Asking for a dependency override

If you cannot give parent information on the FAFSA because of abandonment, abuse or another serious break with your family, you can ask the financial aid office for a dependency override. This page explains how to start the request, what to gather and what happens next.

What an override covers

An override lets the aid administrator treat a dependent student as independent for federal aid, using professional judgment. Schools use it for unusual circumstances such as an abusive or dangerous home, abandonment by parents, or parents who are in prison or whose whereabouts are unknown. Each case is decided by the school, one student at a time.

Parents who simply refuse to fill out the form or to pay are a different situation. In that case the office may be able to offer federal unsubsidized loans without parent information, though grants usually need the full form.

Starting on the FAFSA

The form lets you say that you have unusual circumstances and cannot provide parent information. You can then submit it without that section, and the result is held as provisional until a school reviews your case. Send it to every school you are considering so each one can start its own review.

Contact the aid office right after you submit, because a provisional result does not lead to an offer on its own. Ask what the office needs and the date it needs it by, and write down the name of the person you speak with.

Before you contact the office

• A list of people who know your situation
• Any letters, records or reports you already have
• A short written account in your own words
• Your FAFSA confirmation

Building your documentation

Most offices ask for a letter from a third party who knows your situation, such as a school counselor, social worker, teacher, clergy member or a staff member at a shelter or agency. The letter describes the circumstances and how the writer knows about them. Court records or police reports can help, but they are rarely required.

If no one can write a letter, ask whether the administrator can document your situation through an interview instead. You may also be asked for a short personal statement in your own words. Give only the details the office asks for, and ask how it keeps your records private.

After a decision

When the office approves an override, it can carry into later years at the same school, sometimes with a short confirmation each year. If you change schools, the new school makes its own decision, though it can take the earlier one into account. Keep copies of everything you sent.

If the office says no, ask what was missing, whether you can add more documents, and whether the school offers a second review. A request about a change in income or costs goes through the special circumstances process instead, which is described separately.