dependency
For financial aid, yourstatus as dependent or independentisbased onyouranswers to thedependency questionslisted on the FAFSA.
You are automatically independentif you are:
- 24 years of ageor older
- Considered an orphan
- A veteran
- Married
- A graduate student
- Orhavedependents
If you do not meet the criteria above, you may appeal to be treated as an independent student if there are unusual circ*mstances that make it difficult or impossible for youto provide parent income information on the FAFSA. Those reasons include, but are not limited to:
- Circ*mstances that threatenyourhealth or safety
- Abandonment by parents
- Custodial parent(s) is/areincarcerated
- Both parents are deceased (and/or non-custodial parent is estranged)
- You arein the legal custody of a family member or other adult
The Department of Educationdoes notconsider the following situations to be eligible for dependency appeal consideration:
- Your parents refuse to contribute to your education.
- Yourparents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
- Your parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- You demonstrates total self-sufficiency to support yourself.
Please contact usif your parent is refusing to provide their information on the FAFSA or if you would like to submit an appeal and have questions.
All appeals are considered by the Dependency Appeals Committeewithin OSSA. You will initiate the process with Dependency Appeal Form.
To prepare to complete the the form, please be aware you will need to upload:
- One (1) detailed personal statement from you that:
- accurately describes your unusual circ*mstances
- speaks to the nature of your relationship with both your biological or adopted parents
- Two (2) letters of support, which may come from*:
- an adult professional who can confirm the unusual family circ*mstance you described in your personal statement. Adult professionals include:
- custodian(s), teachers, counselors, social workers, clergy members, law enforcement officers, physicians, mental health professionals
- a neutral party such as a relative or close family friend who has first-hand/direct knowledge and can confirm your circ*mstances described in your personal statement
- this does not include fellow students
- letters must be signed with wet signature (not electronic) and dated by the individuals providing them on your behalf
- an adult professional who can confirm the unusual family circ*mstance you described in your personal statement. Adult professionals include:
*If you are unable to provide two letters of support, we may accept official documentation such as court orders, police reports, restraining orders, or social worker reports in lieu of one of the letters.
The appeals committeemay request additional information or documentation to make a decision. Once a decision has been made, you will be notified by email.
If you are approved to be treated as an independent student, the renewal process is quite simple! You need to submit your FAFSA without parent information for the upcoming school year first.
We will roll over your FAFSA independent student status each year moving forward and assume the circ*mstances that prevented you from providing parent information are still the same unless you indicate your circ*mstances have changedor if there is conflicting information on your financial aid application. Your initial submission will show as ‘rejected’ however, we will get it updated for you.
risk of homelessness
You may be considered independent if you are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In some cases, you may have received documentation fromone or more ofthe following:
- A local educational agency homeless liaison, per the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
- The director (or designee) of an emergency/transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving individuals experiencing homelessness;
- The director (or designee) of a project supported by a Federal TRIO or GEAR UP grant;
- A financial aid administrator at another institution who documented the student’s circ*mstance in a prior award year.
If you do not have documentation from any of the individuals above, a financial aid administrator can also make the determination.
If you feel you meet the risk of homelessness criteria, you can view more information on thefederal website, and then complete the form for the homelessness determination process.
FAQ's
Youmust have an approved Juvenile Petition for Emancipation from the NC court systemto meet the definition of an emancipated minor. If you do not live in the custody of your parents and there is a special circ*mstance, you may want to consider submitting a dependency appeal.
In North Carolina, legal custody is defined as the right for a court appointed individual to make major decisionson your behalf. Guardianship extends this a littlefurther, andallowsacourt-appointed guardian to make major decisionsandmanageyouraffairs, property, or estate.You can view more information on the NC Courts website.
If requested,youwill need to present documentation that shows legal guardianship. Wecannot accept legal custody documents as proof of legal guardianship.
As a first-year student, you can use documentation signed by a counselor or other homeless district liaison that indicates your status according to McKinney-Vento. Inthe following academicyears, youcancontactour officeso thatwecan make the determination.
You areconsidered homeless ifyoulack fixed, regular, and adequate housing. This includes living “on the street” as well as temporarily living with other people becauseyouhave nowhere else to go, living in substandard housing (no utilities), living in emergency or transitional shelters; or living in motels,camp grounds, cars, parks, abandoned buildings or any public or private place not designed for humans to live in. It can also include living in a dorm if youwould otherwise be homeless.
No. We treatyourfinancial aid information asyour ownand parents are not able to receive information from our office if they have not been set up byyouas a proxy. If your dependency appeal is approved, please check to make sure your parent is no longerassigned a PINby which they can access information about your financial aid.
Office of Scholarships and Student Aid
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Office Address
111 Pettigrew Hall Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Phone
919-962-8396
Email
aidinfo@unc.edu
Drop-In Office Hours
Mon – Fri
10:00am – 3:00pm EST
Phone Hours
Mon – Fri
9:00am – 4:00pm EST
2024 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
