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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Special Circumstances

Am I a dependent or independent student?

You are considered a dependent student and must report parent information unless you fit any of the below criteria for an independent student:

  • Will you be 24 or older by Dec. 31 of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid?

  • Will you be working toward a master’s or doctorate degree (such as M.A., M.B.A., M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.)?

  • Are you married or separated but not divorced?

  • Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?

  • Do you have dependents (other than children or a spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?

  • At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a ward or dependent of the court?

  • Are you an emancipated minor or are you in a legal guardianship as determined by a court?

  • Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

  • Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training?

  • Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?

 

I don’t live with my grandparents/aunt/sister/someone other than my parents. Do I enter their information on the FAFSA?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t live with your parent or parents; you still must report information about them. The following people are not your parents unless they have legally adopted you: grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older brothers or sisters, uncles or aunts, and widowed stepparents.

 

What if my parents are divorced?

For divorced or separated parents, how you fill out the FAFSA depends on whether your parents live together or not. If your parents are divorced or separated and do not live together, answer the questions about the parents with whom you lived more during the past 12 months. If you lived equally with each parent, give answers about the parents who provided more financial support during the past 12 months.

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If your divorced parents live together, you’ll indicate their marital status as “Unmarried and both legal parents living together” and answer questions about both of them on the FAFSA form.

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How do I handle stepparents on the FAFSA?

If you have a stepparent who is married to the legal parent whose information you’re reporting, you must provide information about the stepparent as well.

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My parents are undocumented and so do not have social security numbers, how do I fill out the FAFSA?

Your parents’ citizenship does not affect your ability to complete the FAFSA. If your parents do not have Social Security numbers, you must enter 000-00-0000 when the FAFSA asks for parents’ Social Security numbers. If your parents do not have Social Security numbers, you must print out the signature page from the online FAFSA so that your parents can sign it and send it

 

I’m a DACA student, should I fill out the FAFSA?​

DACA and undocumented students are ineligible for federal student aid and in-state tuition in North Carolina. If you are a DACA student with a social security number, you can still submit the FAFSA and get an EFC to use for need-based scholarships.

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What if I’m unable to provide parent information due to special circumstances?

In situations such as the ones below, you may be able to submit your FAFSA without parent information despite being considered a dependent student:

  • Your parents are incarcerated

  • You’ve left home due to an abusive family environment

  • You do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them

The FAFSA will ask you whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to provide parent information. The site will allow you to submit your FAFSA without entering parent data. However, you will not receive an Expected Family Contribution and must immediately contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend.

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What if my parents refuse to give any of their info for the FAFSA?

You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form, but FAFSA understands that sometimes parents refuse to provide information. In this case, when the FAFSA asks where you are able to provide information about your parents, say no. On the next page, select the option that says you don’t have a special circumstance but still can’t provide parent information. If your parents do not support you and refuse to provide their information on the application, you may submit your FAFSA form without the information. However, you won’t be able to get any federal student aid other than an unsubsidized loan. If you agree to this, you may submit your FAFSA form without parent information and immediately contact your school’s financial aid office to discuss the possibility of getting an unsubsidized loan.

Teacher and Young Student

Residency Determination Service

Special Circumstances

My parents are undocumented, how do I fill out RDS?

If your parents are undocumented and do not have an ID number, you will likely be determined a non-resident. You can appeal this in RDS within ten days of the initial determination, in which case an RDS specialist will work one-on-one with students for determination and you will show other documentation that you live in North Carolina, for example school transcripts, leasing information, utility bills, etc. If you receive an out-of-state determination, come see Ms. Befort or your counselor and they can walk you through the RDS appeal process. No data from RDS identifies parents as undocumented.

 

I am a DACA student, how do I fill out RDS?

If you are a DACA student, you are not an NC resident for tuition purposes. In the RDS Online Interview, when asked “Do you claim to be a NC Resident,” you will have to answer “No.” RDS will then end and assign you an RCN that you can enter into your college admissions applications.

 

I am experiencing homelessness, how do I fill out RDS?

When you fill out RDS, you will be asked a series of questions that will allow RDS to flag you as potentially homeless, and your application will end there and alert you that your determination is “Under Review.” An RDS official will personally reach out to you by the end of the next business day to help you document and validate your NC residency.

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My parents are moving to another state after I start college, will I still get in-state tuition at a North Carolina college?

As long as you have completed RDS during your senior year and provided your RCN to the college where you will enroll, you should continue to get in-state tuition at the school for all your years of enrollment. Your in-state residency determination will last your whole enrollment. However, if you transfer to another university, you may need to do RDS again.

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