Questions 48-60 (Dependency questions - All applicants must complete)

These questions appear in Step 2 of the online FAFSA (FAFSA on the Web) or in Step Three of the PDF or paper FAFSA.

Purpose: These questions are used to determine, according to law, whether you are a dependent or an independent student for purposes of calculating an EFC. If you answer "No" to all of these questions, you are a dependent student, even if you do not live with your parents. On a case-by-case basis, a financial aid administrator (FAA) may make an otherwise dependent student independent if he or she can document in the student's file that the student's individual circumstances warrant the decision. The reason must relate to that individual student and not to an entire class of students. The FAA's decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

A dependent student moves on to Questions 61-95, and provides information about his or her parents in the purple areas of the paper FAFSA or in the area designated for parental income on FAFSA on the Web. An independent student skips Questions 61-95 and picks up with Question 96 and continues through to the end of the application. All students must complete the rest of the application from Question 104.a. through the end.

You must answer "Yes" or "No" to each of the following questions:

48. Were you born before January 1, 1986? Note that if you were born on January 1, 1986, you should answer "No."

49. As of today, are you married? Answer "Yes" if you are legally married on the date you complete the application. As previously stated under the instructions for Question 16, marital status cannot be projected. "Married" does not mean living together unless your state recognizes your relationship as common-law marriage. Answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced.

50. At the beginning of the 2009-10 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, Ph.D., EdD, graduate certificate, etc.)? You should answer "Yes" if you will be enrolled in a master's or doctorate program in the initial term you attend in 2009-10. If you will be finishing your bachelor's degree in the initial term of the school year and then moving on to a master's or doctorate you should first answer Question 50 as "No." Once you have completed the undergraduate degree, this Question should be corrected to "Yes" and resubmitted. You should also notify your FAA.

A graduate or professional student is not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, an ACG Grant, a National SMART Grant or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, so if you incorrectly report that you are a graduate or professional student, you will need to correct this answer to receive any of these federal grants as an undergraduate student who is otherwise eligible.

51. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training? Answer "Yes" if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee who is on active duty for other than state or training purposes. Answer "No" if you are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee who is on active duty for state or training purposes.

52. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? You should answer "Yes" if

• You have engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard), or you were a member of the National Guard or Reserve who was called to active duty for purposes other than state or training purposes, or you were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, and



• You were released under a condition other than dishonorable. Box 24 of the DD214 indicates the "Character of Service." If anything other than "dishonorable" appears in that box, you should answer "Yes" to this question, as long as you were called to active service. There is no minimum amount of time the student has to have served to be considered a veteran for federal student aid purposes, but the service does have to be considered "active service." If "dishonorable" appears in box 24, you must answer "No" to Question 52.

You should also answer "Yes" if you are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30, 2010.

You should answer "No" (you are not a veteran) if

• you have never engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces,



• you are currently an ROTC student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy, or



• you are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee activated only for training purposes.

Note that if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2010, you should answer "No" to this particular question.

53. Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010? "Support" includes money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothes, car payments or expenses, medical and dental care, and payment of school costs. An applicant whose unborn child will be born before the end of the award year (June 30, 2010) may answer "Yes" if the child will receive more than half of his or her support from you throughout the award year. Note that the support is the issue here; it does not matter whether the child lives with you or not.

54. Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2010? Again, the FAFSA is asking about "support" that includes money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothes, car payments or expenses, medical and dental care, and payment of school costs. In this question, the people supported must live with you throughout the award year.

55. At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent/ward of the court?
You should answer "Yes" if you had no living parent (biological or adoptive) at any time since you turned age 13 or older, even if you are now adopted.

Answer "Yes" if you were in foster care since you turned age 13 or older, even if you are no longer in foster care as of today.

Answer "Yes" if you were a dependent/ward of the court at any time since you turned age 13 or older, even if you are no longer a dependent/ward of the court as of today.

Note that the financial aid administrator at your school may require you to provide proof that you were in foster care or were a dependent/ward of the court.

56. Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?

Answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that as of today you are an emancipated minor. Also answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that you were an emancipated minor immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. The court must be located in your state of legal residence at the time the court's decision was issued.

Answer "No" if you are still a minor and the court decision is no longer in effect or the court decision was not in effect at the time you became an adult.

57. Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?

Answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that as of today you are in legal guardianship. Also answer "Yes" if you can provide a copy of a court's decision that you were in a legal guardianship immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. The court must be located in your state of legal residence.

58. At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?

59. At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?

60. At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

For Questions 58-60, answer “Yes” if you received a determination at any time on or after July 1, 2008, that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless, or for question 60, self-supporting and at risk of being homeless. Note that the financial aid administrator at your college may require you to provide a copy of the determination if you answered “Yes” to Question 58, 59, or 60.

You may be considered an unaccompanied homeless youth or be a youth who was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless even though you do not have a determination from the district liaison or the director of the programs cited in these questions. These officials only make these determinations if you are in high school or are receiving their services. If you are not in high school or receiving the services of these programs, your financial aid office can determine whether you should be considered an unaccompanied homeless youth or an unaccompanied youth who is self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

You should contact your financial aid office for assistance if you do not have a determination but believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or are an unaccompanied youth providing for your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless. If you are older than 21 but not yet 24, you should also contact your financial aid office if you are homeless or are self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

Answer "No" if you are not homeless, self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, or do not have a determination from a district liaison, director of a cited program, or your financial aid administrator.

If you answered "Yes" to any of the questions 48-60, you should now skip to Question 96. If you answered "No" to every one of these questions, continue with Question 61. If you are a health professions student, your school may require you to complete Questions 61-95 even if you answered "Yes" to any of the dependency questions.