last yr!!! his parents refused 2 give any info bc they were fighting w/him about his major (they wanted business, he chose art) and he almost had 2 drop out. so frustratingggg

There's one more option you should know about. If your cousin's parents are truly refusing to provide information (not just procrastinating), she can complete a special FAFSA form indicating parental refusal. The school will then be able to offer her unsubsidized Direct loans ONLY - no need-based aid. This is essentially what happened already, but it would make it official. Here's the exact process: 1. On the FAFSA, she should indicate she can't provide parent information 2. Submit the FAFSA without parent information 3. Contact the financial aid office to confirm she's seeking unsubsidized loans only 4. Complete any additional documentation the school requires Regarding your second question - each year is separate. Next year's FAFSA could absolutely result in grants if her parents cooperate then. The key is getting her parents to understand they're not required to PAY for college - they just need to share their financial information.

The whole FAFSA system is RIGGED against students with difficult parents!!!!! 😡😡😡 I went through this EXACT nightmare scenario when I was in college. Unless your cousin is 24, married, has kids, is a veteran, or was in foster care, the government FORCES dependence on parents who may be TOXIC or FINANCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE!!! I ended up having to work 35 hours a week while taking classes full-time because my parents refused to help with FAFSA. My GPA suffered and I nearly had a breakdown. The financial aid system is BROKEN!!!!! Tell your cousin to document EVERYTHING - every email, every conversation with her parents refusing to provide info. Sometimes if you bug the financial aid office enough and show them enough evidence, they'll do a professional judgment review. But honestly? The system is designed to screw over students in this exact situation.

I work in a financial aid office and deal with this situation frequently. Here's what your cousin needs to know: 1. For the current aid year, without parental information, unsubsidized loans are unfortunately the maximum she can receive through federal aid. 2. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, if her parents provide information, she can absolutely qualify for the full range of aid - Pell Grants, work-study, subsidized loans, etc. Each FAFSA year is evaluated separately. Two suggestions: - Have her check if her school has an emergency aid fund for students in difficult situations - She should inquire about payment plans to spread tuition costs over the semester One last thing - the most effective strategy I've seen is having the financial aid office contact the parents directly to explain that providing information doesn't obligate them to pay anything. Sometimes hearing this from an official source makes parents more willing to provide the information.

have u tried getting thru to the fafsa ppl directly? i had a similar issue last yr and i finally got help after i used that claimyr service (claimyr.com) to get past the hold times at FSA. they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ basically they wait on hold for you and then call you when a real person picks up. i was able to get someone at FSA who explained all my options and even sent an official letter i could take to my financial aid office that helped with my situation. definitely worth trying since it's so hard to get answers about special cases!

I just went through this last semester with my FAFSA application! If your cousin is paying all her own bills and truly self-supporting, she should gather evidence of this - rent receipts, utility bills in her name, proof she's not claimed as a dependent on her parents' taxes (if possible). I brought all this documentation to my financial aid counselor and wrote a detailed letter explaining my situation. They initially said no to a dependency override, but when I asked for a Professional Judgment review instead and showed all my documentation of self-sufficiency, they were able to adjust my aid package. It didn't get me grants, but they found some institutional scholarships I qualified for that helped almost as much. Tell her not to give up after the first no!