my mother died. My father is in a different country all together and doesn't make any money. My uncle and aunt raised me and I'm
Pretty sure they are guardians of me because it's been 7 years and they have signed some papers and my uncle said told me I am not dependent of him. So since my dad doesn't support me. Am I independent? I just want to know this so I can be prepared to fill out the fafsa senior year. So am
I right?
nancy
Favorite Answer
If one parent dies, then the student must use the information for the other parent. This is true even if the parent lives in another country. It doesn't matter whether he supports you or not, because the FAFSA isn't about determining support. It's about determining a parent's ability to pay for college. However, if your aunt and uncle were appointed as your permanent legal guardians by a court in the state where you live, then you may be considered independent. Private guardianship agreements, such as those drawn up by a lawyer, do not count--it has to be legal guardianship appointed by a court, and you have to be either still in guardianship, or you were when you turned 18. Another possibility is a dependency override. This is a process that permits a financial aid administrator to change a student's dependency status to independent under certain circumstances. It can only be used for serious situations where it would be impossible or unsafe for a student to obtain parent information. For example, a history of abuse, abandonment, parent incarceration, or parents who are mentally or physically unable to provide information. It can also be used if the student does not know where the parent is, or cannot contact the parent through normal means (mail, telephone, email, etc). Cases like yours are decided on a case by case basis. Sending the student to live with relatives while the parent remains in another country isn't enough in itself. However, if you were abandoned by your father, or have had little or no contact with him for many years, and can document it, then the school may decide to override your dependency. Contact the financial aid department at your school to discuss the situation and ask about their process for a dependency override.