Unusual Circumstances

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Unusual Circumstances

Independent Status

The FAFSA form determines a student’s dependency status based on a set of questions. If you are not able to answer “yes” to the Personal Circumstance questions below, you are considered a dependent student and will be requested to submit your parent’s information. The Office of Financial Aid understands in some cases, a student may be unable to provide parent information on their FAFSA. In these cases, we may be able to use our professional judgment to override your dependency status.

Independent Status Criteria

You are considered an independent student if you can answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions:

Will you be 24 or older by January 1 of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid?
Are you married or separated but not divorced?
Will you be working toward a master’s or doctorate degree (such as M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed. D, etc.)?
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?
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?
At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a ward of the court?
Are you an emancipated minor or are you in legal guardianship as determined by a court?
Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

Students with unusual circumstances that prevent a student from obtaining parent information may have the opportunity to request a Dependency Override. The Office of Financial Aid will review and make overrides for students with unusual circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on dependency status, visit studentaid.gov/dependency.

Examples of Unusual Circumstances for Dependency Override Requests

A person experiencing an unusual circumstance may have:

Left home due to an abusive or threatening environment.
Are abandoned by or estranged from their parents and have not been adopted.
Have refugee or asylee status and are separated from their parents, or their parents are displaced in a foreign country.
Are a victim of human trafficking.
Are incarcerated, or their parents are incarcerated, and contact with the parents would pose a risk to the student.
Are otherwise unable to contact or locate their parents, and have not been adopted.

Circumstances That Do Not Warrant a Dependency Override

Unfortunately, some circumstances do not allow the Office of Financial Aid to re-evaluate your dependency status. The following examples do not qualify for dependency override consideration:

Parents refusing to contribute to your education
Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA form or for verification
Parents not claiming you as a dependent for income tax purposes
You, as the student, demonstrating total self-sufficiency

How to Request a Review of Your Dependency Status

Complete your FAFSA form for the appropriate academic year at studentaid.gov. If you are unable to provide parent information, indicate on your FAFSA that you will not provide parent information.
Schedule an appointment with one of our financial aid advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for a Dependency Override due to Unusual Circumstances at wichita.edu/finaidappt.
The financial aid advisor will discuss your options. If your circumstance qualifies, you will be provided further direction on how to apply.
You will need to provide documentation to support your application. Acceptable documentation could include:
1. Third-party documentation from a counselor or teacher, clergy member, community group, government agencies, medical professionals, or other relevant third party.
2. Other documentation, if applicable, could include death certificate, police report, or legal documents.

Note: Unusual circumstance requests will not be reviewed until all requested documentation is submitted. The review committee may request additional documentation based on your circumstances. Please allow up to 4 weeks for review and processing. An approval of a request may not always increase your financial aid offer.

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