FAFSA for 21-year-old with ADHD - can he apply without my income as a single mom?

Age has nothing to do with FAFSA dependency status. Your son will likely still be considered a dependent student unless he meets one of the specific criteria like being married, veteran, graduate student, etc. ADHD alone isnt enough for independant status but he should definitely contact disability services at his school for accommodations

Hi there, I work in financial aid advising and wanted to clarify a few things: 1. For FAFSA dependency status, age 21 doesn't automatically make him independent. The criteria include: - Being 24+ years old (by Dec 31 of award year) - Being married - Having children/dependents you support - Military service - Being an orphan/ward of court/in foster care after age 13 - Being emancipated minor or in legal guardianship - Being homeless or at risk of homelessness 2. For ADHD support: While it doesn't affect dependency status, there are resources: - Your son should register with the Disability Services office at his school - He may qualify for vocational rehabilitation services through your state - Some scholarships specifically target students with learning disabilities - The SAI calculation doesn't factor disability, but some schools have special funds You can request a "professional judgment" review if you have unusual financial circumstances. This is case-by-case and up to each school's financial aid office.

my daughter has adhd too and we were in similar situation. have u looked into parent plus loans? not ideal but helped us bridge the gap until she graduated. also check if ur state has special grants for students with learning disabilities

You might want to look into a dependency override. It's rare but sometimes schools will approve it for unusual circumstances. Your son's early college entry and ADHD might be factors they consider, especially if you can document financial hardship. Each school has different criteria, so he should make an appointment with a financial aid counselor to discuss his specific situation confidentially. Also, if you're struggling to reach the financial aid office (they're notoriously difficult to contact this time of year), I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to FSA in minutes when I was dealing with a similar situation. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or visit claimyr.com. It saved me hours of frustration when I needed answers about my son's unusual dependency situation.

I am a disabilities counselor at a university and want to add some important info: Your son should IMMEDIATELY apply for accommodations through his school's disability services office if he hasn't already. This isn't just for classroom accommodations - many schools have special scholarship funds for students with documented disabilities that aren't advertised publicly. Also, students registered with disability services sometimes get priority for on-campus jobs and other financial support. As for FAFSA dependency status, the other commenters are correct about the criteria. But I've seen successful dependency overrides for situations like yours when there's a combination of factors (early college entry, documented disability, financial hardship). The key is documentation - medical records, proof of expenses, and a detailed personal statement about the financial strain.

have u considered having him take a year off?? might sound crazy but my son did this and worked full time for a year which helped establish independent status for FAFSA since he could show he was supporting himself. plus the break helped him figure out what he REALLY wanted to study and now hes doing much better academically and got way more financial aid

the system is RIGGED against parents like us!!! i make decent money on paper but after taxes and bills theres NOTHING left for college. my daughter has dyslexia and we got ZERO help. these schools sit on BILLIONS in endowments while we go into debt. its CRIMINAL how they expect middle class families to pay these insane amounts!!!!!

After reading through this thread, I'd suggest a three-pronged approach: 1. Have your son schedule a meeting with both financial aid AND disability services together - sometimes having both departments in the same room leads to solutions that wouldn't happen separately 2. Prepare for a dependency override request with thorough documentation of: - His early college entry - Medical/treatment expenses related to ADHD - Your financial hardship (credit card statements, loan documents) - A detailed personal statement from both of you 3. Look into external scholarships specifically for students with ADHD - organizations like Eye to Eye, AAHD, and the Lime Connect Fellowship have programs worth exploring The timing is good since the 2025-2026 FAFSA launches in December with the new SAI formula, which might work more favorably in your situation.

just fyi my nephew tried the dependency override thing and got rejected even with tons of documentation so dont get ur hopes up too much. the system really sucks for middle income families

I'm so sorry you're going through this financial stress - it's heartbreaking to see parents sacrifice everything for their children's education. As someone who works with families in similar situations, I want to add a few practical suggestions: First, contact your state's vocational rehabilitation (VR) services immediately. Since your son has a documented ADHD diagnosis, he likely qualifies for VR support which can include tuition assistance, books, transportation, and even assistive technology. Each state runs this differently, but you can find your local office through your state's disability services website. Second, look into your state's developmental disabilities council - many have scholarship programs specifically for students with ADHD/learning disabilities that aren't well-publicized. Third, if your son is considering changing majors again, community college might be a strategic option for completing prerequisites while you sort out the financial aid situation. The credits transfer and it's much more affordable. Finally, document EVERYTHING related to his medical expenses and your financial hardship. Keep receipts for ADHD medications, therapy sessions, tutoring - all of this can support a professional judgment review or dependency override request. You're doing an amazing job advocating for your son. Don't give up hope - there are resources out there, they're just not always easy to find.