Age

• Whether student lives with his parents or receives financial support from his parents does not factor into dependent or independent status in most cases. Most undergraduate students will claim dependent status. All students younger than age 24 by Dec. 31 of the scholarship award year will file as a dependent when they fill out their FAFSA unless they qualify for an exception, according to the U.S. DOE.
  
  

Family

• Students younger than 24 years old who were orphans or wards or the court from the age of 13 until the age of 18 will not file dependent status for financial aid. Legally emancipated minors under 18 have the option of filing independent status on their FAFSA to receive more benefits. Married students and students with dependent children will file for independent status. Individuals who do not provide at least half the support for their children will claim dependent status.
  
  

Considerations

• Students may choose whether they want to file under either dependent or independent status if they suffer unusual circumstances, such as abandonment by their parents or physical abuse. If the director of a runaway youth program, homeless center, transitional housing program or emergency shelter determines that a student is at risk of homelessness, regardless of whether their parents can care for them, the U.S. DOE considers her an independent student instead of dependent. Adult students who are in legal guardianship of a court in their state due to mental or physical disability will file for independent status.
  
  

Exceptions

• Students under the age of 24 entering into a graduate or professional degree program, such as an MA, JD, Ph.D. or MBA, should not file dependent status on their financial aid form. In addition, veterans or those serving active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces automatically qualify for independent status as long as they received an honorable discharge from military service, according to the U.S. Department of Education.