Independent student status for FAFSA - can my 20-year-old daughter qualify for more grants?

Unfortunately, your friend is giving you incorrect information. For FAFSA purposes, a 20-year-old student is almost always considered a dependent student unless she meets one of the specific criteria for independence. Simply living in her own apartment and paying her own expenses does NOT make her independent for FAFSA purposes. To be considered independent on the FAFSA, a student must meet at least ONE of these conditions: - Be 24 years old by December 31 of the award year - Be married - Be a graduate/professional student - Be a veteran or active duty member of the armed forces - Have legal dependents other than a spouse - Be an emancipated minor - Be in legal guardianship - Be homeless or at risk of homelessness - Be an orphan/ward of the court/in foster care after age 13 Just living on her own and supporting herself doesn't qualify. This is a very common misconception!

Your friend might be thinking about a dependency override, which is different from automatically qualifying as independent. In rare cases, financial aid offices can override a student's dependent status if there are unusual circumstances (like parental abuse, abandonment, or incarceration). But simply living on her own and paying her own bills doesn't qualify for this override. I went through this last year with my son - called 6 different schools and they all said the same thing. Frustrating system for sure.

Most people don't know this, but there is actually a special process called "Professional Judgment" that financial aid offices can use in cases like your daughter's. While the standard FAFSA rules are quite rigid about dependency status, individual schools have some flexibility to adjust financial aid based on special circumstances. Here's what to do: 1. Have your daughter make an appointment with her school's financial aid office 2. Prepare documentation of her self-sufficiency (apartment lease, utility bills, pay stubs) 3. Write a detailed explanation of why your income shouldn't be counted (if you provide no support) 4. Ask specifically about a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Appeal" The response varies by school - some are more willing to work with students than others. Worth trying!

I tried getting independent status for my FAFSA last year and ended up having to call FSA like 8 times because they kept giving me different answers. Spent hours on hold every time. Somebody finally told me I need to apply for a "dependency override" directly with my school's financial aid office, not through FAFSA itself. Different schools have different forms for this. Still didn't work for me though because living on my own wasn't enough.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS WITH FAFSA!!! Self-supporting students get SCREWED by the system!! My daughter works 40 hours a week, pays ALL her own bills, we haven't claimed her on taxes in 2 years, but STILL counted as dependent. Makes NO SENSE. The system assumes parents are paying when many aren't or CAN'T. The whole thing needs to be reformed!!!

One other option worth mentioning: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they've expanded the eligible circumstances for dependency overrides. While simply living independently still doesn't automatically qualify, the documentation requirements have been somewhat streamlined. Your daughter should specifically ask about the updated guidance for "unusual circumstances" reviews when she speaks with her financial aid office. Also, remember that her SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) might be lower than you expect with the new FAFSA formula, potentially qualifying her for more aid even as a dependent student. The new calculations treat families with multiple college students differently than the old system did.

my daughter was in this exact situation. what worked for us was having her take a year off school, work full time and file taxes independently for 2 years. she also got married (was already engaged) which automatically made her independent. her pell grant was $7800 after that! might not work for everyone but just sharing what worked for us

One thing no one has mentioned yet - even if your daughter can't qualify as independent, she should still talk to her financial aid office about her current situation. Many schools have emergency grants, work-study opportunities, and other resources for students facing financial hardship. Also, she should look into private scholarships that don't use FAFSA information - there are many scholarships specifically for students who are supporting themselves through college.

I'm going through this exact same situation with my son right now! He's 21, lives completely on his own, and we haven't been able to help him financially for over a year due to our own financial struggles. What's been most helpful for us is documenting EVERYTHING - we kept records of all his rent payments, utility bills, grocery receipts, everything to show he's truly self-sufficient. Even though he still has to file as dependent on FAFSA, his school's financial aid office was willing to do a "professional judgment review" after we provided all this documentation plus a letter explaining our family's circumstances. They didn't change his dependency status officially, but they did adjust his aid package and gave him additional institutional grants. The key is being persistent and asking specifically about professional judgment or special circumstances reviews. Don't just accept the first "no" - different staff members at the financial aid office sometimes have different levels of authority to help. Also, timing matters - we had better luck scheduling appointments early in the semester when they weren't as overwhelmed.

I'm a current college student who went through this whole dependency override process last year, so I wanted to share some additional tips that might help your daughter. Even though I didn't qualify for independent status either, I learned a lot about the system that might be useful. First, when she meets with financial aid, she should ask about ALL types of aid available - not just federal grants. Many schools have institutional aid pools that use different criteria than FAFSA. Some schools also have "gap funding" specifically for students whose FAFSA doesn't reflect their actual situation. Second, if your family's financial situation has changed since you filed taxes (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), make sure to mention this during the professional judgment review. They can sometimes adjust your income figures based on current circumstances rather than just tax returns. Also, encourage her to apply for work-study if she hasn't already. Even if the pay isn't amazing, work-study jobs are designed around student schedules and the income doesn't count against her aid eligibility the same way regular employment does. One last thing - if her current school isn't helpful, she might want to reach out to other schools she's interested in transferring to. Some schools are just more generous with professional judgment reviews than others. It's worth shopping around if she's open to transferring. Best of luck with everything! The system is definitely frustrating but there are usually some options if you keep pushing.

Just wanted to add one more resource that might help - your daughter should also look into her state's financial aid programs. Many states have their own grant programs that use different criteria than federal aid, and some are more flexible about family income thresholds. For example, some state grants focus more on the student's individual circumstances rather than strictly following FAFSA dependency rules. Also, if she's working part-time now, she might want to see if her employer offers any tuition assistance programs. Even smaller companies sometimes have education benefits that aren't well-publicized. It's worth asking HR about any available programs. The community college route is another option to consider if money is really tight - she could potentially take some required courses there for much less cost and then transfer those credits back to her current school. Many students do this during summer sessions to save money while still making progress toward their degree. Keep advocating for her! The squeaky wheel really does get the grease when it comes to financial aid offices.